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Magnus Clemens Maximus (ca. 335–August 28, 388
388

Events...
), also known as Maximianus, was a Hispanic
Hispanic

Hispanic is a term that historically denoted relation to the ancient Hispania . During the Modern Era, it took on a more limited meaning relating to the contemporary nation of Spain....
 usurper
Roman usurper

Usurpers are individuals or groups of individuals who obtain and maintain the power or rights of another by force and without legal authority. Usurpers were a common feature of the late Roman Empire, especially from the crisis of the third century onwards, when political instability became the rule....
 of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire

The Western Roman Empire refers to the western half of the Roman Empire, from its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, today widely known as the Byzantine Empire....
 from 383 until his death, in 388, by order of Emperor Theodosius I
Theodosius I

Flavius Theodosius , also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great , was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Reuniting the eastern and western portions of the empire, Theodosius was the last emperor of both the Eastern Roman Empire and Western Roman Empire....
.

mus was a distinguished general who served under Theodosius the Elder
Count Theodosius

Flavius Theodosius or Theodosius the Elder was a senior military officer serving in the Western Roman Empire. He achieved the rank of Comes Britanniarum and as such, he is usually referred to as Comes Theodosius....
. He certainly served with him in Africa in 373 and on the Danube in 376. It is likely he also may have been a junior officer in Britain during the quelling of the Great Conspiracy
Great Conspiracy

The Great Conspiracy is a term given to a year-long war that occurred in Roman Britain near the end of the Roman occupation of the island. The historian Ammianus Marcellinus described it as a barbarica conspiratio that capitalised on a depleted military force in the province brought about by Magnentius' losses of the Battle of Mursa Major...
 in 368.






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Magnus Clemens Maximus (ca. 335–August 28, 388
388

Events...
), also known as Maximianus, was a Hispanic
Hispanic

Hispanic is a term that historically denoted relation to the ancient Hispania . During the Modern Era, it took on a more limited meaning relating to the contemporary nation of Spain....
 usurper
Roman usurper

Usurpers are individuals or groups of individuals who obtain and maintain the power or rights of another by force and without legal authority. Usurpers were a common feature of the late Roman Empire, especially from the crisis of the third century onwards, when political instability became the rule....
 of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire

The Western Roman Empire refers to the western half of the Roman Empire, from its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, today widely known as the Byzantine Empire....
 from 383 until his death, in 388, by order of Emperor Theodosius I
Theodosius I

Flavius Theodosius , also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great , was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Reuniting the eastern and western portions of the empire, Theodosius was the last emperor of both the Eastern Roman Empire and Western Roman Empire....
.

Life

Maximus was a distinguished general who served under Theodosius the Elder
Count Theodosius

Flavius Theodosius or Theodosius the Elder was a senior military officer serving in the Western Roman Empire. He achieved the rank of Comes Britanniarum and as such, he is usually referred to as Comes Theodosius....
. He certainly served with him in Africa in 373 and on the Danube in 376. It is likely he also may have been a junior officer in Britain during the quelling of the Great Conspiracy
Great Conspiracy

The Great Conspiracy is a term given to a year-long war that occurred in Roman Britain near the end of the Roman occupation of the island. The historian Ammianus Marcellinus described it as a barbarica conspiratio that capitalised on a depleted military force in the province brought about by Magnentius' losses of the Battle of Mursa Major...
 in 368. Assigned to Britain
Roman Britain

Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410. The Romans referred to their province as Britannia....
 in 380, he defeated an incursion of the Picts
Picts

The Picts were a confederation of tribes in what was later to become eastern and northern Scotland from Roman Empire times until the 10th century....
 and Scots
Gaels

The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group which originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to Scotland and the Isle of Man. They are speakers of the Goidelic languages languages ? Irish language, Scottish Gaelic and Manx language....
 in 381. Maximus was proclaimed emperor by his troops in 383. He went to Gaul
Gaul

Gaul is the name used for the region of Western Europe comprising part of present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the River Rhine....
 to pursue his imperial ambitions taking a large number of British troops with him.

