Allectus (d. 296) was a Roman-British usurper who ruled Britain and parts of northern Gaul from 293 to 296.
Background and Rise to Power
Originally serving as treasurer to Carausius—a Menapian naval commander who had seized control of Britain and northern Gaul in 286—Allectus came to power after his superior’s position weakened. In 293, the western Caesar Constantius Chlorus reclaimed key Gallic territories, notably the strategic port of Bononia (modern Boulogne), and defeated Carausius’s Frankish allies in Batavia. In response to this growing pressure, Allectus had Carausius assassinated and assumed leadership himself.
Rule and Downfall
Allectus’s time as ruler left few historical traces. His coinage, however, continued the patterns established by Carausius and has been found widely across northwestern Gaul—evidence that his regime maintained influence in the region even after Bononia was lost.
In September 296, Constantius launched a coordinated invasion to remove Allectus. While one fleet under Constantius himself was delayed by weather, another, led by the praetorian prefect Asclepiodotus, landed undetected near Southampton Water, thanks to thick fog. After burning their ships, Asclepiodotus’s troops forced Allectus’s army inland, where they were intercepted by other Roman divisions and decisively defeated. Allectus died in battle, having removed his imperial insignia to avoid recognition. Archaeological findings suggest that the final clash occurred near Calleva Atrebatum (modern Silchester).
A detached unit of Roman soldiers, delayed during the Channel crossing, eventually reached Londinium (London), where they encountered and slaughtered the remaining Frankish elements of Allectus’s forces. Constantius arrived after the fighting had ended, and according to a panegyric, was welcomed by the Britons as a liberator.
Legacy
Carausius had effectively used his coinage for propaganda, promoting messages such as the restoration of “liberty” to appeal to local support. In response, Constantius issued a commemorative medal declaring himself redditor lucis aeternae—”restorer of the eternal light” of Rome.
In March 2019, a rare coin bearing the image of Allectus was discovered in Dover by a metal detectorist. It sold at auction for £552,000 through Dix Noonan Webb.
