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Magnus Maximus
Sign in to saveAlso known as Macsen Wledig, Emperor Flavius Clemens Maximus, Governor of Britain 370, Emperor of Rome 383, Maximianus
late 4th-century Roman emperor of Britain and usurper of the West
Key facts
- Reign
- Early Spring 383 – August 388
- Predecessor
- Gratian
- Successor
- Valentinian II
- Co emperors
- Theodosius I (East) Valentinian II Victor
- Born
- Gallaecia , Hispania
- Died
- August 388, Aquileia , Venetia et Histria , Italia
- Spouse
- Elen (traditional)
- Issue detail
- Victor " Sevira " "Maxima"
- Dynasty
- Theodosian (disputed)
- Religion
- Nicene Christianity
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- Ancient Rome
- Place of birth
- Hispania
- Place of death
- Aquileia
- Spouse
- Elen
- Occupation
- politician
- Position held
- Roman consul
- Family
- Theodosian dynasty
- Image
- Solidus Magnus Maximus (obverse).jpg
Show 8 more facts
- Commons category
- Magnus Maximus
- date of birth
- 0335-01-01
- date of death
- 0388-08-28
- Commons gallery
- Magnus Maximus
- present in work
- The History of the Kings of Britain
- manner of death
- capital punishment
- birth name
- Flavius Magnus Maximus
- time period
- late antiquity
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~24 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Magnus Maximus ( Classical Latin: [ˈmaːgnus ˈmaːksimus]; died 28 August 388) was Roman emperor in the West from 383 to 388. He usurped the throne from emperor Gratian.
Born in Gallaecia, he served as an officer in Britain under Theodosius the Elder during the Great Conspiracy. In 383, he was proclaimed emperor in Britannia, and in Gaul the next year, while Gratian's brother Valentinian II retained Italy, Pannonia, Hispania, and Africa. In 387, Maximus's ambitions led him to invade Italy, resulting in his defeat by Theodosius I at the Battle of Poetovio in 388. In the view of some historians, his death marked the end of direct imperial presence in Northern Gaul and Britannia.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Magnus Maximus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.