Following his conquest of Gaul, Maximus went out to meet his main opponent, Gratian
Gratian

Flavius Gratianus , known usually by the anglicised name Gratian, was a Western Roman Emperor from 375 to 383.He favoured the Christian religion against Roman polytheism, refusing the traditional polytheistic attributes of the emperors and removing the Altar of Victory from the Roman Senate....
, whom he defeated near Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
. Gratian, after fleeing, was killed at Lyon
Lyon

||-||}Lyon, also known as Lyons in English, is a city in east-central France. Its name is pronounced in French language and Franco-Proven?al language, and or in English language....
 on August 25, 383. Continuing his campaign into Italy Maximus was stopped from overthrowing Valentinian II
Valentinian II

Flavius Valentinianus Iunior , known usually by his anglicised name, Valentinian II, was a Roman Emperor from 375 to 392....
, who was aged only twelve, when Theodosius I
Theodosius I

Flavius Theodosius , also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great , was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Reuniting the eastern and western portions of the empire, Theodosius was the last emperor of both the Eastern Roman Empire and Western Roman Empire....
, the Eastern Roman Emperor, sent Flavius Bauto
Flavius Bauto

Flavius Bauto was a Roman culture Franks who served as a magister militum of the Western Roman Empire.When the usurper Magnus Maximus invaded Italy in an attempt to replace Valentinian II, Bauto led the forces of the Eastern Emperor Theodosius I and defeated the rebel....
 with a powerful force to stop him. Negotiations followed in 384 including the intervention of Ambrose
Ambrose

Saint Ambrose was a Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the fourth century. He is counted as one of the four original doctors of the Church....
, Bishop of Milan, leading to an accord with Valentinian II and Theodosius I in which Maximus was recognized as an Augustus in the west.

Maximus made his capital at Augusta Treverorum (Treves, Trier
Trier

Trier is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle River. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC. Trier is not the only city claiming to be Germany's oldest, but it is the only one that bases this assertion on having the longest history as a city, as opposed to a mere settlement or army camp....
) in Gaul and ruled Britain, Gaul, Spain, and Africa. He issued coinage and a number of edicts reorganizing Gaul's system of provinces. Some scholars believe Maximus may have founded the office of the Comes Britanniarum
Comes Britanniarum

Comes Britanniarum was a military post in Roman Britain, with command of the mobile field army from the mid 4th century onwards.It is listed in the Notitia Dignitatum as being one of the three commands in Britain, along with the Dux Britanniarum and Count of the Saxon Shore....
 as well. He became a popular emperor, Quintus Aurelius Symmachus
Quintus Aurelius Symmachus

Quintus Aurelius Symmachus , the cultured and prominent son of a prominent father, Lucius Aurelius Avianius Symmachus, in the patrician gens Aurelia, held the offices of proconsul of Africa in 373, urban prefect of Rome in 384 and 385, and consul in 391....
 delivered a panegyric on Maximus' virtues. He used barbarian forces such as the Alamanni
Alamanni

The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic languagess located around the upper Main river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211?17 and claimed thereby to be their defeater....
 to great effect. He was also a stern persecutor of heretics
Heresy

Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief, especially a religion, that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief....
. It was on his orders that Priscillian
Priscillian

Priscillian, bishop of ?vila , a theology from Ancient Rome Gallaecia , was the first person in the history of Christianity to be executed for heresy ....
 and 6 companions became the first people in the history of Christianity
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
 to be executed for heresy
Heresy

Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief, especially a religion, that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief....
, in this case of Priscillianism
Priscillianism

Priscillianism is a Christianity doctrine developed in the Iberian Peninsula in the 4th century by Priscillian, derived from the Gnosticism-Manichaeism doctrines taught by Marcus, an Ancient Egypt from Memphis, Egypt, and later considered a heresy by the Roman Catholic Church....
, by other Christians (though the civil charges were for the practice of magic
Magic (paranormal)

Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a conceptual system that asserts human ability to control or predict the nature through Mysticism, paranormal or supernatural means....
), and their property was confiscated. These executions went ahead despite the wishes of prominent men such as St. Martin of Tours. Maximus' edict of 387 or 388 which censured Christians at Rome for burning down a Jewish synagogue, was condemned by Bishop Ambrose
Ambrose

