Carinus

Carinus was a Roman emperor who ruled in the western provinces during the late Crisis of the Third Century. He was the son of Emperor Carus and initially held power after his father’s death in 283 CE, sharing the throne with his brother Numerian, who governed the East while Carinus controlled the West.

Numerian’s death in 284 CE led Carinus to rule as sole emperor in the West. His brief reign, about a year and a half, was dominated by frontier warfare along the Rhine and Danube against Germanic and other tribes, as well as the administrative pressures typical of a divided imperial succession. Our knowledge of his character and governance is limited; most details come from later historians and coin evidence, and contemporary sources are sparse and sometimes unreliable.

Carinus’s death occurred in 285 CE, reportedly in battle against Diocletian’s forces at the Margus River (in Moesia, modern Serbia). His demise effectively ended his rule and cleared the path for Diocletian to seize power and, several years later, to inaugurate the Tetrarchy, a major reform that sought to stabilize the Empire after decades of instability.

Legacy: Carinus’s reign is a brief episode in the broader turmoil of the late third century. While primarily remembered for the end of his line and the transition it signaled toward Diocletian’s reforms, his rule illustrates the rapid turnover and fragmented governance that characterized the period.