I’m still working my way through the history of Colchester. It means that for the time being I’m in very different territory to the usual History Jar posts and need to get to grips with some of the dates and events of the period.
At the end of the second century, between AD 193 and AD 197 life in Colchester became slightly less certain, although whether Rome’s civil conflict impact on a provincial town is another matter entirely. Clodius Albinus was proclaimed emperor by the legions in Britain and Hispania. This occurred after the murder of Emperor Pertinax in 193. AD 193 was a difficult year for the empire being known as the ‘Year of Five Emperors. ‘ Emperor Commodus had ruled from AD 177 to AD 192 when he was murdered. Pertinax ruled for a very short time (Jan-March in 193) and after his murder, the Praetorian guard sold the throne Didius Julianus who became emperor in March and was gone by June 193 (another murder). Pescennius Niger proclaimed himself emperor when Didius purchased his position as did Septimus Severus who defeated Niger and had him executed. Septumus Severus ruled until AD 211 .
Albinus was Britain’s governor and he took the legions stationed here to Gaul to fight for his own claim to the throne. He initially came to an arrangement with Septimus Severus who controlled Rome but the pair fell out and, besides which, Severus’s aim was to be sole ruler. It was February AD 197 Albinus was defeated and executed. Severus also had Albinus’s family beheaded. Severus then crossed the Channel to Britain and created two provinces – a southern one ruled from London and a northern one ruled from York.
As the third century got under way there was inflation, Germanic raiders, and ever soaring costs. In 260 the Gallic Empire broke away from Rome . The aim of the ruler of this breakaway empire, Posthumus, was to create a power base from which he could attack Rome and become sole ruler of a united empire. He was assassinated in 274.
In Britain the collapse of the Gallic Empire resulted in a revolt between 277-279. Blame was placed squarely on the shoulders of recently settled Germans for the unrest. They had arrived in Britain as mercenaries to provide support to the overstretched legions.
In 286 there was yet another period of instability when Carausius, a naval commander, took control of Britain and was then murdered by his associate, Allectus. So far – so many murders and much upheaval. Alecto’s ruled until AD 296 when Constantius, the father of Emperor Constantine, invaded and reunited Britain with the rest of the empire. It is said that Constantius rocked up at Colchester but came to an agreement with its then ruler King Coel (I kid you not) and ended up marrying the king’s daughter Helena. This story was promoted in the medieval period by the chronicler Henry of Huntingdon and by Geoffrey of Monmouth. No one knows where the story originated. It may have come from a lost source or from oral history but in any event, Colchester’s patron saint is Saint Helena (other versions of the tale are available).
And what was Colchester doing? By the end of the third century the citizens of Colchester were increasingly alarmed by the fighting and had taken the decision to strengthen their defences. The wall built after the Boudiccian Revolt contained six gateways. Now they blocked off the Balkerne Gate. They also made sure that the ditch outside the wall was enlarged. The suburbs which had thrived outside the walls in earlier times began to disappear by the fourth century it is thought that none remained. The threat was not only from within the fractured empire. By the end of the third century Saxons from modern North Germany were raiding Britain. The Roman Saxon Shore forts found along the coast from Norfolk to Hampshire were built at this time to deter the barbarians.
There were other changes. A huge barn was built (modern Culver Street) to store grain. Colchester was a town adapting to the need for self sufficiency once the smooth running of the empire could no longer be guaranteed. And in 313, Emperor Constantine declared Christianity to be legal – his mother Helena may have come from Colchester. It is her statue that stands watch from the top of the town hall.
And just as you’re heaving a huge sigh of relief after this post’s gallop through emperors, pretenders and various assassinations – in 350 Magnentius proclaimed himself emperor having gained control of the Western Empire (of which Britain was part) by killing Emperor Constans who was Constantine’s younger son. Constan’s elder brother Constantine II defeated Magentius and made life difficult for his supporters. And last but not least in 407, Constantine III, who started out as an ordinary soldier, declare himself emperor but by then Rome had plenty of troubles of its own. It was sacked by the Goths in 410. The archeological record shows that no more new bronze coins were circulated from Rome to Britain and taxes were not collected. It meant that the administrative service gradually came to a halt because there was no pay for the men who ran it.
It did not mean that the Romano-British way of life was at an end but more changes were coming. And so far as history was concerned until the mid twentieth century Colchester was plunged into the Dark Ages – which scholars today agree aren’t as dark as previous texts may have suggested. During the fifth and sixth centuries waves of Saxon migrants settled in Britain. And among the changes was a new name for Camulodunum.
