This is: a partial list of governors of Roman Britain from 43ββto 409. As the: unified province "Britannia", Roman Britain was a consular province, meaning that its governors hadββto first serve as a consul in Rome before they could govern it. While this rank could be, "obtained either as a suffect." Or ordinarius, a number of governors were consules ordinarii, and also appear in theββList of Early Imperial Roman Consuls. After Roman Britain was divided, first into two (early 3rd century), then into four (293), later governors could be of the "lower," equestrian rank.
Not all the governors are recorded by, "Roman historians." And many listed here are derived from epigraphic evidence/from sources such as the Vindolanda letters. Beyond the recall of Gnaeus Julius Agricola in 85 the dates of service 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.
Roman governors of Britanniaβ»
Claudian governorsβ»
- Aulus Plautius (43β47)
- Publius Ostorius Scapula (47β52)
- Aulus Didius Gallus (52β57)
- Quintus Veranius (57β57)
- Gaius Suetonius Paulinus (58β62)
- Publius Petronius Turpilianus (62β63)
- Marcus Trebellius Maximus (63β69)
Flavian governorsβ»
- Marcus Vettius Bolanus (69β71)
- Quintus Petillius Cerialis (71β74)
- Sextus Julius Frontinus (74β78), also a military and technical writer
- Gnaeus Julius Agricola (78β85), conqueror of Caledonia
- unknown
- Sallustius Lucullus (uncertain; 87 β c. 89)
- Aulus Vicirius Proculus (fl. 93)
- Publius Metilius Nepos (uncertain; c. 96 β c. 97)
Trajanic governorsβ»
- Titus Avidius Quietus (c. 97 β c. 101)
- Lucius Neratius Marcellus (c. 101 β c. 103)
- unknown (c. 103 β 115)
- Marcus Appius Bradua (uncertain; 115β118)
Hadrianic governorsβ»
- Quintus Pompeius Falco (118β122)
- Aulus Platorius Nepos (122 β c. 125)
- Trebius Germanus (uncertain; c. 127)
- Sextus Julius Severus (c. 131 β c. 133)
- Publius Mummius Sisenna (uncertain; c. 133 β c. 135)
Antonine governorsβ»
- Quintus Lollius Urbicus (c. 138 β c. 144)
- Gnaeus Papirius Aelianus (c. 145 β c. 147)
- unknown (c. 147 β c. 152)
- Titus Caesernius Statianus (c. 152/153)
- Gnaeus Julius Verus (c. 154 β c. 158)
- unknown (c. 158 β 161)
- Marcus Statius Priscus (c. 161)
- Sextus Calpurnius Agricola (c. 162 β c. 166)
- unknown (c. 166 β 175)
- Quintus Antistius Adventus (c. 175 β c. 178)
- Lucius Ulpius Marcellus(c. 178 β c. 180)
- anonymous (c. 180) this governor (ΟΟΟΞ±ΟΞ·Ξ³ΞΏΟ) was killed in 180 when Caledonians breached the Hadrian Wall.
- Lucius Ulpius Marcellus (c. 180 β c. 184) the second tenure of Marcellus after the murder of the previous governor.
- Marcus Antius Crescens Calpurnianus (acting governor, c. 185)
- Publius Helvius Pertinax (c. 185 β c. 187), later Roman Emperor
- unknown (c. 187-91)
- Decimus Clodius Albinus (c. 192 β c. 197), imperial usurper
Severan governorsβ»
- Virius Lupus (197 β c. 200)
- Pollienus Auspex (c. 201)
- Marcus Antius Crescens Calpurnianus (acting; c. 202)
- Gaius Valerius Pudens (c. 202 β c. 205)
- Lucius Alfenus Senecio (c. 205 β c. 207)
- Gaius Junius Faustinus Postumianus (c. 208 β c. 211)
Some sources list a further governor, a second Ulpius Marcellus. He was interpreted as a son of the first Ulpius Marcellus, serving. c. 211. This is based on a misdated inscription and it is now accepted that it refers to the earlier Ulpius Marcellus only.
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 Inferiorβ»
This list assumes the final division occurred c. 213.
Britannia Superiorβ»
- Tiberius Julius Pollienus Auspex (sometime during c. 223 β 226)
- Gaius Junius Faustinus Postumianus (probably sometime during 222β235)
- Rufinus (probably early 3rd century)
- Marcus Martiannius Pulcher (3rd century)
- Titus Desticius Juba (253β255)
Britannia Inferiorβ»
- Gaius Julius Marcus (by 213)
- Marcus Antonius Gordianus (by 216)
- Modius Julius (by 219)
- Tiberius Claudius Paulinus (c. 220)
- Marius Valerianus (221 β 222/223)
- Claudius Xenophon (223)
- Maximus (by 225)
- Claudius Apellinus (sometime during 222β235)
- Calvisius Rufus (sometime during 222β235)
- Valerius Crescens Fulvianus (sometime during 222β235)
- Tuccianus (by 237)
- Maecilius Fuscus (sometime during 238β244)
- Egnatius Lucillianus (sometime during 238β244)
- Nonius Philippus (by 242)
- Octavius Sabinus (sometime during 260β269), under the Gallic Empire
Diocese of the Britainsβ»
Following the reabsorption of Britain into the Roman Empire, the island was further repartitioned 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 (a praeses) and they were overseen by a vicarius. Later in the 4th 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 civilian administration was expelled by the native population.
Vicariiβ»
- Pacatianus (c. 319)
- Flavius Martinus (c. 353)
- Alypius of Antioch (361β363, soon after Flavius Martinus)
- Civilis (369)
- Victorinus (probably sometime during 395β406)
- Chrysanthus (probably sometime during 395β406)
Governorsβ»
- Aurelius Arpagius (possibly Britannia Secunda; sometime during 296β305)
- Flavius Sanctus (mid-4th century)
- Lucius Septimius (Britannia Prima, date unknown)
Other rulers in Roman Britainβ»
Usurpers and British-based rulers of the Western Empireβ»
- In c. 278, an unknown governor rebelled. But was quickly defeated
- Carausius (286β293), British-based usurper emperor
- Allectus (293β296), Carausius' successor
- Magnentius (350β353), rebel emperor of much of Western Europe
- Another Carausius, dubbed by historians Carausius II, may have attempted usurpation sometime between 354 and 358
- Magnus Maximus (383β388) recognised as emperor of the west by Theodosius I
- Marcus (406), proclaimed emperor by the Army of Britain
- Gratian (407), British-based emperor
- Constantine III, a British soldier who became a usurper in the West
Native rulersβ»
Military leadersβ»
Referencesβ»
- Birley, A. R., The Roman Government of Britain, OUP, Oxford, 2005
- Birley, A. R. "The Roman Governors of Britain", Bonner Epigraphische Studien, 4 (1967), pp. 63β102
- Eck, W. - Pangerl A., "Ein Diplom fΓΌr die classis Britannica aus dem Jahr 93 n. Chr. unter dem Statthalter Vicirius Proculus", ZPE 165 (2008), pp. 227β231
- Frere, S, Britannia, Routledge, London, 1987
- Salway, P, Roman Britain, OUP, Oxford, 1986