Count of the Saxon Shore
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(June 2014) |
 |
| Part ofa serieson the |
| Military of ancient Rome |
|---|
 Ancient Rome portal |
TheCount of the Saxon Shore for Britain(Latin:comes littoris Saxonici per Britanniam) was the head of theSaxon Shoremilitary command of the laterRoman Empire.
The post was possibly created during the reign ofConstantine I,and was probably in existence by AD 367 whenNectaridusis elliptically referred to as such a leader byAmmianus Marcellinus.TheCount's remit covered the southern and eastern coasts ofRoman Britainduring a period of increasing maritime raids from barbarian tribes outside the empire. The Count was one of three commands covering Britain at the time, along with the northernDux Britanniarumand centralComes Britanniarum.
Originally, the command may have covered both sides of theEnglish Channelas well as Britain's western coast, asCarausius's position had, but by the end of the 4th century the role had been diminished andGaulhad its owndux tractus Armoricanianddux Belgicae Secundae.
In 367, aseries of invasionsfromPicts,Franks,Saxons,ScotsandAttacottiappears to have defeated the army of Britain and resulted in the death of Nectaridus.[1]UnderCount Theodosius's reforms, the command was reorganised slightly. Although Ammianus speaks of a 'conspiracy of the savages,' he states that the Saxons and Francs attacked the Gallic (French) regions, while in Britain, the savages in question were only Picts, Scots and Attacotti.[2]Eutropiushad already spoken of the channel being cleared byCarausius,since the Armorican and Belgian coasts had been 'infested' with Francs and Saxons.[3]
The 5th-centuryNotitia Dignitatumlists the names of theSaxon Shore forts,[4]fromNorfolktoHampshirethat were under the Count's command.[1]Further stations up theNorth Seacoast were probably also his responsibility. Forces he controlled were classified aslimitanei,or frontier troops. In 401 many of his soldiers appear to have been withdrawn for the defence ofItaly,rendering Britain much more vulnerable to attack. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, the eighth fort 'Anderida' was stormed by Saxons in 491, and the British garrison and inhabitants exterminated.[5]
Notes
[edit]- ^ab"The Count of the Saxon Shore", English Heritage
- ^"LacusCurtius • Ammianus Marcellinus — Book XXVII".
- ^"Eutropius: Abridgement of Roman History, Book 9".Archived from the original on December 22, 2003.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^"Notitia Dignitatum".
- ^(en) Anne Savage, The Anglo-saxon chronicles, London, Bramley Books, 1997 (ISBN 1-85833-478-0), P35