Philip the Arab

Philip I (Latin: Marcus Julius Philippus; c. 204 – September 249), commonly known as Philip the Arab, born in Shahba, Syria, was Roman Emperor from 244 to 249. Although his reign lasted only five years, it marked an unusually stable period during the crisis of the third century.

Born in modern-day Shahba, Syria in what was then Arabia Petraea to a family likely of Arab descent, Philip was Praetorian prefect during Gordian III's campaign against Shapur I's Sasanian Empire. When Gordian died under disputed circumstances following the Battle of Misiche, Philip was proclaimed emperor. He quickly negotiated peace with the Sasanians and returned to Rome to be confirmed by the Senate. In 246, Philip successfully repelled an incursion by the Carpi across the Danube. He then commemorated Rome's first millennium in 248 with a series of large-scale festivals and games.

A series of rebellions and renewed Barbarian incursions broke out from late 248, prompting Philip to dispatch Decius to Moesia and Pannonia. A victorious Decius was proclaimed emperor by his troops and immediately marched on Rome. Philip was defeated at Verona where he was killed during or shortly after the battle, and Decius was subsequently recognized by the Senate as his successor.

While Philip publicly adhered to the Roman religion, he was later purported to have been a Christian, and in the later half of the 3rd century and into the beginning of the 4th century, some Catholic clergymen held that same belief. He was described as such in many published works that became widely known during the Middle Ages. Consequently, Philip's religious affiliation remains a divisive topic in modern scholarly debate about his life.