Magnus Maximus AE decargyrus Constantinople mint.

[Magnus Maximus]

Hello all,

I recently came across a dream coin of mine and decided to purchase it. On the surface, it looks like a standard LRB (Late Roman Bronze), but this coin is quite scarce and has an interesting story to tell.

 

This decargyrus, an AE-2, of Magnus Maximus was struck in Constantinople by the authority of Emperor Theodosius I after Maximus had overthrown and killed Emperor Gratian. Gratian had alienated the military elite early in his reign due to the execution of Count Theodosius, along with his supposed preference for Germanic elements in his bodyguard. Maximus, an associate of the Theodosian household, likely held a grudge against Gratian for the death of his patron in 376.

 

In the spring of A.D. 383, Maximus launched his rebellion from Britain. He quickly reached Gaul, where he engaged Gratian’s army outside Paris in several days of light skirmishes and maneuvers. On the fifth day, Maximus defeated Gratian, who was subsequently tracked down and killed near Lugdunum (modern Lyon) in August 383. With his army bolstered by defectors from Gratian’s forces, Maximus marched toward Italy to depose the child Emperor Valentinian II. However, he was stopped by the Romanized Frank, Flavius Bauto, who held the mountain passes into Italy.

 

In 384, Maximus met with St. Ambrose of Milan and a delegation sent by the courts of Valentinian II and Theodosius I. Together, they hammered out an agreement: Maximus would leave Valentinian II in charge of Italy, Illyria, and most of North Africa. In return, he would be recognized as a legitimate Augustus by Theodosius I and allowed to rule Britain, Gaul, Hispania, and Mauretania.

 

This agreement turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it allowed each Augustus to focus on key parts of the Roman frontier, which were coming under increasing pressure at the time. Maximus focused on defending Britain—launching an expedition there in late 384—and the Rhine frontier. Valentinian II’s forces defended the Danube, defeating a Greuthungi invasion in 386, while Theodosius I concentrated on Persia and the Danube regions adjacent to Thrace.

 

Although this settlement broke down in 387 when Maximus invaded Italy and deposed Valentinian II, it is worth noting that no major Germanic invasions across the Rhine or Danube succeeded during this period.

 

This coin can be dated to no earlier than mid-A.D. 384, when Theodosius I recognized Maximus as a Western Augustus, and no later than early 387, when Theodosius I revoked this recognition after Maximus invaded Italy. 

DN MAXIMVS PF AVG, pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right.
VIRTVS EXERCITI, emperor standing right, holding globe and 
labarum marked with an X, foot on captive.
Chi-Rho in left field.
Mintmark CONS Delta.

RIC IX Constantinople 83d; Cohen 18. 
Rated R4.

[expat]

Interesting write up and a nice coin example.

[seth77]

This is the second example of this type that I have ever seen. Congratulations!

[kirispupis]

Very interesting writeup. I recently have been researching this history and wasn't even aware that coins for Magnus Maximus were issued from Constantinople.