Maxima Caesariensis

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The Maxima Caesariensis was a province of the Roman Empire in today's Great Britain and had its capital in Londinium , today's London . In the course of the administrative reform under Emperor Diocletian at the beginning of the 4th century AD, the province encompassed today's south-east England .

In 296 the adoptive son and Caesar of the Western Roman Emperor Maximian , Constantius Chlorus , had regained the province of Britannia superior and with it all of Britain through a victory over the usurper Allectus . During his subsequent stay in Londinium , then the largest Roman city in Britain, he probably personally initiated the reorganization of the provinces in his sphere of influence as a tetrarch .

Some British historians such as Eric Birley believe that Britannia superior , which had existed since the division of the province of Britannia ( Britain ) at the time of Emperor Septimius Severus , was initially divided into the provinces of Britannia prima and Britannia Caesariensis . The province with the capital Londinium received its honorable nickname as compensation for the division from Caesar himself. However, there is no written evidence for the existence of a Britannia Caesariensis . At the beginning of the 4th century AD there is already talk of two “Caesarian” provinces, namely Flavia Caesariensis and Maxima Caesariensis . The nickname "Caesariensis" could have been retained for two provinces that resulted from the division of Britannia Caesariensis . The origin of the naming of these two provinces as " Maxima Caesariensis " and " Flavia Caesariensis " is also unclear. However, it is believed likely that they were named after the emperor of the Western Roman Empire, Maximian, and after Constantius Chlorus himself, who was actually called Flavius ​​Valerius Constantius. So then came together with Britannia prima and the northern Britannia secunda the well-known division of Britain into four provinces, which was later increased to five by the separation of the province Valentia from the province Britannia secunda .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Peter Salway: Roman Britain. Oxford 1981, ISBN 0-19-821717-X , p. 317 and Map VII.