Mascezel

Mascezel (Latin: Masceldelus or Mascezel; died ) was briefly ruler of Roman North Africa after the defeat of his brother Gildo during the Gildonic war in 398 AD.

== Origin, revolts of Firmus, Gildo== Mascezel was the son of Nubel, a Mauretanian warlord in the service of Rome. After the death of Nubel (about 370 AD.) a quarrel broke out between his eldest sons, Zamma and Firmus, over their father's vast inheritance. Firmus killed Zamma, but was attacked by Romanus, the Roman count of Africa, who favored his brother. In consequence Firmus broke into revolt, and the long oppression to which Romanus had subjected the province during his unpopular rule gained the rebel many an adherent even among the Roman citizens of Africa, which Firmus soon established as an independent kingdom, while Romanus fled. Valentinian I, who was emperor at the time, sent his veteran general Theodosius (father of Theodosius I) to put down the rebellion. In the meantime Firmus' cruelty and depravity in his rule had lost him the people's sympathies, and Theodosius had no trouble driving him from the province; Firmus fled into the Libyan desert, and committed suicide after the Berber monarch, in whose court he found shelter, agreed to hand him over to Rome.