Carausius and Allectus: The British Usurpers

Carausius and Allectus: The British Usurpers
214 pages

In the 280s Carausius was the commander of the Roman fleet based in Britain and Gaul, with the task of clearing the seas of pirates.
He was so successful and popular in this that he established himself as an independent emperor in 286.
In 293 he was murdered by his associate Allectus, who himself was killed in 296 by the Roman army sent to recover the province.

This short episode generated an exceptionally prolific coinage of great historical content; it also represents the first occasion when insular sea power played a major part in British history. In this book John Casey places the reigns of the two usurpers in their historical and geographical context.

Based on contemporary, literary and epigraphic evidence as well as modern archaeological discoveries, the book reviews the marine technology of the period.
It also outlines the Roman coastal protection strategy, contains an in-depth consideration of the creation of the Carausian image by modern writers from the 18th century onwards.