Battle of Mons Seleucus

The Battle of Mons Seleucus was fought in 353 between the forces of the Roman emperor Constantius II and the forces of the usurper Magnentius.[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] Constantius' forces were victorious, and Magnentius later committed suicide.

Battle of Mons Seleucus
Part of the Roman civil war of 350–353
DateAugust 353 CE
Location
La Bâtie-Montsaléon, France
Result Decisive Constantius victory
Belligerents
Roman Empire Roman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Constantius II Magnentius

Background

Following his defeat at Mursa, Magnentius fled to Aquileia.[3] Once there, in an attempt to ensure loyalty, he unleashed a campaign of terror throughout all of Gaul.[4] This campaign included summoning all those loyal to him to support him in Aquileia. Decentius, brother of Magnentius and newly made Caesar,[5] was engaged with an incursion of Alemanni, and was unable to lend his army to support Magnentius.[6]

Constantius was in no position to press his advantage due to the heavy casualties his army had suffered at the Battle of Mursa Major.[3] He therefore spent his time recruiting troops and retaking towns occupied by Magnentius. In the summer of 352, Constantius moved into Italy, only to find that Magnentius had chosen not to defend the peninsula.[1] Following this, Constantius declared a general amnesty, which brought a fleet from Italy to his side.[3]

Battle

The armies met at Mons Seleucus, in what is now La Bâtie-Montsaléon in Hautes-Alpes, south-eastern France.[7] Constantius was again victorious and Magnentius took his own life on 10 August 353.[7][lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4] Following his conclusive battle, Constantius wintered his troops at Arles.[9]

Aftermath

Constantius, now undisputed Emperor of the Roman Empire, appointed Julian Caesar over the western half of the Empire in 355/6,[10] and instigated a campaign to persecute those that had supported Magnentius. According to Ammianus Marcellinus, Constantius' notarii and his bodyguards needed only mere suspicion to inflict punishment and that Constantius became more "cruel, violent, and suspicious with age".[11]

Notes
  1. Crawford states there is little reliable information concerning the exact date of the battle of Mons Seleucus from surviving sources.[1]
  2. Eutropius states that the usurper was "defeated in several battles", possibly leading up to the final battle at Mons Seleucus.[2]
  3. Syvanne states 10 or 11 August 353[3]
  4. Frakes states Magnentius and Decentius were executed by Constantius[8]

References
  1. Crawford 2016, p. 81.
  2. Crawford 2016, p. 82, 292.
  3. Syvanne 2015, p. 326.
  4. Syvanne 2015, p. 328.
  5. Hunt 1998, p. 17.
  6. Crawford 2016, p. 80.
  7. Crawford 2016, p. 82.
  8. Frakes 2006, p. 101.
  9. Hunt 1998, p. 22.
  10. Barnes 1993, p. 20.
  11. Syvanne 2015, p. 329.

Sources
  • Barnes, Timothy David (1993). Athanasius and Constantius: Theology and Politics in the Constantinian Empire. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-05067-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Crawford, Peter (2016). Constantius II: Usurpers, Eunuchs, and the Antichrist. Pen & Sword. ISBN 978 1 78340 055 3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Frakes, Robert M. (2006). "The Dynasty of Constantine down to 363". In Lenski, Noel Emmanuel (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Constantine, Volume 13. Cambridge University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Hunt, David (1998). "The successors of Constantine". In Cameron, Averil; Garnsey, Peter (eds.). The Cambridge Ancient History: The late empire, A.D. 337-425. XIII (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 1-43.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Syvanne, Ilkka (2015). Military History of Late Rome, 284-361. Pen & Sword. ISBN 978 1 84884 855 9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)


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