Magnus Maximus, proclaimed emperor by his troops…
January 388 CE
Magnus Maximus, proclaimed emperor by his troops in 383 while serving with the army in Britain, had gone to Gaul to pursue his imperial ambitions.
Following his destruction of Gaul, Maximus had gone out to meet his main opponent, Gratian, whom he defeated near Paris.
Gratian, after fleeing, had been killed on August 25, 383, at Lyon.
Maximus had managed soon after to force from Rome Gratian’s son and successor Valentinian II, after which he had fled to Theodosius, the Eastern Roman Emperor.
Establishing his capital at Augusta Treverorum (Treves, Trier) in Gaul, Maximus has become a popular emperor, although he is also a stern persecutor of heretics.