Julius Asclepiodotus
Julius Asclepiodotus was a Roman praetorian prefect who, according to the Historia Augusta,[1] served under the emperors Aurelian, Probus and Diocletian,[2] and was consul in 292. In 296, he assisted the western Caesar Constantius Chlorus in re-establishing Roman rule in Britain, following the illegal rules of Carausius and Allectus.
Historical Life
Allectus, having assassinated Carausius in 293, remained in control of Britain until 296, when Constantius staged an invasion to retake the island. While Constantius sailed from Boulogne, Asclepiodotus took a section of the fleet and the legions from San Dun Sandouville and the oppidum near Le Havre, slipping past Allectus's fleet at the Isle of Wight under cover of fog, and landed presumably in the vicinity of Southampton or Chichester, where he burned his ships. Allectus attempted to retreat from the coast, but was cut off by Constantius's forces and defeated. Some of Constantius's troops, who had been separated from the main body by the fog during the channel crossing, caught up with the remnants of Allectus's men at London and massacred them.[3]
He may be the same Asclepiodotus as the one who wrote a biography of Diocletian.[4][5]
In legend
Asclepiodotus appears in medieval British legend as a native king of Britain. Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain (1136) portrays him as a duke of Cornwall who is raised to the kingship in opposition to Allectus, a Roman who oppressed the people of Britain.[6] He defeats and kills Allectus near London, and besieges the rest of his forces in the city. The Romans eventually surrender on condition of safe conduct out of Britain, which Asclepiodotus is willing to grant, but his allies the Venedoti attack them and cut off their heads, which are thrown into the river Gallobroc.[7] Asclepiodotus is then officially crowned king, and rules justly for ten years. However, his rule is contemporary with the persecutions of Christians under Diocletian, and Geoffrey places the martyrdom of Saint Alban at this time. In response to these atrocities, Coel, duke of Colchester, leads a revolt against him, kills him, and takes his crown.
References
- ^ A collection of biographies of Roman Emperors from 117 to 284 a. D whose complete trustworthiness is debatable.
- ^ Historia Augusta: Probus 22; Aurelian 44
- ^ Eutropius, Abridgment of Roman History 9.22[usurped]; Aurelius Victor, Liber de Caesaribus 39.42; Panegyric of Constantius 6-17; Orosius, Seven Books of Histories Against the Pagans 7.25 Archived 2006-08-20 at the Wayback Machine; Bede, Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum 1.6
- ^ Historia Augusta, "Aurelian" 44
- ^ Schmitz, Leonhard (1870). "Asclepiodotus (3)". In Smith, William (ed.). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 1. p. 383.
- ^ Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historia Regum Britanniae 5.4-6
- ^ In the 1860s, Augustus Pitt Rivers dug up a large number of human skulls, and almost no other bones, from the bed of the river Walbrook in London (Lewis Thorpe, The History of the Kings of Britain, Penguin, 1966, p. 19).
