Roman Gaul and Germania (350-353 CE) in the Inter-Political System: The Potential of IR Theories for Historical Research Using the Example of Magnentius
Date
2023
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Publisher
West Point Press
Abstract
"Sources do not tell much about Magnentius’ usurpation in 350 and the war that followed, but what they do tell is dramatic: in 353, when Magnentius saw the war was lost for himself and committed suicide, not only he but also a legitimate Roman emperor were dead. Constantius II had outlived his brothers and was now the sole ruler of the empire, over fifty thousand soldiers had died in the battle of Mursa alone, and a decade of usurpation had begun. After 350, six men were to claim to be augustus or caesar, and only the last of this line, Julian Apostata, was to stop the trend after his formal recognition as the legitimate augustus. The usurpation of Magnentius and the ensuing three-year war are not historical footnotes, but events central to the Roman Empire in the fourth century. The source material, especially for the Roman West outside of Italy and Illyria, is especially thin, and the causes of many events in the context of the war are difficult to reconstruct..."
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Keywords
History
Citation
Ossadnik, Simon. “Roman Gaul and Germania (350-353 CE) in the Inter-Political System: The Potential of IR Theories for Historical Research Using the Example of Magnentius.” West Point Undergraduate Historical Review. Volume 13 (Spring 2023): 20-44.