Dux Belgicae secundae

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Army leaders of the Comitatenses and Limitanei in the 5th century AD.
Notitia Dignitatum: The fortress towns Quartensis, Portuae Patiaci and the castles at Litus Saxonicum (symbolically represented as a fort) under the command of the Dux Belgicae secundae
The Late Antique Provinces in Gaul (AD 400)
The Saxon coast (Litus Saxonicum) around the year 380
The Frankish King Childerich in the equipment of a late Roman officer of the 5th century (attempted reconstruction after the grave goods discovered in the 17th century)

The Dux Belgicae secundae (literally: " Army Commander of the Province of Belgica II") was a high officer in the late Roman army of the west, commander in chief of the Limitanei and a fleet squadron on the so-called Saxon coast in north-western Gaul .

A Dux known by name was the Frankish King Childerich I (late 5th century).

The office was probably established around AD 395. At the imperial court, the Dux belonged to the highest class of viri spectabiles . In the Notitia Dignitatum two high command posts and their units for the protection of the coasts are set up for the Gallic part of the Litus Saxonicum

enumerated, the above commander and the neighboring Dux tractus Armoricani et Nervicani . Otherwise they are not mentioned in any other ancient sources.

development

In the course of the imperial reform under Emperor Diocletian , new military offices were introduced in Britain and Gaul. At that time the Limes of the so-called Saxon coast was formed on both sides of the English Channel . Strongly exposed portions and estuaries were forts partially built or rebuilt already existing. Their crews had the task of repelling looters and invaders or to make access to the interior of the country as difficult as possible. The main responsibility for securing both coasts lay in the middle of the 4th century with a Comes Maritimi Tractus . In 367 several barbarian peoples invaded Britain, in the course of which the units of the provincial armed forces there were split up or almost completely wiped out. Their commanders-in-chief were also killed, including the "Count of the Coastal Regions", Nectaridus. His area of ​​responsibility must then have been divided into three military districts - by 395 at the latest. The aim was to prevent a military leader from getting too many soldiers under his command and thus enabling an uprising (such as the usurpation of the British naval commander Carausius ). For the Gallic part of the Saxon coast, two new ducats were created that existed until the early 5th century.

In the final phase of Roman rule over Gaul, the general of the Salfranken , Childerich, acted as civil administrator and commander of a Roman-style armed force (exercitus) on the territory around the city of Tournai in the north of the province. The city served him as his residence and administrative center. His power supported u. a. also to armories based here. In his tumulus, discovered in 1653, one found u. a. Eastern Roman gold coins, a gold-woven officer's coat ( paludamentum ) and a golden onion button fibula . The former were interpreted in research as pay for military service, the latter as a badge of rank of the late Roman army. However, it is unclear whether Childeric still acted as a Roman general or already largely independently as a king (rex gloriosissimus) ; it is very likely that both offices were merged with one another at that time. Childerich, however, still felt obliged to the late Roman military aristocracy of Gaul. In the end, it was not the formal powers that were decisive, but the real balance of power based on military resources. In any case, this bundling of civil and military offices in his hands suggests that Childerich had a prominent position under the barbaric military leader. He was probably confirmed in his office directly by Odoacer 's administration in Italy and also by the Eastern Roman imperial court. It is believed that he ranked as dux before the other Federation Commanders. As a rex or princeps , he would also have been entitled to award ecclesiastical and secular offices and the associated titles such as patricius , comes and dux to deserving Teutons or Romans in his domain (regnum) .

Administrative staff

The Officium (administrative staff) of the Dux comprised the following offices:

  • Principem xe eodem corpore (head of the office from the ranks of the army)
  • Numerarium (two bookkeepers)
  • Commentariensem (legal counsel)
  • Adiutorem (assistant)
  • Subadiuuam (assistant)
  • Regrendarium (administrator)
  • Exceptores (lawyers)
  • Singulares et reliquos officiales (bodyguards and other officials)

troops

The Dux should originally have had more troops under its command. Arnold Hugh Martin Jones identified the origins of some units in the Gallic field army. They all came from the Belgica II . Their names are the same as those of the well-known Roman cities in this province: In contrast to vexillations of other Duces, these units are no longer indicated as being under the command of the Dux Belgicae II . It seems that this province was one of the first to surrender many of its units to the field army after the border units on the Rhine were broken up ( Rhine crossing from 406 AD) . No Dux Belgicae primae is given in the Notitia , although Sarmatian settlers can be detected in this province. Presumably the Roman units there were withdrawn from there much earlier or placed under the command of the Dux of the Belgica II . The shield emblems of the Germanic Laeten are not shown in the Notitia.

