Online Encyclopedia

MARCUS AURELIUS CARAUSIUS

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V05, Page 301 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:
MARCUS AURELIUS CARAUSIUS  , tyrant or usurper in Britain, A.D . 286-293, was a Menapian from Belgic Gaul, a man of humble origin, who in his early days had been a
See also:
pilot . Having entered the
See also:
Roman army, he rapidly obtained promotion, and was stationed by the emperor Maximian at Gessoriacum (Bononia, Boulogne) to protect the coasts and channel from Frankish and Saxon pirates . He at first acted energetically, but was subsequently accused of having entered into partnership with the barbarians and was sentenced to
See also:
death by the emperor . Carausius thereupon crossed over to Britain and proclaimed himself an
See also:
independent ruler . The legions at once joined him; numbers of Franks enlisted in his service; an increased and well-equipped
See also:
fleet secured him the command of the neighbouring seas . In 289 Maximian attempted to recover the island, but his fleet was damaged by a storm and he was defeated . Maximian and Diocletian were compelled to acknowledge the
See also:
rule of Carausius in Britain; numerous coins are extant with the heads of Carausius, Diocletian and Maximian, bearing the legend " Carausius et fratres sui." In 292 Constantius Chlorus besieged and captured Gessoriacum (hitherto in possession of Carausius), together with
See also:
part of his fleet and
See also:
naval stores . Constantius then made extensive preparations to ensure the reconquest of Britain, but before they were completed Carausius was murdered by Allectus, his praefect of the guards (Aurelius Victor, Caesares, 39;
See also:
Eutropius ix . 21, 22; Eumenius, Panegyrici ii . 12, v . 12) .

A Roman mile-

stone found near Carlisle (1895) bears the inscription IMP . C[aes] M . AUR[elius] MAUS . The meaning of MAUS is doubtful, but it may be an anticipation of ARAUS (see F . J . Haverfield in Cumberland and Westmoreland Antiquarian
See also:
Soc . Transactions, 1895, p . 437) . A copper coin found at Richborough, inscribed Domino Carausio
See also:
Ces., must be ascribed to a Carausius of later date, since the type of the
See also:
reverse is not found until the
See also:
middle of the 4th century at the earliest . Nothing is known of this Carausius (A . J . Evans in Numismatic Chronicle, 1887, " On a coin of a second Carausius Caesar in Britain in the Fifth Century ") .

See J .

Watts de Peyster, The
See also:
History of Carausius, the Dutch Augustus (1858) ; P . H . Webb, The Reign and Coinage of Carausius (1908) .

End of Article: MARCUS AURELIUS CARAUSIUS
[back]
CARAT (Arab. Oral, weight of four grains; Gr. Kep6T...
[next]
CARAVACA

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click and select "copy." Paste it into a website, email, or other HTML document.