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Gaius Junius Tiberianus II, Cassius Dio | Consul of the Roman Empire 292 with Afranius Hannibalianus | Succeeded by |
Legendary titles | ||
Unknown Last known title holder: Tenvantius | Duke of Cornwall | Unknown Next known title holder: Caradocus |
Preceded by | King of Britain | Succeeded by |
- v
- t
- e
- Prophetiae Merlini (c. 1135)
- Historia Regum Britanniae (c. 1136)
- Vita Merlini (c. 1150)
- Roman de Brut
- Layamon's Brut
- Brut y Brenhinedd
- Breta sögur
- Merlínússpá
- Aeneas
- Saint Alban
- Albanactus
- Alhfrith of Deira
- Allectus
- Ambrosius Aurelianus
- Amphibalus
- Andragius
- Archgallo
- Archmail
- King Arthur
- Arvirargus
- Ascanius
- Augustine of Canterbury
- Aurelius Conanus
- Bedivere
- Beldgabred
- Beli Mawr
- Belinus
- Bladud
- Bledric ap Custennin
- Bledudo
- Brennius
- Brutus Greenshield
- Brutus of Troy
- Budic II of Brittany
- Cadfan ap Iago
- Cadoc
- Cador
- Cadwaladr
- Cadwallon ap Cadfan
- Camber (legendary king)
- Cap of Britain
- Capetus Silvius
- Capoir
- Caracalla
- Caradocus
- Carausius
- Cassivellaunus
- Catellus
- Catigern
- Cherin
- Claudius
- Cledaucus
- Clotenus
- Coel Hen
- Coilus
- Conan Meriadoc
- Constans II (son of Constantine III)
- Constantine the Great
- Constantine III (Western Roman Emperor)
- Constantine (Briton)
- Constantius Chlorus
- Cordelia of Britain
- Corineus
- Cunedagius
- Cunobeline
- Danius
- Saint David
- Digueillus
- Diocletian
- Dionotus
- Dunvallo Molmutius
- Ebraucus
- Edadus
- Edern ap Nudd
- Edwin of Northumbria
- Eldol
- Eldol, Consul of Gloucester
- Elidurus
- Eliud
- Enniaunus
- Estrildis
- Eudaf Hen
- Ferrex
- Fulgenius
- Gawain
- Gerennus
- Goffar the Pict
- Gogmagog (folklore)
- Goneril
- Gorboduc
- Gorbonianus
- Gorlois
- Gracianus Municeps
- Guiderius
- Guinevere
- Guithelin
- Gurgintius
- Gurguit Barbtruc
- Gurgustius
- Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio
- Gwenddydd
- Queen Gwendolen
- Helena (empress)
- Helenus
- Hengist and Horsa
- Hoel
- Humber the Hun
- Iago ap Beli
- Idvallo
- Igraine
- Ingenius of Britain
- Innogen
- Jago of Britain
- Julius and Aaron
- Julius Asclepiodotus
- Julius Caesar
- Sir Kay
- Keredic
- Kimarcus
- Kinarius
- Latinus
- Lavinia
- Leil
- Leir of Britain
- Locrinus
- King Lot
- Lucius of Britain
- Lucius Tiberius
- Lud son of Heli
- Maddan
- Maelgwn Gwynedd
- Magnus Maximus
- Mandubracius
- Queen Marcia
- Marganus
- Marganus II
- Marius of Britain
- Mempricius
- Merianus
- Merlin
- Millus
- Mordred
- Morgause
- Morvidus
- Myrddin Wyllt
- Nennius of Britain
- Octa of Kent
- Oenus
- Oswald of Northumbria
- Oswiu of Northumbria
- Owain mab Urien
- Pandrasus
- Penda of Mercia
- Peredur
- Peredurus
- Pir of the Britons
- Porrex I
- Porrex II
- Publius Septimius Geta
- Quintus Laberius Durus
- Redechius
- Redon of Britain
- Regan (King Lear)
- Rhydderch Hael
- Rience
- Rivallo
- Rud Hud Hudibras
- Runo
- Sawyl Penuchel
- Septimius Severus
- Silvius (mythology)
- Sisillius I
- Sisillius II
- Sisillius III
- Son of Gorbonianus
- Taliesin
- Tasciovanus
- Trahern
- Turnus
- Urianus
- Uther Pendragon
- Venissa
- Vespasian
- Vortigern
- Vortimer
- Vortiporius
- Wulfhere of Mercia
- Ywain
- Æthelberht of Kent
- Æthelfrith of Northumbria
- Œthelwald of Deira
- Avalon
- Battle of Arfderydd
- Battle of Badon
- Battle of Camlann
- Battle of Guoloph
- Brut y Tywysogion
- Excalibur
- Gesta Regum Britanniae
- Lailoken
- List of legendary kings of Britain
- List of legendary rulers of Cornwall
- Logres
- Matter of Britain
- Molmutine Laws
- Nennius
- Pridwen
- Riothamus
- River Malvam
- Siege of Exeter (c. 630)
- Locations associated with Arthurian legend
- Treason of the Long Knives
- Trinovantum
- Trojan genealogy of Nennius
- Vera historia de morte Arthuri
- Walter of Oxford
Wikiquote
Wikisource texts