Saint Ambrose was a Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the fourth century. He is counted as one of the four original doctors of the Church....
 who said people exclaimed: ‘the emperor has become a Jew’

In 387 Maximus managed to force Valentinian II
Valentinian II

Flavius Valentinianus Iunior , known usually by his anglicised name, Valentinian II, was a Roman Emperor from 375 to 392....
 out of Rome
Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
 after which he fled to Theodosius I
Theodosius I

Flavius Theodosius , also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great , was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Reuniting the eastern and western portions of the empire, Theodosius was the last emperor of both the Eastern Roman Empire and Western Roman Empire....
. Theodosius I and Valentinian II
Valentinian II

Flavius Valentinianus Iunior , known usually by his anglicised name, Valentinian II, was a Roman Emperor from 375 to 392....
 then invaded from the east and campaigned against Magnus Maximus in July-August 388, their troops being led by Richomeres
Richomeres

Flavius Richomeres was a Franks who lived in the late 4th century. He took service in the Roman army and made a career as comes, magister militum, and consul....
 and other generals. Maximus was defeated in the Battle of the Save
Battle of the Save

The Battle of the Save was fought in 388 between the forces of Roman usurper Magnus Maximus and the Eastern Roman Empire . Emperor Theodosius I defeated Magnus Maximus's army in battle....
, and retreated to Aquileia
Aquileia

Aquileia is an ancient history Roman Republic city in what is now Italy, at the head of the Adriatic Sea at the edge of the lagoons, about 10 km from the sea, on the river Natiso , the course of which has changed somewhat since Roman times....
. Meanwhile the Franks
Franks

The Franks or Frankish people were a West Germanic ethnic group first identified in the 3rd century as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River....
 under Marcomer
Marcomer

Marcomer was a Franks leader in the late 4th century that invaded the Roman Empire in the year 388, when the usurper and leader of the whole of Roman Gaul, Magnus Maximus was surrounded in Aquileia by Theodosius I....
 had taken the opportunity and invaded at the same time further weakening Maximus' position.

Andragathius, magister equitum of Maximus and killer of Gratian, was defeated near Siscia, his brother Marcellinus again at Poetovio. Maximus surrendered in Aquileia and although pleaded for mercy was executed. The Senate passed a decree of Damnatio memoriae
Damnatio memoriae

Damnatio memoriae is the Latin language literally meaning "damnation of memory", in the sense of removed from the remembrance. It was a form of dishonor that could be passed by the Roman Senate upon treachery or others who brought discredit to the Roman State....
 against him. However, his wife and two daughters were spared. Maximus' son, Flavius Victor
Flavius Victor

Flavius Victor was the infant son of Magnus Maximus by his wife Elen, allegedly the daughter of Octavius. He was proclaimed an Augustus #In the Divided Roman Empire from 384 to his death in 388....
, was defeated and executed by Valentinian's magister peditum Arbogast
Arbogast (general)

Flavius Arbogastes , or Arbogast was a Franks general in the Roman Empire. It has been stated by some ancient historians that he was the son of Flavius Bauto, Valentinian II's former magister militum and protector before Arbogast, but modern scholars largely discount this claim ....
 in the fall of the same year. What happened to his family is not related, although it is clear that they survived and that his descendants continued to occupy influential posts. We encounter a possible daughter of Magnus Maximus, Sevira, on the Pillar of Eliseg
Pillar of Eliseg

The Pillar of Eliseg also known as Elise's Pillar or Croes Elisedd in Welsh, stands near Valle Crucis Abbey, Denbighshire, Wales, at ....
, an early medieval inscribed stone in Wales which claims her marriage to Vortigern
Vortigern

Vortigern , also spelled Vortiger and Vortigen, was a 5th-century warlord in Sub-Roman Britain, a leading king of the Britons. His existence is considered likely, though information about him is shrouded in legend....
, king of the Britons. Another daughter was possibly married to Ennodius, proconsul Africae (395). Their grandson was Petronius Maximus
Petronius Maximus

Flavius Anicius Petronius Maximus , was a Roman Empire aristocrat, and briefly Western Roman Emperor with the designation and name Dominus Noster Flavius Anicius Petronius Maximus Augustus during part of the year 455, more exactly between March 17, 455 and May 31, 455....
, who was another ill-fated emperor, ruling in Rome for but 77 days before he was stoned to death while fleeing from the Vandals on May 24, 455. Other descendants included Anicius Olybrius
Olybrius

