Carausius

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Coin portrait of Carausius on an aureus , minted during his reign over Britain
Territory of the British Empire at the end of the 3rd century
Carausius inscription from Penmachno
Antoninian des Carausius, the lion on the lapel symbolizes the Legio IIII Flavia Felix

Marcus Aurelius Maus (aeus?) Carausius († 293 ) was a Roman general, admiral and counter-emperor to Maximian ( Augustus in the west) and Diocletian (Augustus in the east), who was a short-lived (287-296) Sonderreich in Britain and on the north coast Gaul founded.

Historical background

During the Roman occupation of Britain, the naval division stationed on site, the Classis Britannica , formed one of the main lines of defense against enemy incursions. It operated for the most part in the waters between the British and Gallic coasts; H. the Strait of Dover and the southern part of the North Sea . For some time the marines were able to keep the waters free from pirates, but problems with them increased towards the end of the third century. Looters landed more and more frequently on the British as well as on the opposite Gallic coasts and unsettled the provincial population. The Augustus of the West, Maximian , had to take action against the steadily increasing piracy on both coasts of the English Channel . For this purpose he appointed Marcus Aurelius Valerius Carausius as admiral of the British fleet , their headquarters were in Gesoriacum ( Boulogne-sur-Mer ), and probably gave him special powers to restore the power of Rome in the English Channel. Carausius was born into a poor family from Menapia, a region in what is now the southern Netherlands . After he had played a major role in Maximian's campaign against rebel Bagauden in Gaul, he enjoyed an excellent reputation as a soldier. He must also have had extensive knowledge of seafaring - he probably worked as a helmsman in his youth at sea . In the autumn of 285 the fleet was commissioned to clear the English Channel of the pirates. Eutropius speaks of Saxony and Franconia , while Aurelius Victor simply calls them "Germani". The combat mission also included the protection of the coasts of the Belgica (today Normandy / Belgium) and Armoricas (today Brittany). Carausius was probably a man with a strong, but also unscrupulous character. It is believed that he allowed the pirates to plunder and then stole their loot on the way back to their hiding spots. In this way he eventually acquired great wealth, which further consolidated his power, but which made Maximianus increasingly suspicious. Finally, the admiral also succeeded in largely containing the pirate nuisance or bringing it under control. After this success, however, he was accused of having unceremoniously recruited the pirates for his army and paid with the retained loot. It seems that he not only enlarged his fleet considerably, but also maintained very good connections with the Franks from that point on.

The usurpation

Opinions differ on the question of when exactly this last great usurpation of the third century began. This is mainly due to inconsistencies between written and numismatic sources. Coin finds point to the year 286. The writings of Aurelius Victor , Eutropius and the Panegyricists , however, suggest the year 287. The suspicious Maximian saw in Carausius' successes the first signs of a burgeoning rebellion of a commander who had already become far too powerful. It can no longer be ascertained whether the admiral really had this in mind; Maximian therefore issued the order to arrest him and have him executed immediately. Carausius, on the other hand, learned of it in good time and acted immediately. To save his life, he proclaimed himself emperor with the help of his troops and the Canal Fleet .

In the autumn of 286 or in the spring of 287 Carausius hastily relocated his entire fleet to safer Britain, where he resided alternately in Londinium or in the Gallic Gesoriacum . Britain , which recognized his rule, fell completely under his control; later large parts of the Gallic north coast were also added, as the Franks continued to support him. The existence of a mint of Carausius in Rouen is also documented here. In the autumn of 286 or in the spring of 287 the garrison of Gesoriacum (Boulogne-sur-Mer), probably soldiers of the Legio XXX Ulpia Victrix , joined Carausius, who then had coins minted in honor of the Legion. With the support of the British provinces and parts of northern Gaul, Carausius was initially in a strong position. Nevertheless, as a precaution, he reinforced his fleet with Gallic and Frankish renegades .

One can often read in the relevant specialist literature that the takeover of power by Carausius took place spontaneously and quickly, but neither Aurelius Victor nor Eutropius have any indications that could clearly confirm this. In this context, the u. a. Justified the assumption expressed by Sheppard Frere that this coup was indeed a long-planned action. The question arises as to how Carausius was able to seize unlimited power over Britain so quickly without encountering any noteworthy resistance from the British provincial administration or the (extremely battle-tested) military there; There are no references to defensive actions in any source. So it is quite possible that Carausius bought the benevolence and support of the troops stationed in Britain, which in such a case was a well-established practice. Either he had new money minted or he could actually fall back on embezzled funds. Another explanation would be that Carausius was already known and valued by the provincials as a successful general from a previous campaign in Britain. However, this thesis is controversial as there is no written or archaeological evidence for it.

