The forts of Hadrian’s Wall served as bases for infantry and stations for cavalry and scouts. For about a hundred years this had remained the frontier between Roman Britain and Scotland, and generally there was peace along the wall. Then, in the second half of the fourth century, the tribes started pouring over the wall and sweeping around it by sea.
In 367 the Picts, Scoti and Attacotti broke through the wall, helped by the treachery of some areani (=frontier forces), in concert with Franks and Saxons who attacked the coast of Gaul. Fullofaudes (fl.367-3690, the dux Britanniarum, was besieged and Nectaridus (fl.367), the comes maritimi tractus, was surrounded and presumably killed. The Picts, Scoti and Attacotti defeated the Roman army in Britain and then split up into small groups intent on plunder rather than conquest.
On receiving the news Valentinian-I (West; 54; r.364-375), unable to go there in person, sent his comes domesticorum Severus (fl.365-357), who was soon replaced by 02Jovinus, the magister equitum. After continuing bad reports he sent Flavius (35) Theodosius the Elder (c.66; fl.373-376), whose son was to be the emperor Theodosius-I (all; 48; r.379-395).
He landed at Rutupiae/Richborough, quickly followed by four of the leading units of the field army, the Batavi, Heruli, Jovii and Victores. He then made for Londinium/London, encountering enemy groups and defeating them by dividing his army into smaller units.
In London he promised to pardon Roman deserters provided they returned to service. With these reinforcements and his four detachments from the field army, he began to clear Britanniae of the Celtic invaders and restore Roman order. He next asked for Civilis, noted for his skills in law, to be the new vicarius, and also asked for Dulcitius, a general well tried in warfare, to be the new dux Britanniarum. Theodosius also overcame and defeated a force led by Valentinus, a Pannonian who after his exile to Britain had joined the invaders. By 369 order had been restored, town-fortifications repaired, forts rebuilt, the frontier re-garrisoned and the areani, the frontier militia, removed.
Flavius (40) Magnus Maximus (u; c.53; r.384-388) (W) was assigned to Britain in 380 and campaigned against the Picts and Scoti. In 383 he was proclaimed augustus by the army in Britain and went to Gaul taking a large portion of the British garrison with him. After five days of skirmishing near Paris he defeated Gratian (Galliae; 24; r.367-383) who fled the battlefield and was killed at Lyon on 25 August 383. In 384 Valentinian II and Theodosius-I recognized Magnus Maximus as augustus in the West. In 388 he was defeated and executed by Theodosius who united the West under Valentinian II. In 398 Flavius (49) Stilicho (c.49; fl.383-408) campaigned against the Picts and Scoti. In 401 he took troops from Britain to fight Goths that were threatening Rome. By now the Picts probably had supremacy over virtually all of Scotland north of the Clyde-Forth isthmus.
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