Flavius Anicius Olybrius After the Sack of Rome by the Vandals King Geiseric in 455, Olybrius fled to Constantinople, where in 464 he was made Roman consul, and about the same time ca 454 married Placidia, daughter of Valentinian III and Licinia Eudoxia....
, emperor in 472, but also several consuls and bishops such as St. Magnus Felix Ennodius
Magnus Felix Ennodius

Magnus Felix Ennodius was Bishop of Pavia in 514, and a Latin rhetorician and poet.He was one of four fifth to sixth-century Gallo-Roman aristocrats whose letters survive in quantity: the others are Sidonius Apollinaris, prefect of Rome in 468 and bishop of Clermont , Ruricius bishop of Limoges and Avitus of Vienne, bishop of Vienne ....
 (Bishop of Pavia
Pavia

Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po River....
 c. 514-21).

Role in British and Breton history

In Gildas
Gildas

Saint Gildas was a 6th century Britons cleric. He is one of the best-documented figures of the Christianity church in the British Isles during the 6th century....
's De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae written in the sixth century Maximus is attributed an important role as the man responsible for withdrawing Roman troops from Britain on a major scale and thus leaving it open to barbarian attack. The archaeological evidence backs up Gildas's account in that the late fourth century seems to have been the period when Roman troops were withdrawn from areas like Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall

Hadrian's Wall is a Rock and Sod fortification built by the Roman Empire across the width of what is now northern England. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the middle of three such fortifications built across Great Britain, the first being from the River Clyde to the River Forth under Agricola and the last the Ant...
 and Segontium with no coins found later than 383. The earliest Welsh genealogies give Maximus a role as a founding father of the dynasties of many of Welsh kingdoms such as the Kingdom of Powys
Kingdom of Powys

  The Kingdom of Powys was a Wales successor state that emerged during the Dark Ages following the Roman withdrawal from Britain....
, Kingdom of Gwent
Kingdom of Gwent

  Gwent was, between about the 6th and 11th centuries, one of the kingdoms or principalities of medi?val Wales, traditionally lying between the rivers River Wye and River Usk in what later became known as the Welsh Marches....
 and the Kingdom of Dyfed
Kingdom of Dyfed

  The Kingdom of Dyfed was a sub-Roman Britain and Early Middle Ages kingdom in South Wales.Dyfed, or in its Latin form Demetia, was one of the ancient kingdoms of Wales prior to the Norman invasion of Wales....
 the sort of claims reflected in the Pillar of Eliseg
Pillar of Eliseg

The Pillar of Eliseg also known as Elise's Pillar or Croes Elisedd in Welsh, stands near Valle Crucis Abbey, Denbighshire, Wales, at ....
 and in lists of the Fifteen Tribes of Wales
Fifteen Tribes of Wales

The Fifteen Tribes of Wales were a number of families in Wales endowed with inherited noble or royal qualities from pre-Roman times. From their number came arguably the first governments of the nation before consolidation into the Welsh tri-archy of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Kingdom of Powys and Deheubarth....
. It has been argued that this role may be a result of genuine land grants and delegation of authority by Roman authorities to local leaders such as Vortigern
Vortigern

Vortigern , also spelled Vortiger and Vortigen, was a 5th-century warlord in Sub-Roman Britain, a leading king of the Britons. His existence is considered likely, though information about him is shrouded in legend....
 and Padarn Beisrudd
Padarn Beisrudd

Padarn Beisrudd ap Tegid literally translates as Paternus of the Scarlet Robe, son of Tegid. His father may have borne the Roman name of Tacitus....
 on troop withdrawal. It also has been suggested he settled the Déisi
Déisi

The D?isi was a term used to describe a class of peoples in ancient Ireland. It was derived from the word "d?is", which meant "vassal", or "subject"....
 and Attacotti
Attacotti

Attacotti refers to a people who despoiled Roman Britain between 364 and 368, along with Scoti, Picts, Saxons, Roman military deserters, and the indigenous Britons s themselves....
 in Britain. Although it is impossible to back these ideas with any certainty, and they could be later invention, what is obvious that a connection to Macsen was seen as highly desirable early in Welsh history.

