Hanniballianus Æ Follis. Constantinople, AD 336-337.

FL HANIBALLIANO REGI, bare headed, draped and cuirassed bust right /

SECVRITAS PVBLICA, Euphrates seated to right, leaning on sceptre, urn at his side, reed in background; CONSS in exergue.

RIC 147.

1.46 g, 15.07 mm, 6h.

Good Very Fine.

Rare.

Hannibalianus occupies a curious and highly symbolic place in the political landscape of the Constantinian dynasty. A nephew of Constantine I, he was elevated in AD 335 to the unique and unprecedented title Rex Regum et Ponticarum Gentium — “King of Kings and of the Pontic Peoples.” This extraordinary designation was part of Constantine’s grand strategy to reorganize the eastern frontier and create a client‑kingdom that would serve as a buffer between Rome and Persia. Hannibalianus, married to Constantine’s daughter Constantina, thus stood at the center of an ambitious imperial experiment.

His royal status, however, was largely theoretical. Although Constantine envisioned Hannibalianus ruling over territories in Armenia and the Pontic regions, the plan never materialized. The emperor’s death in May 337 abruptly halted the project, leaving Hannibalianus with a title but no kingdom. In the turbulent months that followed, the Constantinian dynasty was shaken by a violent purge: the imperial family and high officials were struck by a wave of assassinations as Constantine’s sons consolidated power.

Caught in this storm, Hannibalianus was executed during the dynastic massacre of 337. His death marked the end of Constantine’s eastern vision and erased the only attempt in centuries to revive a Roman‑backed client monarchy in the Pontic world.

Because his reign was nominal and extremely brief, Hannibalianus’ coinage is exceptionally rare. Struck only in limited quantities at Constantinople, his issues — typically bearing the royal title rather than an imperial one — stand as tangible witnesses to Constantine’s final political experiment and the fragile fate of those who stood too close to the shifting center of imperial power.