PAUL THE CHAIN

[romanonick]

Can anyone out there 'fill me in' on this sinister character :?: - from the little I've read he resembles a Gestapo-like character employed by Constantius as a search and destroy agent for all those military figures (and probably others as well) who supported the rule of Magnentius.
Salway says that his methods were so extreme that even the loyal vicarius of Britain, Flavius Martinus, objected to his methods and suffered accordingly.

Romanonick/Nick Deacon

[romanonick]

Hi,
Just thought I'd inject another reminder on this question - I presume that
no-one hock: has any thoughts on this character or can point me towards anything more than Salway maintains?

Regards,
Romanonick/Nick Deacon

[Robert Vermaat]

Hi Nick,

Sorry about that, I had a quick search and then forgot. :oops:

It seems that outside Ammianus there's not much known about him. Does anybody have a better access to the PLRE volumes (than me)?

[Robert Vermaat]

Paulus Catena, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Paulus was the name of an imperial notary, or senior civil servant, that served under the Roman Emperor Constantius II in the middle of the 4th century. He is described by historian Ammianus Marcellinus, who probably met him. According to Marcellinus his cruelty was infamous throughout the Roman world. He was dispatched to Roman Britain by the Emperor Constantius II to control subversive elements in 353, after the fall of the Britto-Frankish usurper Magnentius. So harsh were his measures that he earned the nickname Catena meaning 'The Chain'. For he chained many people and dragged them with their chains through the streets.

His brief in Britain was to hunt down known supporters of the recently-defeated usurper Magnentius in the army garrisons in Britain. According to Marcellinus, once Paulus arrived, he widened his remit and began arresting other figures, often on apparently trumped-up charges and without evidence. Paulus' methods were so extreme and the injustices he committed so great however that eventually the vicarius of Britain, Flavius Martinus, although a loyal supporter of Constantius, felt obliged to end them. He tried to persuade Paulus to release the innocent prisoners he had taken using the threat of his own resignation as leverage. Paulus refused however and turned on Martinus, falsely accusing him and other senior officers in Britain of treason. In desperation, Martinus attacked Paulus with a sword. The attack failed however and the vicarius committed suicide. The emperor then sent him to Egypt with the excuse that the consultations to and responses from the oracle of Besa had displeased him. Paulus set up a kangaroo court and with near full imperial power delegated to him, he began summarily passing judgement on suspected traitors

Ammianus Marcellinus tells us that in 355 he was ordered to hunt down the followers of another Frankish usurper called Claudius Silvanus. Again he tortured and killed people.

According to Ammianus Marcellinus Paulus was condemned to death by the Frank Arbitio at the Chalcedon tribunal under Constantius successor, Julian the Apostate, in late 361, or early 362. He was burned alive.

[Urselius]

Paul was generally thought to have earned his nickname because of his practice of stringing together a number of accusations in order to persecute the innocent. Or, alternatively, that he used torture to make victims incriminate others therby creating a chain of spurious guilt.