The ninth century Historia Brittonum gives another account of Maxiumus and assigns him an important role:

The seventh emperor was Maximianus. He withdrew from Britain with all its military force, slew Gratianus the king of the Romans, and obtained the sovereignty of all Europe. Unwilling to send back his warlike companions to their wives, families, and possessions in Britain, he conferred upon them numerous districts from the lake on the summit of Mons lovis, to the city called Cant Guic, and to the western Tumulus, that is Cruc Occident. These are the Armoric Britons, and they remain there to the present day. In consequence of their absence, Britain being overcome by foreign nations, the lawful heirs were cast out, till God interposed with his assistance.


Modern historians believe that this idea of mass British troop settlement in Brittany
Brittany

Brittany is a former independent Celtic nations monarchy and duchy, now incorporated into France. It is also, more generally, the name of the cultural area whose limits correspond to the historic province and independent duchy....
 by Maximus may very well reflect some reality, as it accords with other historical evidence and later Breton traditions.

Welsh Legend

Legendary versions of Maximus' career in which he marries a Welsh princess Helen may have been in popular circulation in Welsh speaking areas from an early point. Although the story of Helen and Maximus's meeting is almost certainly fictional, there is some evidence for the basic claims. He is certainly given a prominent place in the earliest version of the Welsh Triads
Welsh Triads

The Welsh Triads are a group of related texts in medieval manuscripts which preserve fragments of Welsh folklore, Welsh mythology and traditional history in groups of three....
 which are believed to date from c. 1100 and which reflect far older traditions. Macsen is also frequently referred to Welsh poetry as a point of comparison to later Welsh leaders. These legends come down to us in two separate versions. Magnus Maximus also appears in the Welsh folk song Yma o Hyd by Dafydd Iwan
Dafydd Iwan

Dafydd Iwan , is a Welsh folk singer and politician. He is the president of Plaid Cymru, The Party of Wales.Dafydd Iwan Jones was born in Brynamman in Carmarthenshire, Wales, he spent most of his youth in Bala, Gwynedd in Merioneth before attending the Cardiff University....
 - 'Pan aeth Magnus Maximus o Gymru Yn y flwyddyn tri-chant-wyth-tri, A'n gadael yn genedl gyfan A heddiw: wele ni! '

Geoffrey of Monmouth

According to Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth

Geoffrey of Monmouth was a clergyman and one of the major figures in the English historians in the Middle Ages and the popularity of tales of King Arthur....
's semi-fictional Historia regum Britanniae
Historia Regum Britanniae

The Historia Regum Britanniae is a pseudohistory account of Great Britain history, written c.1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It chronicles the lives of the List of legendary kings of Britain in a chronological narrative spanning a time of two thousand years, beginning with the Troy of Homer's Iliad founding the Brython nation and conti...
, basis for many English and Welsh legends, Maximian as he calls him, was a Roman senator and nephew of King Coel
Old King Cole

This is an article about the nursery rhyme. A legendary king of Celtic Roman Britain, about all that can be said about Old King Cole with any certainty is that:...
 through his brother Ioelinus and was king of the Brythons following the death of Octavius
Octavius

Octavius was a legendary king of the Brythons in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regum Britanniae, an early account of the rulers of Britain....
. Geoffrey tells this came about because Octavius, the king of the Britons, wanted to wed his daughter to such a powerful half-Roman, half-Briton and give the kingship of Britain as a dowry to that husband so he sent a message to Rome offering his daughter to Maximian.

