The
Historia Augusta states that Regalian was a military commander,
dux, in
Illyricum, promoted to this post by emperor
Valerian (253–260) but also that he was proclaimed emperor by his troops in
Moesia, a neighbouring region. This information cannot be regarded as reliable, especially given that it is anachronistic: the position of
dux Illyrici did not yet exist at the time of Regalian. Given his wife's high rank, it is more likely that Regalian was a provincial governor, perhaps of
Pannonia Superior. These provinces along the
Danube suffered from frequent barbarian raids, which often left them at odds with the central imperial government. Shortly prior to Regalianus' own claim to imperial power, the usurper
Ingenuus had been proclaimed in the region in 260, but he had quickly been defeated by the reigning emperor,
Gallienus (253–268). It is not clear how much time transpired between the revolt of Ingenuus and Regalian's own acclamation, or if Regalian was involved in the preceding revolt, though most scholars agree that there was an extended hiatus between them. This makes it unclear when exactly Regalian was acclaimed emperor and also, given that he held out for several months, when he died. He was proclaimed emperor either late in 260 or in 261, and his claim to imperial power ended with his defeat and death after several months, either in 260 or 261. , Regalian's seat of power After defeating Ingenuus, Gallienus had spent some time reorganising the defenses along the Danube, but had to return to Italy to deal with an invasion by the
Alemanni, a
Germanic tribe. Shortly after he departed, the
Roxolani, a
Sarmatian tribe that Gallienus had re-settled within the imperial borders in the Danube region, rebelled and attacked Regalian's forces, whereafter Regalian retreated to the city of
Carnuntum. It was only after these events that Regalian was acclaimed emperor by his troops. It is likely that the legionaries of
Legio XIV Gemina, which was stationed at Carnuntum, supported the accession of Regalian as they hoped he could help secure the Danube border. Unlike Ingenuus before him, Regalian minted his own coins at a mint he himself established at Carnuntum, a revolutionary move for an imperial claimant. In addition to his own portrait, Regalian's coins also depict his wife, whom he raised to the rank of
Augusta to bolster his position. Most, but not all, of Regalian's coins have the formula
AUGG. (implying two rulers, rather than
AUG., which implies one) as part of their reverse legend. The plural
AUGG. was likely intentional, but the intended meaning is not clear. It is more likely that it refers to the partnership between Regalian and his wife Dryantilla, rather than to some partnership between Regalianus and Gallienus. Paul Pearson has speculated instead that the two might have had a son whom they promoted to co-Augustus. Regalian's acclamation as emperor and later governance in the Danube region was actually beneficial to Gallienus, as it provided the invading Roxolani with a new focus for opposition and allowed Gallienus time to deal with the immediate threat presented by the Alemanni invasion in Italy. All of Regalian's coins were minted at Carnuntum, and they are all overstruck issues, struck on coins minted by earlier emperors of the third century, such as
Septimius Severus and
Maximinus Thrax. Stylistically, Regalian's coins imitate the coins of the Licinian emperors (Valerian and Gallienus), though they are of lower quality, often in a very rough style and with spelling errors. Some of the coins were so hastily made that the legends of the prior emperor who originally minted the coin is still partially visible, or that the new minting failed to give the coin a visible legend at all. Owing to his brief rule, only a small number of coins (just over 130) minted by Regalian have been found. Most of them are today in private coin collections. How Regalian was defeated and died is unclear, given that different sources give different answers. The generally accepted theory concerning Regalian's demise, forwarded by the Hungarian archaeologist Jenő Fitz in 1966, is that Regalian was killed in a raid by the Roxolani, perhaps working together with some of his own men, after bravely having fought the rebelling tribe for some time. Other accounts include that Regalian was murdered exclusively by his own troops as the Illyrian provincial population were afraid of retribution from Gallienus (
Historia Augusta) or that he was defeated and killed by Gallienus (Eutropius). ==See also==