Whatever the actual reason for the rapid acceptance of the rule of Carausius in Britain, the usurper could rule and rule undisturbed for almost six years. Responsible for this seems to have been the fact that Maximian's army was fully claimed by the permanent pressure of the barbarians on the Rhine border, that they could not take action against the less dangerous Carausius at first.

The counterstrike

Antoninian with the portraits of Carausius, Maximian and Diocletian

In the winter of 288 Maximian ordered the construction of new ships in the Rhine estuary, ordered a hasty sea operation against Britain after their completion and failed miserably.

After the Roman canal fleet overflowed to Carausius, the invasion fleet no longer had enough experienced pilots and seamen who knew the peculiarities of these treacherous waters. The notoriously bad weather in the English Channel also thwarted the emperor's strategy. Britain was difficult to conquer, the Germanic looters who had been invading from the sea since around 270 were tried to be master with partly newly built, strongly fortified forts on the south-east coast . These strategically important fortresses and naval stations, well manned by Carausius' most loyal officers and soldiers, could just as well repel a Roman invasion force.

Maximian had embarrassed himself and had to let Carausius go on. Aurelius Victor even suggests that his rule was unofficially recognized by Diocletian and Maximian for the time being. The imperial propaganda referred to the bad weather to explain the disaster, but this apparently only served as an excuse to let the successful defense of the campaign, which was probably started in a rather amateurish way, take a back seat.

Carausius tried further to be recognized as an equal co-emperor of the empire. He propagated this endeavor by issuing coins with the portraits of all three emperors and the inscription Carausius et fratres sui ("Carausius and his brothers").

At the same time Carausius successfully defended his island kingdom against barbarian incursions. On his behalf, Hadrian's Wall , which had since become dilapidated, was repaired in order to secure the north of his provinces more effectively against predatory Picts and Scots . As in his earlier actions against Franconian pirates, Carausius probably rebuilt diplomatic relations with the northern barbarians, so his military successes there may also be partly due to his good contacts with their tribal leaders.

The matter was now suspended for another four years, so that Carausius could further consolidate his rule. His attempt to establish himself as the third Augustus in the empire, however, only accelerated the preparations for the long overdue counter-attack. This was set in motion with a profound constitutional amendment and the subsequent introduction of the tetrarchy from the year 293.

The reconquest

The next step towards the destruction of Carausius was the elevation of the able and popular military leader Constantius Chlorus to Caesar (co-regent) Maximian. Thus the tiresome problem of Britain also fell within the sphere of responsibility of the new Caesar of the West, who immediately tackled it, but this time much more thoroughly, to prepare for the reconquest of this part of his empire. The appointment of Constantius Chlorus as Caesar of the West can be seen as a declaration of war on the usurper in Britain and was probably understood that way there. Constantius had u. a. the task of returning the north-west of Gaul to the Reichsverband, including the provinces that were in the territory of Carausius. His first goal was therefore to recapture these renegade areas and thus cut off the usurper from undisturbed access to the Gallic mainland that was so important to him. In a swift campaign that began from his headquarters in Trier , he proceeded step by step with persistence and efficiency from 293 onwards. Carausius' most important naval base on the Channel coast, Gesoriacum, was enclosed and besieged by imperial troops. By building a dam to block the port entrance, Constantius soon forced the city's defenders to surrender. Thereafter, the Franks were driven from the Channel Islands and the Gallic coast.

death

The loss of the port city was a military and political catastrophe for Carausius, as his power was now limited to the increasingly isolated Britain. At the same time, the growing strength of his opponent's fleet prevented him from taking full control of the English Channel. When his lucky star began to sink for everyone, Carausius shared the fate of many usurpers. A conspiracy soon formed and he was murdered by or on behalf of his quaestor Allectus . Allectus now ascended the throne in his place and held out a. with the support of Franconian merchants in power until 296.

literature

Web links

Remarks

  1. ^ The abbreviated name Maus in the inscription AE 1895, 1 is generally resolved as Mausaeus. But this cannot be more than a guess, because in the entire imperial prosopography there is no name - except for a Mausacas - that begins with Mouse ...
  2. ↑ Eutropius 9:13:21; see. Orosius 7.25.3.
  3. ^ Aurelius Victor, De Caesaribus 39: 20-21.
  4. ↑ Panegyrici latini 8,12,1, Stephen Williams 1996, pp. 47 and 71-72
  5. ↑ Panegyrici latini 10,11,7; 8,12,1-2.
  6. ↑ Panegyrici latini 8,6,1-2.
  7. ↑ Eutropius 22.2.
personal data
SURNAME Carausius
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Aurelius Mausaeus Carausius, Marcus; Mausaeus Carausius, Marcus Aurelius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman usurper who founded a short-lived special empire in Britain and northern Gaul
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd century
DATE OF DEATH 293