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Had Britain already left the empire in 408 AD?
#1
Nicasie refers to a letter ( new to me) from Honorius dated c 408 addressing " universes militibus nostris, Seniores ( Nicasie translates as veterans) , Iuniores, speculatoribus, ac Britannicis." I've put a full version of the letter below, most recently published by Sivan in 1985.

If the letter covers all the classes, it seems to say" to all our soldiers- Seniores units, Iuniores units, scouts , and British."

To me this implies that British forces were already separate?? And that Britain had split earlier from Rome than 410AD(always a dodgy date...)

Full text here:-


Incipit sacra Honorii imperatoris quam de Roma detulit militie urbis Pampilonensis cum
Sauiniano patricio quidem tempore erede prelatus in spaniam profectus est ob infestatione
diuersarum gentium barbarorum:
Honorius imperatur glosus perpetuus triumfator semper augustus, uniuersis militibus nostris,
senioribus, iunioribus, speculatoribus ac Britanicis, gaudentes sanctissimi comilitones nostri
conmunium remuneratione meritorum, et omnes iuxta exultatione gaudentes. His enim maxime
est splendor inluxtris qui pari cunctus luce perfudit. Ad quos nos magnifice comites hac magistri
utriusque militie ad similitudine nostre clementie constituti. Constituta sit uobis stipendia
gallicanarum, que constitutioni uestre porreximus ut eundem uir esset forma uirtutis quibus
exellens una deuocio est. Proinde instructissimi in eque nobis cuncta subdita sunt. In Spania et
amplica congruum et dignitatis augmentum que serenitas nostra aurias prestiterit usibus gratanter
agnoscimus. Ut ubi uiuendi degendique tempus extiterit, omni alacritate atque uirtute abeatis
ospitüs obsequamini qua propter fore quidem confidimus et numeris resolutis incitet potius quam
restinguat ardorem. Obtumus conmilitones nostros per multos annos uene agere. Et alia manu:
Bene ualete. Amen.
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Had Britain already left the empire in 408 AD? - by Caballo - 08-26-2011, 02:03 AM

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