Caradocus
Caradocus

In Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regum Britanniae, a fictional account of the List of legendary kings of Britain, Caradocus was titular king of the Britons in the absence of Emperor Magnus Maximus, who had left to campaign in Gaul....
, the Duke of Cornwall
Legendary Dukes of Cornwall

Legendary Duke of Cornwall appear in pseudo-historical authors as Nennius and Geoffrey of Monmouth. The list is extremely patchy, and not every succession was unbroken....
, had suggested and supported the marriage between Octavius's daughter and Maximian. Maximian accepted the offer and left Rome for Britain. Geoffrey claims further that Maximian gathered an army as he sacked Frankish
Franks

The Franks or Frankish people were a West Germanic ethnic group first identified in the 3rd century as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River....
 towns along the way. He invaded Clausentum (modern Southampton
Southampton

Southampton is the largest City status in the United Kingdom in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England, and is sited around 100 km south-west of London and 30 km north-west of Portsmouth....
) unintentionally and nearly fought the army of the Britons under Conanus
Conan Meriadoc

Conan Meriadoc was the legendary 4th century founder of the house of Rohan and legendary leader of the earliest Brythonic settlement in Armorica....
 before a truce was made. Following further negotiations, Maximian was given the kingship of Britain and Octavius retired. Five years into his kingship, Magnus Maximus assembled a vast fleet and invaded Gaul
Gaul

Gaul is the name used for the region of Western Europe comprising part of present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the River Rhine....
, leaving Britain in the control of Caradocus. Upon reaching the kingdom of Armorica
Armorica

Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany peninsula and the territory between the Seine and Loire River rivers, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic coast....
, he defeated the king and killed thousands of inhabitants. Before departing to Rome, he summoned Conanus
Conan Meriadoc

Conan Meriadoc was the legendary 4th century founder of the house of Rohan and legendary leader of the earliest Brythonic settlement in Armorica....
, the rebellious nephew of Octavius, and asked him to rule as king of the land, which was renamed Brittany
Brittany

Brittany is a former independent Celtic nations monarchy and duchy, now incorporated into France. It is also, more generally, the name of the cultural area whose limits correspond to the historic province and independent duchy....
, or 'Little Britain'. Conan's men married native women after cutting out their tongues to preserve the purity of their language. Geoffrey of Monmouth presents this legend to explain the Welsh name for Brittany, Llydaw, as originating from lled-taw or half-silent. Given that Conan was well established in genealogies as the founder of Brittany this certainly is connected to an older tradition than Geoffrey.

Following the death of Caradocus rule of Britain as regent passed to Dionotus
Dionotus

In Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regum Britanniae, a fictional account of the rulers of Britain, Dionotus was a legendary List of legendary kings of Britain during the campaigns in Gaul led by Emperor Magnus Maximus....
, who facing a foreign invasion appealed to Maximus who finally sent a man named Gracianus Municeps
Gracianus Municeps

Gracianus Municeps was a legendary List of legendary kings of Britain, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regum Britanniae, a fictional account of British history....
 with two legions to stop the attack. He killed many thousands before the invaders fled to Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
. Maximus died in Rome
Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
 soon after and Dionotus became the official king of the Britons. Unfortunately, before he could begin his reign, Gracianus took hold of the crown and made himself king over Dionotus.

The Dream of Macsen Wledig

Although the Mabinogion
Mabinogion

The Mabinogion is a collection of eleven prose stories from medieval Welsh manuscripts. They draw on pre-Christian Celtic mythology, international folktale motifs, and on early medieval historical traditions....
 tale The Dream of Macsen Wledig is written in later manuscripts than Geoffrey's version, the two accounts are so different that scholars agree the Dream cannot be based purely on Geoffrey's version. The Dream's account also seems to accord better with details in the Triads, so it perhaps reflects an earlier tradition.

Macsen Wledig, the Emperor of Rome, dreams one night of a lovely maiden in a wonderful, far-off land. Awakening, he sends his men all over the earth in search of her. With much difficulty they find her in a rich castle in Britain, daughter of a chieftain based at Segontium (Caernarfon
Caernarfon

Caernarfon is a List of UK place names with royal patronage in Gwynedd, northwest Wales.The name comes from Welsh Caer yn Arfon = "castle in Arfon", referring to the Roman Empire fort named Segontium....
), and lead the Emperor to her. Everything he finds is exactly as in his dream. The maiden, whose name is Helen or Elen, accepts and loves him. Because Elen is found a virgin, Macsen gives her father sovereignty over the island of Britain and orders three castles built for his bride. In Macsen's absence, a new emperor seizes power and warns him not to return. With the help of men from Britain led by Elen's brother Conanus
Conan Meriadoc

Conan Meriadoc was the legendary 4th century founder of the house of Rohan and legendary leader of the earliest Brythonic settlement in Armorica....
 (Welsh
Welsh language

Welsh ]], is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, in England by some along the Welsh Marches and in the Welsh settlement in Argentina in the Chubut Valley in Argentina Patagonia....
: Kynan Meriadec, French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
: Conan Meriadoc), Macsen marches across Gaul and Italy and recaptures Rome. In gratitude to his British allies, Macsen rewards them with a portion of Gaul that becomes known as Brittany.

