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Roman governors of Britain

This is a partial list of governors of Britain under the Roman Empire. Britain was a consular province, which means its governors need to be appointed consul by Rome before they could govern it. While this rank could be obtained either as a suffect or ordinares, a number of governors were consul ordinares, and also appear in the List of Early Imperial Roman Consuls. Not all are recorded by Roman historians and many are only loosely known from epigraphic evidence or from sources such as the Vindolanda letters. Beyond the recall of Gnaeus Julius Agricola the dates of those who can be named can only be inferred. Others are still entirely anonymous and by the time of the division of Britain into separate provinces, the record is very patchy.

Contents

Claudian Governors

Flavian Governors

Trajanic Governors

Hadrianic Governors

Antonine Governors

Severan Governors

The two sons of emperor Septimius Severus, Caracalla and Publius Septimius Geta, administered the province to some degree during and immediately after their father's campaigns there which took place between 208 and 211.

Division into Britannia Superior and Inferior

This list assumes the final division occurred c. 216 or a year or two before.

Britannia Superior

  • Tiberius Julius Pollienus Auspex in period c. AD 223 - AD 226
  • Caius Junius Faustinus Postumianus
  • Ruffinus
  • Marcus Martiannius Pulcher
  • Titus Desticius Juba in period AD 253 - AD 255

Britannia Inferior

Diocese of the Britains

Following the reabsorption of Britain into the Roman Empire, the island was further repartitioned yet again by Diocletian, this time into four separate provinces, Maxima Caesariensis in the southeast, with its capital at London, Flavia Caesariensis in the east, with its capital at Lincoln, Britannia Secunda in the north, with its capital at York, and Britannia Prima in the west (including present day Wales), with its capital at Cirencester. A fifth province called Valentia also briefly existed, probably in the far north. Each had a governor of equestrian rank and the four were overseen by a vicarius . Later in the fourth century, the governor of Maxima Caesariensis had to be of consular rank. The following names are the few which have survived from this era, covering the almost 100 years until c. 408, when the Roman government was expelled by the native population.

Vicarii

Governors

Other rulers in Roman Britain

  • Carausius, British-based usurper emperor AD 286 - 293
  • Allectus, Carausius' successor AD 293 - 296
  • Another Carausius, dubbed by historians Carausius II may have attempted usurpation sometime between AD 354 and 358
  • Roman client kingdoms in Britain




Last updated: 02-19-2005 07:48:39
Last updated: 05-03-2005 17:50:55