Magnus Clemens Maximus
usurping Roman Emperor (49b)

From Roman:

RE49a B10 Gratian (W) 375-83, 19yo at Valens' death, all now depended on him (108). Pinned down in West, sent for Theodosius (son of the Pict/Scot defeater), who was named co-Augustus (E) Jan 379. Gratian was a fervent Nicene Christian, 1rst to refuse Pontifex Maximus title, well-read, a passionate poet, superb athlete, inspired leader, but at age 24, already growing lazy, "no longer attempted to conceal the predilection he felt for the barbarian element in the army (and particularly for his own personal guard of tall, blond Alani) whom he openly favored [over Romans]. Matters came to a head when one of the imperial generals serving in Britain, Magnus Clemens Maximus, was suddenly acclaimed Augustus by his men ... his army met Gratian's just outside Paris ... the Emperor would probably have won the day had not his Moorish cavalry suddenly ... defected to Maximus ... he was murdered 25 Aug" (109-10).

RE49b usurper Magnus Clemens Maximus "r" 25 Aug 383 to 388, "Through poor judgment, Gratian slowly lost the support of the military, and in 383 the army of Britain proclaimed their own commander, Magnus Maximus, emperor. Gratian was captured and killed at Lyons in Aug 383, leaving Magnus Maximus in control of the provinces N of the Alps. When in 387 he invaded Italy, however, he was defeated and killed the following year. The main beneficiary was Valintinian II, now 19yo, but he in turn was killed by Arbogast, his army commander, in May 392. With his death the luckless House of Valentinian came to an end. Arbogast briefly had Eugenius, a former teacher of rhetoric, elevated as emperor in the west, but their forces were defeated by the eastern emperor in 394 ... It was [Theodosius] who led the army to Italy which defeated Maximus in 388, and in a 2nd campaign in 394 overthrew Eugenius and Arbogast, murderer of Valintinian II" (Chronicle of the RE, Chris Scarre, Thames and Hudson, 1995, 240pp, Mustang, pp228-9).

RE49c B11 (joint) B13 (sole) Theodosius I 379-95, at Gratian's death, he was busy w/Persians and Huns, so reluctantly ack'd usurper Maximus, "as did most of the provinces of the West" (110, except Italy, where 12yo Valentinian II set up rule, under guidance of his mother Justina [Arian] and Bishop Ambrose). In 387 Maximus invaded Italy "ostensibly to deliver the Empire from the taint of [Arian] heresy" (110). In June 388 Theodosius and Valentinian II pursued and defeated Maximus (k. by soldiers), appointing Arbogast Comes [gov.] of Gaul. 390: famous confrontation in Milan between Theodosius, Ambrose (i.e. murder of Botheric at Thessalonica, Theodosius' overreaction, 7K killed). "or Flavius Theodosius b. c346, upon d. of father returned to family estate in Spain, but recalled by Gratian to public svc, bap. 380, supported orthodoxy, suppressed heresy [paganism, Arianism, Manichaeism, ...], ruled w/justice, deep convictions, but also some cruelty" (WBDC).

Here, the author [of DOKA, i.e. Geoffrey Ashe] shows some evidence for the following descent:

• Maximus
  
  • Severa, 1rst wife of Vortigern (2nd was a Saxon wife)
    
    • ? (dau of Vortigern and 2nd [Saxon] wife) m. Arthur-Riothamus
      
      • Cerdic
        
        • Wessex royalty
          
          • English royalty
            

P91 Gracianus, usurper, assassinated (hmmm, Gratian? RE51 r375-83, k. by General [Magnus Clemens] Maximus [known in Welsh as Macsen Wledig, TWK p16, see pic], army cmdr of spanish birth who then declared himself emperor in the West [in Britain], gaining control of the West and even capturing Rome, but finally defeated and killed by Theodosius [Eastern emperor] in 388. DOKA says Constantine [II, Arthur's gfather] reigns after Maximus but not long after, ends prematurely and Vortigern takes over, marrying Maximus' dau [Severa?]. Maximus later made an 'honorary Brit' hero by Welsh legend).

P92 Constantine II, 10 yrs [hmmm, TWK says 4 yrs 407-11, perhaps he informally took over in 401?], "The first decade of the 5C saw considerable upheavals, w/a succession of emperors elected in Britain and subsequently overthrown. The most successful and famous of these was Constantine, who was elected in 407 ... c408 [his] general Gerontius allied w/barbarian invaders [Saxons, Irish?] and rebelled against the usurping emperor ... d411" (TWK p17-8).

