Hanniballianus Nephew Of Constantine I

Though Constantine the Great [Constantine I] made many impressive and correct decisions in his three decades as emperor, one must seriously question his plan for succession. Not only did he divide the empire among his remaining three sons, but he added to the mix two of his half-nephews, Delmatius and Hanniballianus. The death of Constantine I near Nicomedia in AD 337 represented the end of a period of internal peace under the rule of the famous emperor, who had governed alone for the last thirteen years of his thirty-one year reign.

The position of young Flavius Claudius Hannibalianus in the succession arrangements of Constantine I the Great remains obscure and mysterious. Rather oddly named in honor of Hannibal, one of Rome's greatest enemies, Hannibalianus was the son of Constantine's half-brother and thus the great Emperor's nephew. In AD 335 he was included in an elaborate five-way succession scheme along with his brother Delmatius and the three surviving sons of Constantine, who were all named Caesar. Hannibalianus, however, received a very different title-- Rex Regum et Pontiacarum Gentium, or King of Kings and of the Pontic Peoples. The five-way succession scheme abruptly collapsed as Constantine's three sons seized control of the army and ordered the executions of their cousins. SECVRITAS PVBLICA - Securitas Publica:Safety of the public.