This is a partial list of governors of Roman Britain from 43 to 409. As the unified province "Britannia",

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 ...

was a consular province, meaning that its governors had to first serve as a

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

before they could govern it. While this rank could be obtained either as a suffect or ordinarius, a number of governors were ''consules ordinarii'', and also appear in the List of Early Imperial Roman Consuls. After Roman Britain was divided, first into two (early 3rd century), then into four (293), later governors could be of the lower, equestrian rank. Not all the governors are recorded by Roman historians and many listed here are derived from

epigraphic Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

evidence or from sources such as the Vindolanda letters. Beyond the recall of Gnaeus Julius Agricola in 85 the dates of service of those who can be named can only be inferred. Others are still entirely anonymous and by the time of the division of Britain into separate provinces, the record is very patchy.

Roman governors of Britannia

Claudian governors

Aulus Plautius Aulus Plautius was a Roman politician and general of the mid-1st century. He began the Roman conquest of Britain in 43, and became the first governor of the new province, serving from 43 to 46 CE. Career Little is known of Aulus Plautius's e ...

(43–47) *

Publius Ostorius Scapula Publius Ostorius Scapula standing at the terrace of the Roman Baths (Bath) Publius Ostorius Scapula (died 52) was a Roman statesman and general who governed Britain from 47 until his death, and was responsible for the defeat and capture of Ca ...

(47–52) *

Aulus Didius Gallus Aulus Didius Gallus was a Roman general and politician of the 1st century AD. He was governor of Britain between 52 and 57 AD. Career The career of Aulus Didius Gallus up to 51 can be partly reconstructed from an inscription from Olympia. H ...

(52–57) * Quintus Veranius (57–57) *

Gaius Suetonius Paulinus Gaius Suetonius Paulinus (fl. AD 41–69) was a Roman general best known as the commander who defeated the rebellion of Boudica. Early life Little is known of Suetonius' family, but it likely came from Pisaurum (modern Pesaro), a town on the Ad ...

(58–62) *

Publius Petronius Turpilianus Publius Petronius Turpilianus was a Roman senator who held a number of offices in the middle of the 1st century AD, most notably governor of Britain. He was an ordinary consul in the year 61 with Lucius Junius Caesennius Paetus as his colleague.Pau ...

(62–63) * Marcus Trebellius Maximus (63–69)

Flavian governors

* Marcus Vettius Bolanus (69–71) *

Quintus Petillius Cerialis Quintus Petillius Cerialis Caesius Rufus ( AD 30 — after AD 83), otherwise known as Quintus Petillius Cerialis, was a Roman general and administrator who served in Britain during Boudica's rebellion and went on to participate in the civil wars a ...

(71–74) *

Sextus Julius Frontinus Sextus Julius Frontinus (c. 40 – 103 AD) was a prominent Roman civil engineer, author, soldier and senator of the late 1st century AD. He was a successful general under Domitian, commanding forces in Roman Britain, and on the Rhine and Danube ...

(74–78), also a

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and technical writer * Gnaeus Julius Agricola (78–85), conqueror of Caledonia *Unknown * Sallustius Lucullus (uncertain; 87 – 89) *

Aulus Vicirius Proculus Aulus Vicirius Proculus was a Roman senator active during the last half of the first century AD. He was suffect consul for the ''nundinium'' September to December 89 with Manius Laberius Maximus as his colleague. Proculus is known only through sur ...

( 93) *

Publius Metilius Nepos Publius Metilius Nepos (c. 45 – 127 AD) was a Roman senator during the late 1st century. He is known to have been suffect consul in the ''nundinium'' of September to December 91, and was appointed Governor of Britannia by the Emperor Domitian ...

(uncertain; c. 96 – c. 97)

Trajanic governors

Titus Avidius Quietus Titus Avidius Quietus (died by 107 AD) was a Roman senator active during the reigns of the emperors Domitian, Nerva and Trajan. The offices he held included suffect consul in AD 93 and governor of Roman Britain around 98. Background The Younger ...

(c. 97 – c. 101) *

Lucius Neratius Marcellus Lucius Neratius Marcellus (''fl''. 1st century – 2nd century AD) was an imperial Roman military officer and senator who held a number of posts in the Emperor's service. Marcellus was elected consul twice, first under Domitian in 95AD and aga ...

(c. 101 – c. 103) *Unknown (c. 103 – 115) *

Marcus Appius Bradua Marcus Appius Bradua, also known by his full name Marcus Atilius Metilius BraduaBirley, ''Roman government'', p. 112 (Greek: ''Μαρκόν Άππιον Βραδούαν'' This version of his name is known from an honorific Greek stone inscrip ...