P93 Constans, son of Constantine II

"The traditional date for the end of Roman rule in Britain is AD 410" (TWK p17). After this period, "it seems likely that overlapping small kingdoms and chiefdoms grew up among the native Britons to provide centers of govt and defense" (TWK p24, e.g. big 3 Dyfed [derived from tribal name Demetae], Gwynedd [founding figure Cunedda, who came w/8 sons from Manau Gododdin and drove out Irish, his sons: Tybion (d. in N, son Meirion), Oswael, Rhufen, Dunod, Ceredig, Afloeg, Einion Yrth, Dogfael, Edern], Powys, and smaller Buellt, Ceredigion, Gwent, Glywysing, Brycheiniog. Dumnonia is now Devon, Cornwall). Cunedda may be myth, or he may have been a descendant of a Roman official, or even part of "a deliberate policy [of migration/conquest] by a pan-British overlord, e.g. Maximus, Vortigern, Coel Hen" (TWK p32).

P94 Vortigern, usurper r425-? (doka), "It has been suggested that Gildas's Latin phrase superbus tyrannus, proud tyrant, may reflect a translation of a British name or title, mor tigern, great king" (TWK p19).

MBKQ pp91-2 i.e. section on Maximus: "[B64 i.e. 64th RE, P88] Magnus Maximus or Macsen Wledig (leader) or Maximianus ... The period from 367 to 383 had been an unsettling one in Britain. The island became increasingly subject to attacks, both from Germanic tribes and from Picts and Irish. By 367 the problem was at such a height, with the death of the Roman duke, Fullofaudes, that the emperor Valentinian [I] sent an army into Britain under the command of Theodosius the Elder, a Spanish general. Magnus Maximus, another Spanish soldier, accompanied Theodosius. Within 2 yrs Theodosius had brought matters under control and established a new administration. However, the British nobility now felt the poorer, and the strict rule of the young new emperor, Gratian, caused unrest in Britain. In 383 the Roman army in Britain declared Maximus emperor. Maximus had stayed on in Britain after Theodosius's campaign and had established himself with considerable authority and popularity, probably attaining the title of duke. In 382 he had achieved a strong victory over another uprising of Picts. W/in months of the soldiers declaring [him] emperor, he raised an army and sailed to France where he engaged Gratian in battle outside Paris. After 5 days Gratian fled. Soldiers caught and killed him at Lyons on 25 Aug 383, tho not under the orders of Maximus. Maximus was rapidly accepted as emperor in the W, a position ack'd by Theodosius the Younger, who was emperor in the E. Maximus held his court at Trier on the Moselle [river].

"[He] was clearly a popular emperor, despite [having] to levy high taxes to sustain his army. He was Christian and was highly respected by the Church, though his strict catholic outlook led to him ordering the death of heretics, particularly the Gnostic Priscillianists in Spain. By 386 he became increasingly certain that he needed to move into Italy which nominally was still under the control of the youth Valentinian II. He prepared his way carefully and, by Jan 388, was successfully installed in Rome. Now feeling under threat Theodosius brought his better trained forces against Maximus who, after a few engagements, was defeated and captured. Although Theodosius was prepared to be lenient, Maximus was killed by a group of soldiers on 28 Jul 388. His son, Victor, whom he had made Caesar, was captured in Gaul and killed.

"Maximus left a remarkable legacy in British folklore. He was readily adopted into the fabric of British history where he became Macsen Wledig, the latter a title reserved for a few leaders who emerged from the landed gentry. He is reputed to have married Elen, or Helen, the dau of Eudaf (or Odes, or Octavius) the Ruler of the Gewisse in S Wales, and his own dau Servia or Severa, m. Vortigern, the later high king of Britain. Through his children Macsen became credited as the father of the later rulers of Gwent and Glamorgan, including Erb and the fabled Arthur, and Britain's first high king, Owain. Such was the impact of Maximus's achievement in attaining the throne of Rome, that many British rulers endeavoured to claim descent from him. What is uncertain now is how many of these genealogies are rigged or whether there is some essence of truth. Maximus did live in Britain for 16yrs before being raised to the Purple, and he was evidently extremely popular.

"The legacy of Maximus' campaign [to become RE] was to weaken an already weakening Britain. Although he did not withdraw all forces from the island, he certainly withdrew a substantial number. There is no doubt that as a seasoned campaigner he would not have left the island undefended, and this is probably where the origins of other royal families arose. It is probable that Maximus installed some strong commanders in the territory between the Hadrianic and Antonine Walls who became the forebears of later rulers. These would include Quintilius, or Cinhil, the gfather of Ceretic of Alclud, and Padarn of the Red Cloak, gfather of Cunedda. It is also possible that Maximus established the arrangement of a strong Irish leadership, under Eochaid in Demetia (SW Wales), and the colony of Britons in Armorica (Brittany) in N France. His period as emperor was brief, but his impact on the emerging kingships in Britain was considerable"