Macsen Wledig (Patreon)

Magnus Maximus (re. 383~388), also known as Macsen Wledig in Welsh, was one of the many usurping emperors of the late Roman Empire. Before taking the throne, he was a distinguished general in Britannia. Although he is largely remembered as a usurper who was eventually executed, he left a huge footprint in British history and Welsh legend.

This drawing is largely based on statues of late Roman emperors wearing armor. He is wearing a gold diadem, and his cloak is secured by a crossbow-shaped brooch. His cuirass is made of bronze scales (lorica squamata), and old-fashioned pteruges fringes hang at shoulders and waist. Long-sleeved tunic and trousers are typical late Roman fashion.

Sources

Mosaics from Villa Romana del Casale, early 4th century

Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs, St Mark’s Basilica, early 4th century

Colossus of Barletta (Bronze statue of a Roman emperor), 4~5th centuries

Romano-British golden crossbow brooch, c. 390-460, British Museum

Marble bust of a Roman emperor, 5th century, Louvre Museum (Louvre MR 581)

David Nicolle, Romano-Byzantine Armies 4th-9th Centuries, Osprey Publishing, 1992

Boris Rankov, The Praetorial Guard, Osprey Publishing, 1994

Simon MacDowall, Late Roman Cavalryman AD 236-565, Osprey Publishing, 1995

Graham Sumner, Roman Military Clothing (2), Osprey Publishing, 2003

Timothy Dawson, By the Emperor’s Hand: Military Dress and Court Regalia in the later Romano-Byzantine Empire, Frontline Books, 2015

Maxwell Craven, Magnus Maximus: The Forgotten Roman Emperor and his British Legacy, Amberley Publishing, 2023