Battle of Mursa

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Battle of Mursa
Part of: Usurpation of Magnentius
This 6 gram silver-plated bronze coin - a so-called maiorina - was minted in Cyzicus from 351 to 354 AD. Constantius II is depicted on the obverse and a soldier with a lance and shield over a fallen rider can be seen on the lapel.
This 6 gram silver-plated bronze coin - a so-called maiorina - was minted in Cyzicus from 351 to 354 AD . On the obverse is Constantius II. Displayed and the lapel is a soldier with lance and shield to see over a fallen rider.
date September 28, 351
place near Mursa in Pannonia (today Osijek in Croatia )
output Victory of Constantius II
Parties to the conflict

Roman Empire / West

Roman Empire / East

Commander

Magnus Magnentius

Constantius II

Troop strength
36,000 approx. 60,000
losses

25,000

30,000

The battle of Mursa was fought in 351 between an (east) Roman army under the emperor Constantius II and a (west) Roman army under the usurper Magnus Magnentius . Magnentius, a Roman general of perhaps Frankish origins, had risen in Gaul in 350 against Emperor Constans , whom he had immediately killed. Proclaimed emperor by his troops, he quickly controlled much of the western half of the Roman Empire, while the eastern half remained under Emperor Constantius II, the brother of the overthrown Constans. Magnentius first tried to be recognized by this as co-ruler. But in view of the events in the west, Constantius II broke off a campaign he was leading at this time against the Persian Sassanids and led a large army to the west. Magnentius went to meet him with his troops. Finally, both armies met at Mursa ( Osijek ).

Before the battle, Constantius II sent his Praetorian prefect Flavius ​​Philip to the camp of Magnentius in order to persuade him to retreat to Gaul. Although this mission was unsuccessful, one of Magnentius' generals and his troops subsequently defected to Constantius II. This further increased the already given superiority of the eastern troops.

The bitter battle now fought between the two armies at Mursa, in which the units of Constantius II finally got the upper hand, was one of the bloodiest in the entire history of the Roman Empire. According to Zonaras (13.8.17) Magnentius is said to have lost over two thirds of his men, while Constantius II lost half of his army. Among other things, the Legio XXII Primigenia , which had been stationed in Mainz until then, seems to have been completely wiped out. In total, over 54,000 soldiers are said to have died in the battle. If one takes into account that the Roman Empire was surrounded by external enemies, the loss of so many well-trained soldiers in a civil war is likely to have significantly weakened the empire. The even bloodier battle of Frigidus would later lead to a similarly disastrous result .

The outcome of the conflict between Magnentius and Constantius II, which was significantly influenced by the outcome of the Battle of Mursa, was also of religious significance. Magnentius had given the adherents of paganism a little more rights. Constantius II, however, was a staunch Christian who is said to have even left the battlefield near Mursa to pray at the nearby grave of a Christian martyr . In this context, the pious legend is to be seen, according to which the then Bishop of Mursa is said to have received the news of Constantius II's victory in the battle of Mursa by an angel.

After his defeat, Magnentius did not give up. Rather, he withdrew with the remnants of his troops to Gaul, where he was finally defeated two years later on Mons Seleucus and thereupon committed suicide.

literature

  • Pedro Barceló: Constantius II and his time. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-608-94046-4 .
  • Bruno Bleckmann : The battle of Mursa and the contemporary interpretation of a civil war in late antiquity. In: Hartwin Brandt (ed.): Interpretation of reality. Crises, realities, interpretations (3rd – 6th centuries AD) . (= Historia individual writings. Volume 134). Steiner, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-515-07519-4 , pp. 47-102.
  • Mark Humphries: The Memory of Mursa. Usurpation, Civil War, and Contested Legitimacy under the Sons of Constantine. In: N. Baker-Brian, S. Tougher (Eds.): The Sons of Constantine, AD 337-361. In the Shadows of Constantine and Julian. Palgrave Macmillan, New York 2020, pp. 157-183.

Web link

annotation

  1. ↑ The fact that Magnentius was the first emperor to have large Christograms minted on his coins shows that Magnentius was also a staunch Christian.