Later Literature

The prominent place of Macsen in history, Welsh legend and in the Matter of Britain
Matter of Britain

The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the legends that concern the Celtic and legendary history of Great Britain, especially those focused on King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table ....
 means he is often a character or referred to in historical and Arthurian fiction. Such stories include Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle
Pendragon Cycle

The Pendragon Cycle is a series of fantasy or semi-historical books based on the Arthurian legend, written by Stephen R. Lawhead. They are:...
, Mary Stewart's The Hollow Hills
The Hollow Hills

The Hollow Hills is a novel by Mary Stewart. It is the second in a quintet of novels covering the Arthurian Legends. This book is preceded by The Crystal Cave and succeeded by The Last Enchantment....
, and Kipling's Puck of Pook's Hill
Puck of Pook's Hill

Puck of Pook's Hill is a children's book by Rudyard Kipling, published in 1906, containing a series of short stories set in different periods of history....
.

See also

  • Pillar of Eliseg
    Pillar of Eliseg

    The Pillar of Eliseg also known as Elise's Pillar or Croes Elisedd in Welsh, stands near Valle Crucis Abbey, Denbighshire, Wales, at ....


Primary Sources

Magnus Maximus is mentioned in a number of ancient and Medieval sources.

  • Ammianus Marcellinus
    Ammianus Marcellinus

    Ammianus Marcellinus was a fourth-century Ancient Rome historian. His is the last major historical account of the late Roman empire which survives today....
     Rerum Gestarum Libri Qui Supersunt XXXI.4.9
  • Geoffrey of Monmouth Histories of the Kings of Britain V.5-6
  • Gildas De Excidio Britannie II.13-14
  • 'Nennius
    Nennius

    Nennius, or Nemnivus, is either of two shadowy personages traditionally associated with the history of Wales. The better known of the two is Nennius, the student of Elvodugus....
    ' Historia Brittonum 27; 29
  • Orosius
    Orosius

    Paulus Orosius was a Christianity historian, theology and disciple of Augustine of Hippo who came from Gallaecia , probably from the capital city Bracara Augusta....
     Historium adversum paganos VII.34
  • Pacatus Panegyricus Latini Pacati Deprani Dictus Theodosio
  • Prosper
    Prosper of Aquitaine

    Saint Prosper of Aquitaine , a Christian writer and disciple of Saint Augustine of Hippo, was the first continuator of Jerome's Universal Chronicle....
     (Tiro) of Aquitaine Chronicon 384; 388
  • Socrates Scholasticus
    Socrates Scholasticus

    Socrates of Constantinople was a Greek Christian church historian, a contemporary of Sozomen and Theodoret, who used his work; he was born at Constantinople c....
     Historia Ecclesiastica V.8; V.11
  • Sozomen
    Sozomen

    Salminius Hermias Sozomenus was a historian of the Christianity church....
     Historia Ecclesiastica VII.13
  • Sulpicius Severus
    Sulpicius Severus

    Sulpicius Severus was a Christianity writer and native of Aquitania. He is known for his chronicle of sacred history, as well as his biography of Saint Martin of Tours....
     Dialogi II.6;III.11,13
  • Sulpicius Severus Historia Sacra II.49-51
  • Sulpicius Severus Vita Sancti Martini XX
  • Trioedd Ynys Prydein (The Welsh Triads)
  • Zosimus
    Zosimus

    Zosimus was a Byzantine Empire historian, who lived in Constantinople during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I . According to Photios I of Constantinople, he was a comes, and held the office of "advocate" of the imperial treasury....
     Historia Nova


External links


Historical Magnus

  • account
  • account
  • Magnus Maximus and the Picts


Legendary Magnus