Flavius Martinus was a
vicarius
''Vicarius'' is a Latin word, meaning ''substitute'' or ''deputy''. It is the root of the English word "vicar".
History
Originally, in ancient Rome, this office was equivalent to the later English " vice-" (as in "deputy"), used as part of th ...
of
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered wa ...
c. 353 under
Constantius II
Constantius II (Latin: ''Flavius Julius Constantius''; grc-gre, Κωνστάντιος; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361) was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic ...
.
He tried to control the violent recriminations following the defeat of
Magnentius. Martinus tried to rein in the vengeance of Constantius' notary
Paulus Catena
Paulus Catena ('the Chain' or 'the Fetter')
(''fl.'' 350s, d. 361/2)
was a senior Roman public official who served as an investigator and notary for Constantius II during the mid- fourth century.Seeck 1906, p. 233 He is principally known through t ...
who had been sent to Britain to ruthlessly hunt down opponents to the emperor. Faced with Paul's refusal to release even those suspects who had been proved innocent, Martinus threatened resignation but this only resulted in accusations being made at him directly as well.
In desperation, Martinus attacked Paulus with a sword. The attack was unsuccessful and he committed suicide.
Ammianus praises Martinus for his bravery in seeking to protect the innocent during the atmosphere of fear and oppression in Britain at the time.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinus, Flavius
Roman governors of Britain
Ancient Romans in Britain
4th-century Romans
Vicarii
Flavii
Year of birth unknown