(uncertain; 115–118)

Hadrianic governors

Quintus Pompeius Falco Quintus Pompeius Falco (c. 70after 140 AD) was a Roman senator and general of the early 2nd century AD. He was governor of several provinces, most notably Roman Britain, where he hosted a visit to the province by the Emperor Hadrian in the last ...

(118–122) *

Aulus Platorius Nepos Aulus Platorius Nepos was a Roman senator who held a number of appointments in the imperial service, including the governorship of Britain. He was suffect consul succeeding the ''consul posterior'' Publius Dasumius Rusticus as the colleague of ...

(122 – c. 125) *

Trebius Germanus Lucius Trebius Germanus was a governor of Roman Britain in 127, and suffect consul with Gaius Calpurnius Flaccus, the proconsul of Cyprus in 123, at an uncertain date. He is known from a military diploma published in 1997 that bears the date 20 Aug ...

(uncertain; c. 127) *

Sextus Julius Severus Gnaeus Minicius Faustinus Sextus Julius Severus was an accomplished Roman general of the 2nd century. He also held the office of suffect consul in the last three months of 127 with Lucius Aemilius Juncus as his colleague. Biography Julius Severu ...

(c. 131 – c. 133) *

Publius Mummius Sisenna Publius Mummius Sisenna was a Roman politician who was '' consul ordinarius'' in 133 with Marcus Antonius Hiberus as his colleague, and governor of Roman Britain shortly afterwards. Hadrian's Wall may have been finished under his governorship. Ro ...

(uncertain; c. 133 – c. 135)

Antonine governors

* Quintus Lollius Urbicus (c. 138 – c. 144) *

Gnaeus Papirius Aelianus Gnaeus Papirius Aelianus Aemilius Tuscillus was a Roman senator, who was active during the reign of Antoninus Pius. He was suffect consul in the '' nundinium'' of September-December 135 as the colleague of Publius Rutilius Fabianus, as attested b ...

(c. 145 – c. 147) *Unknown (c. 147 – c. 152) * Titus Caesernius Statianus (c. 152/153) * Gnaeus Julius Verus (c. 154 – c. 158) * Longinus (c. 158 – 161) *

Marcus Statius Priscus Marcus Statius Priscus Licinius Italicus (''M. Statius M. f. Cl. Priscus Licinius Italicus'')The name ''M. Statius M. f. Cl. Priscus Licinius Italicus'' says he is the son of a Marcus as ''M. f.''; ''Cl.'' refers to the tribe he belonged to, which ...

(c. 161) *

Sextus Calpurnius Agricola Sextus Calpurnius Agricola was a Roman senator and general active during the 2nd century. He was '' consul suffectus'' with Tiberius Claudius Julianus for the '' nundinium'' of September-October 154. Agricola is known primarily from inscription ...

(c. 162 – c. 166) *Unknown (c. 166 – 175) *

Quintus Antistius Adventus Quintus Antistius Adventus (c. 120 AD — after 175 AD) was a Roman politician and general. He commanded a legion, the II Adiutrix in the war against the Parthian Empire (161-166), and was appointed suffect consul around 166. His full name, as ...

(c. 175 – c. 178) * Lucius Ulpius MarcellusRIB 1329(c. 178 – c. 180) * Unknown (c. 180) this governor (στρατηγος)στρατηγος means praetor and thus stands for governor (cfr. ἀντιστράτηγος that means propraetore was killed in 180 when Caledonians breached the Hadrian Wall. * Lucius Ulpius Marcellus (c. 180 – c. 184) the second tenure of Marcellus after the murder of the previous governor. *

Marcus Antius Crescens Calpurnianus Marcus Antius Crescens Calpurnianus was a Roman senator, who held several offices, including acting governor of Roman Britain in the late second century AD, and as one of the ''quindecimviri sacris faciundis'' present at the Secular Games of 204. A ...

(acting governor, c. 185) * Publius Helvius Pertinax (c. 185 – c. 187), later Roman Emperor *Unknown (c. 187-91)Birley, Anthony, ''The Roman Government of Britain'', (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2005) *

Decimus Clodius Albinus Decimus Clodius Albinus ( 150 – 19 February 197) was a Roman imperial pretender between 193 and 197. He was proclaimed emperor by the legions in Britain and Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula, comprising modern Spain and Portugal) after the murder ...

(c. 192 – c. 197), imperial usurper

Severan governors

Virius Lupus Virius Lupus ( – after 205) (possibly Lucius Virius Lupus) was a Roman soldier and politician of the late 2nd and early 3rd century. Biography Virius Lupus was the first member of the ''gens Virii'' to attain high office in the Roman Em ...

