A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Bulla Felix was a legendary Italian 'bandit' who reminds us of Robin Hood, a heroic outlaw from Nottingham, England, who robbed the rich and helped the poor in England.
Bulla Felix (in Latin: "Lucky Charm") was a master of disguise. He was always one step ahead of the law, but his goal was not to kill but to steal riches from wealthy people. Most details of Felix's life come from the writings of Cassius Dio, a Roman statesman and historian of Greek origin who published 80 historical works on ancient Rome.
Dio reported that a group of brigands led by Bulla Felix began to seriously trouble the Roman authorities during the reign of a despotic ruler, Emperor Septimius Severus. While he ruled from 193 to 211 AD, he founded a personal dynasty and transformed the government into a military monarchy.
Bulla's group comprised about 600 men - mostly escaped enslaved people but even former Praetorians from Rome's most prestigious military units. They raided Italy for almost two years in the early 3rd century CE (205-207 CE).
Dio's forces were sent to capture Bulla, an elusive and clever enemy. He managed several times to escape the authorities, who tried to lure him into a trap. The Roman troops searched for him for two years.
"Although many men pursued Bulla, and Emperor Severus himself tracked the man zealously, he was never seen when seen, never found when found, never caught when caught. In part, this was because of Bulla's great generosity with gifts and intelligence," wrote Dio.
Roman alabaster and marble bust of Septimius Severus, Musei Capitolini, Rome. Image credit: antmoose - CC BY 2.0
When we read these words written by Cassius Dio, we see that the Roman historian wrote about the brave man, Bulla, in relatively favorable terms. Perhaps he admired Bulla's intelligence, which efficiently helped him outwit his opponents.
Once, Bulla cleverly tricked a centurion, a professional Roman army officer, who followed him. He gave him a message to the Emperor:
"Tell your masters that they should feed their slaves enough so that they do not turn to a life of banditry."
Not much is known about Bulla Felix's life before he became a rebel. It is known that a priest raised him, and the young Felix learned how to read and write. Growing up, he was interested in theology, law, and philosophy.
Later, his life changed. He organized his people and operated in mountainous areas of the port of Brindisi (Brundisium) in southern Italy, on his way north from Brindisi to Rome.
He was a well-educated leader of his small army of 600 men, organized in a sophisticated intelligence network based on information from many contacts loyal to him.
Interestingly, a rebel Bulla was not defeated by the Roman soldiers or the strategic superiority of the Roman Emperor. Instead, his tragedy was his betrayal of a woman he was intimately involved with. Some sources say that the woman betrayed him for a fee. Another version of the story is that her name was Julia Domna, and she was Emperor Septimius Severus' spouse who did it when her husband was away in Britain.
In 207 CE, an order came from the Emperor himself to capture the living Bulla and punish him. The Emperor did not accept defeat and wanted Bulla alive. In the end, wild beasts condemned Bulla Felix to death in the arena.
Cassius Dion's story about Bulla Felix expresses the opposition of a Roman historian and senator to the Emperor.
We will probably never know if Bulla Felix was Cassius Dion's imaginative figure or a real robber. However, in the story of a Roman 'bandit' and a brigand who was against unjust power, we find many references to other historical tales about great and brave men in different cultures.
Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer
Updated on April 16, 2024
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Expand for referencesReferences:
Osborne R. Studies in Ancient Greek and Roman Society
Grunewald T. Bandits in the Roman Empire
