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Author Topic: Roman Emperors In Britain  (Read 4442 times)

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Offline Doug H

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Roman Emperors In Britain
« on: March 12, 2008, 10:42:07 am »
Having gone through that phase of collecting Roman coins "willy-nilly", I am now thinking of focusing a little more. One area that springs to mind is concentrating on coins of Roman Emperors that visited Britain, as this would give me a good spread of eras, coin types, famous names, more obscure ones and usurpers. The question is, which of them did visit (either before or after they became emperor)?

From the books I own - augmented by the web - I have this list so far:

Julius Caesar
Claudius
Vespasian
Hadrian
Pertinax
Clodius Albinus
Septimius Severus
Caracalla
Geta
Gordian III
Carausius
Allectus
Constantius I
Constantine I

Do any of you experts have any more to add? For example, I guess there's a good chance that the breakaway Gallic emperors of the 3rd century could have made the trip, though I can't find any mention that they did.

Offline Pscipio

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Re: Roman Emperors In Britain
« Reply #1 on: March 12, 2008, 10:52:48 am »
There is a theory that Postumus visited Britain early in his reign, but we don't have any evidence other than some nautical coin types for it.

Lars
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Offline PeterD

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Re: Roman Emperors In Britain
« Reply #2 on: March 12, 2008, 11:03:46 am »
Constans was the last reigning emperor to visit Britain.
The usurpers, Magnus Maximus, his son Flavius Victor and Constantine III started out in Britain.
Peter, London

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Offline maridvnvm

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Re: Roman Emperors In Britain
« Reply #3 on: March 12, 2008, 11:15:52 am »
Julius Caesar was never emperor.

Offline curtislclay

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Re: Roman Emperors In Britain
« Reply #4 on: March 12, 2008, 11:30:36 am »
I was unaware of a visit to Britain by Gordian III.  What's the evidence?
Curtis Clay

Offline maridvnvm

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Re: Roman Emperors In Britain
« Reply #5 on: March 12, 2008, 11:48:22 am »
Wasn't Gordian I governor of Roman Britain in A.D. 216?

Offline curtislclay

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Re: Roman Emperors In Britain
« Reply #6 on: March 12, 2008, 12:13:40 pm »
That is correct according to Kienast's Kaisertabelle.  Doug H must have meant Gordian I.
Curtis Clay

Offline Doug H

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Re: Roman Emperors In Britain
« Reply #7 on: March 12, 2008, 12:56:12 pm »
Thank-you all for your impressively swift responses.

Curtis/Maridvnvm - You are of course both right and I meant Gordian I rather than Gordian III.

Maridvnvm - Point taken....but he's still on my list.

Peter - I omitted Magnus Maximus and Flavius Victor by mistake. However, I had forgotten about Constantine III. Would his son Constans also qualify or did he not set foot in Britain (despite Geoffrey of Monmouth's version of events)?

Offline David Atherton

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Re: Roman Emperors In Britain
« Reply #8 on: March 12, 2008, 01:06:30 pm »
Titus served in Britain as a tribune c. 60 AD.

Offline Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Roman Emperors In Britain
« Reply #9 on: March 12, 2008, 06:31:30 pm »
Postumus' galley reverses don't necessarily point to a visit to Britain. His first type was SALVS PROVINCIARVM, with a river god and a small ship's prow, either a river boat or a small coasting vessel. So something waterborne presumably happened, probably along the Rhine. We know that by the time of Carausius' coup, piracy was seen as a serious problem in the North Sea. I'd have thought there was a good chance that Postumus was celebrating some sort of action there.
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Offline Pscipio

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Re: Roman Emperors In Britain
« Reply #10 on: March 13, 2008, 06:15:03 am »
No, not necessarily so, that's why I referred to it as a theory. However, there is more than just the galley reverse type, cf.nig p. 92-93.

I don't think it's correct to deduct from the SALVS PROVINCIARVM / Rhine god type that something waterborne happened along the Rhine: this reverse type is Postumus' first (together with VICTORIA AVG), struck immediately after the siege of Cologne, and only refers to the Rhine provinces in general, with the Rhine god and a river boat as emblem. The common reverse types NEPTVNIO REDVCI and LAETITIA AVG of 261 AD (Elmer also refers to an apparently contemporary PROFECTIO AVGVSTI S C-Sestertius), however, must refer to something waterborne, an important event - yet they are peaceful, so it's doubtful if they can be connected to some sort of action against Pirates. A peaceful visit to Britain sounds more plausible here, I think, though it must remain unsettled.

Lars
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Ghengis_Jon

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Re: Roman Emperors In Britain
« Reply #11 on: March 13, 2008, 08:25:33 am »
I think Peter is refering to Constans I (son of Constantine I), who visited in the winter of 343.

Offline Doug H

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Re: Roman Emperors In Britain
« Reply #12 on: March 13, 2008, 09:10:11 am »
I'm sure Peter was referring to Constans I. However, the usurper Constantine III also had a son called Constans, who he raised to the rank of Augustus. However, having read read a bit more, it seems that the elevation took place after Britain revolted against Constantine, which means he doesn't qualify for my list.

Thank-you to everyone for your contribution. Hopefully this list is now complete at 19.

(Julius Caesar)
Claudius
Vespasian
Titus
Hadrian
Pertinax
Clodius Albinus
Septimius Severus
Caracalla
Geta
Gordian I
Carausius
Allectus
Constantius I
Constantine I
Constans
Magnus Maximus
Flavius Victor
Constantine III

Offline commodus

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Re: Roman Emperors In Britain
« Reply #13 on: March 17, 2008, 01:58:29 am »
The brothers Valentinian and Valens, both Roman emperors, grew up in part on the estates of their father, Gratian the Elder, in Britain (and also in Africa).
Eric Brock (1966 - 2011)

basemetal

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Re: Roman Emperors In Britain
« Reply #14 on: March 18, 2008, 08:44:47 pm »
I always thought Septimus Severus, who was born in North Africa, must have loathed the British climate, warmer than now though it was.
Bruce

Offline Steve Minnoch

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Re: Roman Emperors In Britain
« Reply #15 on: April 09, 2008, 07:35:28 am »
A possible late entrant: from Seutonius' life of Galba:

"When the murder of Gaius was announced, although many urged Galba to take advantage of the opportunity, he preferred quiet. Hence he was in high favour with Claudius, became one of his staff of intimate friends, and was treated with such consideration that the departure of the expedition to Britain was put off because Galba was taken with a sudden illness, of no great severity."

If the expedition was delayed due to his illness it isn't inconceivable that he went with part of the invasion?  A google search of "galba britain" indicates there is an article on this topic on JSTOR, but sadly I don't have access.

Steve

Offline Laetitia

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Re: Roman Emperors In Britain
« Reply #16 on: April 09, 2008, 08:17:43 am »
Not sure if this is permitted, but attached are jpgs of the JSTOR article to which Steve refers.

 

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