(197 – c. 200) * Pollienus Auspex (c. 201) *

(acting; c. 202) *

Gaius Valerius Pudens Gaius Valerius Pudens was a Roman Senator who was a suffect consul and held at least three imperial appointments during the late 2nd - early 3rd centuries. His career is known almost entirely from inscriptions in the four provinces he is known to ...

(c. 202 – c. 205) *

Lucius Alfenus Senecio Lucius Alfenus Senecio was a Roman figure of the late 2nd and early 3rd centuries. Career Born in Curculum, Africa (Roman province) ( Djemila, Algeria), Lucius Alfenus Senecio was a Numidian ( Romanised Berber). He served as ''procurator Augusti'' ...

(c. 205 – c. 207) * Gaius Junius Faustinus Postumianus (c. 208 – c. 211) Some sources list a further governor, a second

Ulpius Marcellus Ulpius Marcellus was a Roman consular governor of Britannia who returned there as general of the later 2nd century. Ulpius Marcellus is recorded as governor of Roman Britain in an inscription of 176–80, and apparently returned to Rome after a te ...

. He was interpreted as a son of the first

, serving. c. 211. This is based on a misdated inscription and it is now accepted that it refers to the earlier Ulpius Marcellus only. The two sons of emperor

Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary suc ...

Caracalla Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname "Caracalla" () was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. He was a member of the Severan dynasty, the elder son of Emperor ...

and

Publius Septimius Geta Publius Septimius Geta ( ; 7 March 189 – 19/26 December 211) was Roman emperor with his father Septimius Severus and older brother Caracalla from 209, when he was named ''Augustus'' like his brother, who had held the title from 198. Severus d ...

, administered the province to some degree during and immediately after their father's campaigns there which took place between 208 and 211.

Division into Britannia Superior and Inferior

This list assumes the final division occurred c. 213.

Britannia Superior

* Tiberius Julius Pollienus Auspex (sometime during c. 223 – 226) * Gaius Junius Faustinus Postumianus (probably sometime during 222–235) * Rufinus (probably early 3rd century) * Marcus Martiannius Pulcher (3rd century) * Titus Desticius Juba (253–255)

Britannia Inferior

* Gaius Julius Marcus (by 213) * Marcus Antonius Gordianus (by 216) * Modius Julius (by 219) * Tiberius Claudius Paulinus (c. 220) * Marius Valerianus (221 – 222/223) * Claudius Xenophon (223) *

Maximus Maximus (Hellenised as Maximos) is the Latin term for "greatest" or "largest". In this connection it may refer to: * Circus Maximus (disambiguation) * Pontifex maximus, the highest priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome People Roman h ...

(by 225) * Claudius Apellinus (sometime during 222–235) * Calvisius Rufus (sometime during 222–235) * Valerius Crescens Fulvianus (sometime during 222–235) *

Tuccianus Tuccianus is a possible name for a governor of Britannia Inferior, a province of Roman Britain around AD 237. He may have governed since the removal of his predecessor Claudius Apellinus in 235 AD. Little else is known of him although the damaged i ...

(by 237) * Maecilius Fuscus (sometime during 238–244) *

Egnatius Lucillianus Egnatius Lucillianus (c. 210 – aft. 244) was a Roman senator. Life It has been speculated that he was son of Lucius Egnatius Victor Lollianus and the father of Egnatius Lucillus; however, a relationship between the imperial ''gens Egnatia'' and ...

(sometime during 238–244) * Nonius Philippus (by 242) * Octavius Sabinus (sometime during 260–269), under the

Gallic Empire The Gallic Empire or the Gallic Roman Empire are names used in modern historiography for a breakaway part of the Roman Empire that functioned ''de facto'' as a separate state from 260 to 274. It originated during the Crisis of the Third Century, ...

Diocese of the Britains

Following the reabsorption of Britain into the Roman Empire, the island was further repartitioned by

Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...

, this time into four separate provinces, Maxima Caesariensis in the southeast, with its capital at London, Flavia Caesariensis in the east, with its capital at

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

, Britannia Secunda in the north, with its capital at

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, and Britannia Prima in the west (including present day

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

), with its capital at

Cirencester Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...

. A fifth province called Valentia also briefly existed, probably in the far north. Each had a governor of equestrian rank (a ''praeses'') and they were overseen by 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 ...

''. Later in the 4th century, the governor of Maxima Caesariensis had to be of consular rank. The following names are the few which have survived from this era, covering the almost 100 years until c. 408, when the Roman civilian administration was expelled by the native population.

Vicarii

Pacatianus Pacatian (; la, Tiberius Claudius Marinus Pacatianus; died ''c.'' 248) was a usurper in the Danube area of the Roman Empire during the time of Philip the Arab. He is known from coins, and from mentions in Zosimus and Zonaras, who say that he ...

