The Roman civil war of 350–353 AD was a war fought between the Roman 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 ...

and the usurper

Magnentius Magnus Magnentius ( 303 – 11 August 353) was a Roman general and usurper against Constantius II from 350 to 353. Of Germanic descent, Magnentius served with distinction in Gaul under the Western emperor Constans. On 18 January 350 Magnentiu ...

Background

With the death of Constantine I in 337 AD, the

empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

was divided between his three sons from his marriage to

Fausta Flavia Maxima Fausta ''Augusta'' (289–326 AD) was a Roman empress. She was the daughter of Maximian and second wife of Constantine the Great, who had her executed and excluded from all official accounts for unknown reasons. Historians Zosim ...

. Constantine II received

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 durin ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

and Britain.

was given

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

and Syria. Finally, Constans I obtained

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...

and Illyricum. Constantine II resented his brothers for not respecting his seniority as the eldest, and therefore the senior

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

. Unhappy over the distribution of the provinces, he invaded Italy in 340 AD, only to be killed in an ambush by Constans' troops. Constans now assumed control of all the western

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

s of the empire. Constans was particularly disliked by the legions, and in 350 AD, he was overthrown by a military conspiracy and killed while fleeing to safety. The army elevated a

barbarian A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less ...

officer called Magnentius as the new western emperor, bringing him into conflict with Constantius, the sole remaining son of Constantine I.

Civil war

Constantius marched westward to avenge the murder of his brother. Magnentius decided to invade Illyricum, and initially his army performed very well. The situation changed dramatically when his troops encountered Constantius'

cataphract A cataphract was a form of armored heavy cavalryman that originated in Persia and was fielded in ancient warfare throughout Eurasia and Northern Africa. The English word derives from the Greek ' (plural: '), literally meaning "armored" or "c ...

cavalry at the Battle of Mursa on 28 September 351. The fighting involved 95,000 troops and left 55,000 casualties in one of the bloodiest battles in Roman history. Magnentius lost and fled to northern Italy, while Constantius slowly regained control of Africa, Spain, and southern Italy. Magnentius decided to retreat into Gaul, where Constantius defeated him again at Mons Seleucus on 3 July 353. Magnentius fled to Lugdunum and committed suicide with his sword on 11 August 353. Constantius had Magnentius' followers and supporters investigated,

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts ...

d and killed.

References

*Kohn, George Childs, 'Dictionary of Wars, Revised Edition', pg 399 {{DEFAULTSORT:Roman civil war of 350-351 Roman civil war of 350–353 Civil wars of the Roman Empire 350 351 350s in the Roman Empire Wars of succession involving the states and peoples of Asia 352 353 Wars of succession involving the states and peoples of Europe Wars of succession involving the states and peoples of Africa Constantius II