Marcellus was a Roman general, ''magister equitum'' (master of horse), in

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

, appointed by the Emperor

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 ...

to replace Ursicinus around 356. He was accused of cowardice and dismissed from service when he failed to assist the

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

Julian when Julian was besieged in Senonae. Marcellus appealed to the Emperor in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, attempting to accuse Julian of treason, but his charges were contradicted by Julian's chamberlain, Eutherius, whom Julian had secretly sent in advance to head off Marcellus. Following this, Constantius had Marcellus exiled to his native town of

Serdica Serdika or Serdica ( Bulgarian: ) is the historical Roman name of Sofia, now the capital of Bulgaria. Currently, Serdika is the name of a district located in the city. It includes four neighbourhoods: "Fondovi zhilishta"; "Banishora", "Orlandov ...

. It is believed that he lived long enough there to suffer the execution of his son on charges of treason.

References

{{reflist 4th-century Romans Ancient Roman generals Magistri equitum (Roman Empire) Romans from unknown gentes Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown