1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Didius Salvius Julianus, Marcus
|←Diderot, Denis||1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 8 Didius
Salvius Julianus, Marcus |See also Didius Julianus on Wikipedia,
and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer.| DIDIUS SALVIUS
JULIANUS, MARCUS, Roman emperor for two months (March 28-June 2)
during the year a.d. 193. He was the grandson of the famous
jurist Salvius Julianus (under Hadrian and the Antonines), and
the son of a distinguished general, who might have ascended the
throne after the death of Antoninus Pius, had not his loyalty to
the ruling house prevented him. Didius filled several civil and
military offices with distinguished success, but subsequently
abandoned himself to dissipation. On the death of Pertinax, the
praetorian guards offered the throne to the highest bidder.
Flavius Sulpicianus, the father-in-law of Pertinax and praefect
of the city, had already made an offer; Didius, urged on by the
members of his family, his freedmen and parasites, hurried to
the praetori