Book: Rebel Emperors of Britannia

Simon Elliot recently wrote book on Carausius (see post below). This most recent book on both Carausius and his usurper Allectus also looks interesting. 

A description of this book from Amazon:

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One of the most exciting periods of Britain’s history under the Romans remains largely unknown today. Yet, at the end of third century AD, two men successively ruled the island, together with parts of the Continental coast, as emperors of Britannia for a period of ten years. They minted their own coins, initiated Britain’s first truly integrated defense system and successfully repelled an invasion from the mighty Roman empire. This is the story of Carausius and Allectus – the rebel emperors of Britannia.

They were major thorns in the side of Rome and posed a huge threat to the authority of Diocletian and Maximian. It took ten years, after Carausius first rebelled, for the Roman empire to mount a second invasion and this time it was successful. Britain rejoined the ‘Eternal Light of Rome’ and the victory was accompanied by tremendous celebrations.

There was an attempt to wipe the names of Carausius and Allectus from history but enough evidence remains to piece together this extraordinary episode in the annals of Britain. The rebel emperors were recorded in a few later histories and found fame again in the 18th century. Carausius, in particular, was celebrated as a great naval hero who stood up to the might of Rome.

Contemporary sources in the third century AD damned them as criminals and pirates. This book aims to set the record straight and details the remarkable achievements of Carausius and Allectus, the rebel emperors of Britannia.

The two authors of this book have a background in numismatics, a major source of our understanding of this period:

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Graham Barker is an independent researcher with a keen interest in Roman history of the 3rd Century AD. His book on Roman coinage, Imperial Legitimation, was published by Spink in 2020.

Dr Sam Moorhead is the National Finds Adviser for Ancient Coins in the Portable Antiquities Scheme at the British Museum. Sam has published numerous books and articles on Roman history and coinage.