(c. 319) *

Flavius Martinus Flavius Martinus was a vicarius of Roman Britain c. 353 under Constantius II. 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 ...

(c. 353) *

Alypius of Antioch Alypius of Antioch was a geographer and a vicarius of Roman Britain, probably in the late 350s AD. He replaced Flavius Martinus after that vicarius' suicide. His rule is recorded is Ammianus XXIII 1, 3. Life He came from Antioch and served under ...

(361–363, soon after Flavius Martinus) * Civilis (369) *

Victorinus Marcus Piavonius VictorinusSome of the inscriptions record his name as M. Piavvonius Victorinus, as does the first release of coins from the Colonia mint. A mosaic from Augusta Treverorum (Trier) lists him as Piaonius. was emperor in the Gallic ...

(probably sometime during 395–406) * Chrysanthus (probably sometime during 395–406)

Governors

Aurelius Arpagius Aurelius Arpagius was a governor of one of the provinces of Roman Britain, probably Britannia Secunda. He is known from a single building inscription from a Roman fort at Birdoswald (RIB 1912), which describes the rebuilding of several buildings a ...

(possibly Britannia Secunda; sometime during 296–305) * Flavius Sanctus (mid-4th century) *

Lucius Septimius Lucius Septimius was a Roman soldier and mercenary who is principally remembered as one of the assassins of the triumvir Pompey the Great. At the time of the assassination (48 BC) Septimius was serving the Ptolemies of Egypt as a mercenary. He ...

( Britannia Prima, date unknown)

Other rulers in Roman Britain

Usurpers and British-based rulers of the Western Empire

*In c. 278, an unknown governor rebelled but was quickly defeated *

Carausius Marcus Aurelius Mausaeus Carausius (died 293) was a military commander of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century. He was a Menapian from Belgic Gaul, who usurped power in 286, during the Carausian Revolt, declaring himself emperor in Britain and ...

(286–293), British-based usurper emperor *

Allectus Allectus (died 296) was a Roman-Britannic usurper-emperor in Britain and northern Gaul from 293 to 296. History Allectus was treasurer to Carausius, a Menapian officer in the Roman navy who had seized power in Britain and northern Gaul in 286. I ...

(293–296), Carausius' successor *

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 Magnentius ...

(350–353), rebel emperor of much of Western Europe *Another Carausius, dubbed by historians Carausius II, may have attempted usurpation sometime between 354 and 358 *

Magnus Maximus Magnus Maximus (; cy, Macsen Wledig ; died 8 August 388) was Roman emperor of the Western Roman Empire from 383 to 388. He usurped the throne from emperor Gratian in 383 through negotiation with emperor Theodosius I. He was made emperor in B ...

(383–388) recognised as emperor of the west by

Theodosius I Theodosius I ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. During his reign, he succeeded in a crucial war against the Goths, as well as in two ...

* Marcus (406), proclaimed emperor by the Army of Britain *

Gratian Gratian (; la, Gratianus; 18 April 359 – 25 August 383) was emperor of the Western Roman Empire from 367 to 383. The eldest son of Valentinian I, Gratian accompanied his father on several campaigns along the Rhine and Danube frontiers and w ...

(407), British-based emperor *

Constantine III Constantine III may refer to: * Constantine III (Western Roman Emperor), self-proclaimed western Roman Emperor 407–411 * Heraclius Constantine, Byzantine Emperor in 641 * Constans II, Byzantine emperor 641–668, sometimes referred to under this ...

, a British soldier who became a usurper in the West

Native rulers

* Roman client kingdoms in Britain * Iron Age tribes in Britain

Military leaders

Dux Britanniarum ''Dux Britanniarum'' was a military post in Roman Britain, probably created by Emperor Diocletian or Constantine I during the late third or early fourth century. The ''Dux'' (literally, "(military) leader" was a senior officer in the late Roman ...

Comes Britanniarum The (Latin for "Count of the Britains") was a military post in Roman Britain with command over the mobile field army from the mid-4th century onwards. It is listed in the List of Offices as being one of the three commands in Britain, along wit ...

* Count of the Saxon Shore

References

*Birley, A. R., The Roman Government of Britain, OUP, Oxford, 2005 *Birley, A. R. "The Roman Governors of Britain", ''Bonner Epigraphische Studien'', 4 (1967), pp. 63–102 *Eck, W. - Pangerl A., "Ein Diplom für die classis Britannica aus dem Jahr 93 n. Chr. unter dem Statthalter Vicirius Proculus", ''ZPE'' 165 (2008), pp. 227–231 *Frere, S, ''Britannia'', Routledge, London, 1987 *Salway, P, ''Roman Britain'', OUP, Oxford, 1986 {{DEFAULTSORT:Governors Of Roman Britain

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

Lists of office-holders in ancient Rome