The Gallic Usurper Magnentius and Dalmatian Cavalry in 350 A.D.: on the treatment of evidence of Byzantine Historian Zosimus (Zos. II. 42. 2 and 4)

Меkhamadiev, Е. А. Gall’skiy uzurpator Magnentsiy i dalmatskaya kavaleriya v 350 g.: K voprosu o traktovke svedeniy vizantiyskogo istorika Zosima (Zos. II. 42. 2 i 4) [The Gallic Usurper Magnentius and Dalmatian Cavalry in 350 A. D.: On the treatment of evidence of Byzantine Historian Zosimus (Zos. II. 42. 2 and 4)], in: Proslogion: Studies in Medieval and Early Modern Social History and Culture, 2018. Vol. 4 (2). P. 28–49., in: Proslogion: Studies in Medieval and Early Modern Social History and Culture, 2018. Vol. 4 (2). P. 2849.

Еvgeniy Аleksandrovich Меkhamadiev, doctor of History, senior lecturer, Institute of History, Saint-Petersburg State University (199034, Rossiya, Sankt-Petersburg, Mendeleevskaya liniya, 5)

Language: Russian

The present paper deals with the role and functions of mobile Dalmatian cavalry, which served in Illyricum (the regions across an upper and middle Danube), and also considers some frontier legions, which defended Rhine against barbarian assaults during the mid-4th century, more precisely, in 350. Having based on two passages of Byzantine historian Zosimus, the author considers some important aspects of Late Roman organization in the mid-4th century: 1) the reasons why Rhine frontier legions, including detachments of Ioviani and Herculiani, supported a revolt of Roman military officer Magnentius, who commanded over troops in Gaul; 2) participation of Dalmatian cavalry in the revolt of Magnentius and 3) military-political situation in Illyricum by 350 A. D., the relationships between Vetranio, a general, who commanded over troops in Illyricum, and the legal Emperor Constantius II. The author concludes that both Rhine frontier legions and Dalmatian cavalry, which served in Illyricum, were dissatisfied by the policy of Emperor Constantine I and his sons, because during his own reign Constantine I lowered the status (rank) of many of these detachments, he deprived them of their privileged and elite place in military hierarchy. The author concludes that Constantius II preferred to use a regional general Vetranio as a counterpart of Magnentius in order to manage a control over Dalmatian cavalry, Constantius II gave Vatranio a title of Augustus, and, as the author supposes, the so-called usurpation of Vetranio really was an intended and carefully planned operation of Constantius himself.

Key Words: Constantius II, Zosimus, legions, Dalmatian cavalry, Мagnentius, Gaul, usurpation, Illyricum

URL: http://proslogion.ru/42-mehamadiev/

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