Silvanus[1] was a Roman soldier and probably praetorian prefect during the third century who came briefly to the notice of history in the reign of Valerian and his co-Emperor Gallienus.
This seems likely to mean that he exercised a guiding influence over his young protégé as he represented the Imperial Dynasty in the government of the Gallic provinces.
In this respect Silvanus may be compared with Ingenuus who seems to have exercised a similar function, in loco parentis, in the command of the Danubian provinces by Saloninus's elder brother, the Caesar Valeriannus, earlier in the 250s.
Praetorian Prefect or not, in 260 Silvanus fell into dispute with Postumus over the disposition of loot which the latter had seized from a group of German raiders in Gaul.
Postumus's army, infuriated, then proclaimed their man Emperor and attacked Silvanus and the young Caesar in Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (modernday Cologne).