Sextus (possibly Gaius) Julius Saturninus (died 280) was a Roman usurper against Emperor Probus.
Julius Saturninus was a Gaul by birth (others have him as a Moor) and was a friend of Emperor Probus. He was appointed governor of Syria by Probus (c. 279).
After Probus had left Syria for the Rhine in 280, unruly soldiers and the people of Alexandria forced a reluctant Saturninus to accept imperial office. He fled from Alexandria to escape the pressure but changed his mind in Palestine. He proclaimed himself emperor in 280. Before Probus could respond to the threat, Saturninus was dead, killed by his own troops.
Famous quotes containing the word julius:
“In the most high and palmy state of Rome,
A little ere the mightiest Julius fell,
The graves stood tenantless and the sheeted dead
Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)