Gaius Messius Quintus Decius was born in the region of lower Pannonia at the beginning of the third century AD.[2] The years following his birth were turbulent years for the Roman Empire. The four decades following the reign of Septimius Severus (193-211 AD) saw no less than fourteen emperors, and several usurpers, come to power. Many of these met untimely ends, having become victims of this age of civil unrest. To add to the chaos, Rome’s enemies were chipping away at its frontiers, inflation was rife and the Roman economy was spiraling toward an all time low.

By the time Decius came to power in 249 A.D., the empire was in a desperate state. The new emperor was under intense pressure to get things right. If not, he too risked becoming a statistic of the civil unrest. Decius was a Roman of the old style; mature, battle hardy, and having a strong desire to see Rome’s former glory restored. Like his predecessors, Decius faced several alarming situations that he believed were causing Rome’s decline. Firstly there was the issue of security. Following a series of Parthian invasions in the east, Rome now faced a new threat from the north – the Goths. Their incursions into Roman territory were becoming more and more daring, and Decius was well aware of the need to restore order to the frontiers. Then there was the economy. That too was in a desperate state. Inflation was rife, with increasing military costs drawing heavily on the imperial coffers. The silver mines were also nearly exhausted, and as such the debasement in the silver content of coins was severe. In fact, the silver content of coinage minted during Decius’ reign was so debased that his successors began plating copper coins with silver, rather than incorporating it into the coins. [3]

However, possibly the biggest threat to the empire in Decius’ eyes was the decline in public piety and traditional Roman values. Worst of all, he believed the people of the empire had neglected or even rejected the traditional Roman deities. To Decius, it was not surprising that things were in the state they were. The gods were not pleased. Rome had neglected the gods, and therefore it stood to reason that the gods had neglected Rome.

Upon taking up the imperial robes, Decius moved quickly to address these situations. One of his first moves was to take a new name – ‘Traianus’ or ‘Trajan’. The emperor Trajan (98- 116 AD) exemplified for Decius the command of one of Rome’s most successful armies. Identifying with this heyday of Roman power and supremacy would, he hoped, inspire the people and give them confidence in his command. Thus, from that time on he became known as Trajan Decius. This new name is recorded on many of the coins issued during his reign.[4]

To deal with the issue of the angry gods, Trajan Decius masterminded a plan through which he sought to honour the gods, and restore them to their ‘rightful’ place in Roman society. He believed a return to patriotic tradition would unite an empire divided in their loyalties and restore public piety. Likely at the forefront of his mind was a troublesome ‘sect’ known as the Christians, who out rightly rejected the traditional Roman pantheon. So it was that in the year 250 AD Trajan Decius introduced an Imperial decree commanding Rome’s provincial governors and magistrates to oversee an empire wide sacrifice to the gods. This decree is known today as ‘the edict of Decius’.[5]

It appears the sacrifice was set for a particular day, and on that day every living soul in the empire was required to offer libations and a sacrifice to the traditional Roman pantheon. This included both the traditional god’s and the genius of many previously deified emperors. A coin issue (images below), attributed by many to Trajan Decius, (or possibly his successor Trebonianus Gallus, who embraced his reforms) testifies to a harkening back to the glory days of the empire in a move to bolster and revitalise this public worship. The issue consisted of two sets of coins featuring the busts of twelve deified emperors from Rome’s ‘glory days’. The reverse of one set features an eagle, the other an altar. The reverse legend on both reads CONSECRATIO or the consecration of the emperor as a god. 

History records that Trajan Decius went through with his edict. Those who fulfilled the edict were issued with a certificate acknowledging they had carried out the required sacrifice. Several of these certificates have been discovered over recent years. They testify to the subjects of the empire having made their sacrifice. The following is an example (and translation) of such a certificate, known also as a libellus.