Distributio Numerorum

According to the ND Occ. the following units were available to the Dux :

cavalry

Officers / units / forts comment Illustration
Equites Dalmatae in Marcis In the ND, no commanding officer was given for this cavalry troop, originally recruited in Dalmatia . The fort was part of the fortress chain of the Limes of the Saxon coast (litus saxonicum) .
Shield sign unknown

Infantry and fleet

Officers / units / forts comment Illustration
Limitanei
Tribunus militum Nerviorum , Portus Epatiacus A unit of the indigenous tribe of the Nervier who was stationed in the fort of Oudenburg.
Shield sign unknown
Legiones Comitatenses
Geminiacenses, Geminiacum No commanding officer was specified for the force in the ND. Its name refers to its location Geminiacum , today's Liberchies in Belgium. The Geminiacenses were later transferred to the Gallic field army of Magister Equitum .
Shield sign unknown
Cotoriacenses , cotoriacum No commanding officer was specified for the force in the ND. Its name is derived from its stationing place Cortoriacum , today's Kortrijk / Courtrai in Belgium. It also appears in the list of the Gallic field army of the Magister Equitum .
Shield sign unknown
Prima Flavia , Metis (pseudocomitatenses) No commanding officer was specified for the force in the ND. AHM Jones identifies Metis with Divodurum Mediomatricum , today's city of Metz in northeastern France, in the Vita of Arnulf von Metz from the 10th century it is referred to as "Metis civitatis" . It also appears in the list of the Gallic field army of the Magister Equitum . "The first Flavian ..." was a common name in the 4th century. Other units with a similar designation are e.g. B. the
  • Prima Flavia Pacis , a legio comitatenses under the command of the Comes Africae . The
  • Prima Flavia Theodosiana , another legio comitatenses under the command of the Magister Militum per Orientum . The
  • Prima Flavia gemina , a legio comitatenses under the Magister Militum per Thracias . The
  • Prima Flavia Augustae , a naval unit under the Dux Pannoniae secundae . The
  • Prima Flavia Raetorum a riding group under the Dux Raetiae . The
  • Prima Flavia Sapaudica , a cohort which although stationed in Gaul, but not part of the Gallic army under the Master Equitum was and
  • Prima Flavia , a cohort under the command of the Dux Palaestinae .
Shield sign unknown
Classes
Praefectus classis Sambricae A flotilla of patrol ships ( naves iusoriae ) that was probably stationed on the Somme since the 4th century . Their bases were in Locus Quartensis or Vicus ad Quantiam / Quentovicus (Etaples-sur-Mer, France, north of the Somme estuary, finds from brick temple ( CL (assis) Sam ...) and Locus Hornensis (Cap Hornez, France)).
Shield sign unknown
Gentes - Laeti
Praefectus Sarmatarum gentilium, inter (between) Renos et Tambianos provinciae Belgicae secundae Banns Sarmatian settlers.
Shield sign unknown
Praefectus laetorum Nerviorum , Fanomantis An array of Germanic Laeten .
Shield sign unknown
Praefectus laetorum Batavorum Nemetacensium , Atrabatis An array of Germanic Laeten .
Shield sign unknown
Praefectus laetorum Batavorum Contraginnensium , Noviomago An array of Germanic Laeten .
Shield sign unknown
Praefectus laetorum gentilium in Remo et Silvanectas Germanic forces .
Shield sign unknown

literature

  • Arnold Hugh Martin Jones : The Later Roman Empire, 284-602. A Social, Economic and Administrative Survey. 2 volumes. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1986, ISBN 0-8018-3285-3 (paperback).
  • Heinrich Beck u. a. (Ed.): Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Volume 18. de Gruyter, Berlin-New York 2001, ISBN 3-11-016950-9 , p. 524.
  • Dieter Geuenich (ed.): The Franks and the Alemanni up to the "Battle of Zülpich" (496/97) . Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-11-015826-4 , pp. 97-98.
  • Stephen Johnson: The Roman Forts of the Saxon Shore , 1976 and JC Mann, in VA Maxfield (Ed.): The Saxon Shore , 1989, pp. 45-77.
  • Stefanie Dick: Kingship, barbarians on the throne in: Spectrum of Science Special / Archeology - History - Culture , No. 1/2015, p. 26ff
  • Eugen Ewig: The Merovingians and the Franconian Empire , 5th updated edition, Stuttgart 2006, p. 17.
  • Karen Ramsey Dixon, Pat Southern : The Late Roman Army , Batsford, London 1996, p. 60, ISBN 9780300068436 .
  • Hans DL Viereck: The Roman fleet, Classis Romana. Köhlers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg 1996, p. 258. ISBN 3-930656-33-7 .
  • Edith Mary Wightman: Gallia Belgica , University of California Press, Los Angeles 1985.
  • Peter Salway: History of Roman Britain , Oxford History of England, Oxford Paperbacks 2001.
  • Michael S. DuBois: Auxillae: A Compendium of Non-Legionary Units of the Roman Empire. Lulu Press 2015, ISBN 978-1-329-63758-0 .

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Notitia Dignitatum Occ. XXXVIII
  2. ↑ Notitia Dignitatum Occ. XXXVII
  3. ↑ barbarica conspiratio, Ammianus 27,8,1–6, Peter Salway 2001, p. 281
  4. ↑ Eugen Ewig, 2006, p. 17, Stefanie Dick, 2015, p. 29–30, Dieter Geuenich, p. 97–98
  5. ^ Officium autem habet idem vir spectabilis dux hoc modo
  6. ↑ Insignia viri illustris magistri peditum, Occ. V
  7. ↑ sub dispositions
  8. ^ Karen R. Dixon, Pat Southern, p. 60
  9. ^ Mary Wightman, 1985, p. 207, Hans DL Viereck, 1996, p. 258.
  10. ^ ND Occ. XLII. Item praepositurae magistri militum praesentalis a parte peditum