A Libellus from the Decian Persecution (A.D. 250)
 

Not surprisingly, the Christian response to the edict was somewhat mixed. Because that generation had not experienced such pressure on their faith before, many simply gave in and sacrificed. Others avoided the sacrifices by managing to extract false certificates from the authorities. A third group however stood firm in their resolve to stay loyal to their God, Jesus Christ. They refused to worship the Roman gods, and as such suffered the consequences of their devotion.[6]

Despite the Christian resistance however, it seems very few people were actually killed during the implementation of the edict. Trajan Decius’ plan was not to exterminate his subjects but to promote the worship of the gods. As such, every means possible was employed to achieve this. In the case of the rebellious Christians, they were arrested, and then through a combination of promises, threats, and torture, they were pressured to abandon their faith and to obey the edict. This meant that some endured extreme cruelty for their defiant faith.[7] The Church historian Eusebius reports for instance that:
 

“In his persecution the evil demon [Trajan Decius] attacked Origen [A leader of the Church], in particular, with all the weapons in his arsenal, making him endure chains and torture for the word of Christ as he lay in irons in the depths of his dungeon…” [8]
 

Origen was tortured so brutally that he died soon after being released at about 70 years of age.

As mentioned, Trajan Decius’ second goal was to deal with the gnawing issue of Rome’s enemy, the Goths. In 250 AD, he led his armies east to the Danube frontier and engaged the Goths in battle. The outcome was a resounding victory. He is reported to have killed around 30,000 Goths in the battle, and in doing so removed the Gothic threat to Dacia.[9] The battle is commemorated on several coin issues, including some commemorating the virtue if his Illyrian army (Photo top left), and others featuring Dacia. One issue, unique to Trajan Decius at the time, speaks volumes about the fragile situation. It reads DACIA FELIX – ‘lucky Dacia’ (Photo bottom left).

Trajan Decius’ next encounter with the Goths was not quite so lucky. The following year, after an initially successful engagement, his armies were ambushed in swamplands by the Gothic leader Kniva. The slaughter that followed claimed the lives of both Trajan Decius, and his son Herrenius Etruscus. Many of his troops also lost their lives in the rout.

Trajan Decius’ death was tragic. Upon his accession he had vowed to bring stability to the empire and enjoy a long and successful reign.[10] It seems however that he was not the man for such troubled times. He inherited a heavy burden. This  burden is vividly portrayed in the few ‘overwhelmingly’ expressive sculptures and coin images produced during his brief time at the top. Commenting on these images, Michael Grant author of ‘The Climax of Rome’, states:

‘These crisis-emperors were not stupid, but they look desperately worried… They [the artists] made it very clear that the emperors shared the distresses of their subjects, and carried the cares of the world upon their shoulders. It almost appeared, from these masterpieces, that the burden was too great for them: as indeed it was.’ [11]

Although his intentions were admirable, Trajan Decius’ ambitious reforms were not suited to the world of his time. It seems few areas of society embraced his moves, and rather than restoring patriotic fervour, they instead wreaked havoc. Many lives were ruined as a result of his persecutions and many lives were lost in his failed attempt to bring the Goths into subjection. The years that followed Trajan Decius’ reign saw the Empire continue to spiral out of control. Inflation worsened, more enemies were to penetrate the frontiers and civil war became a way of life. Who knows what Trajan Decius could have achieved in another age. As it turns out however, half a century elapsed before change did come. Ironically, it came from the very source that Trajan Decius had tried to suppress – Christianity.  

Burnett, Andrew. Interpreting the Past: Coins. London: British Museum Press, 1991.

Dowley, Tim. The History of Christianity: A Lion Handbook. Oxford: Lion, 1977.

Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity: Volume 1. San Francisco; Harper, 1984.

Grant, Michael. The Climax of Rome. London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 1996.

Maier, Paul L. Eusebius: The Church History – A New Translation with Commentary. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1999.

Van Meter, David. The Handbook of Roman Imperial Coins: A Complete Guide to the History, Types and Values of Roman Imperial Coinage. New York: Laurion Press, 1991.