Clodius Albinus

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Decimus Clodius Albinus (c. 150 - February 19, 197) was a roman usurper proclaimed emperor by the legions in Britain and Spain upon the murder of Pertinax. The name Albinus means "white", while one of his competitors for the purple was Pescennius Niger, whose name means "black".

Albinus came from an aristocratic provincial family in North Africa and held the governorship of Britain by AD 192.

When Pertinax was assassinated, the praetorian prefect Aemilius Laetus and his men who had arranged the murder put the throne up for sale. It was purchased by the wealthy senator Didius Julianus, but a string of mutinies from the troops in the provinces meant the next emperor was far from decided.

In the civil war that followed, Albinus was initially allied with Septimus Severus, who had captured Rome, and accepted the title of Caesar from him. Albinus remained effective ruler of much of the western part of the empire with support from three British legions and one Spanish. The two came into conflict after Severus defeated Pescennius Niger in the eastern part of the empire, however, and Severus sent assassins to kill him.

In Autumn 196, Albinus proclaimed himself emperor (Imperator Caesar Decimus Clodius Septimius Albinus Augustus), crossed from Britain to Gaul, bringing a large part of the British garrison with him (including II Augusta, VI Victrix, and XX Valeria Victrix). He defeated Severus' legate, Virius Lupus, and was able to lay claim to the military resources of Gaul.

In February 197 he met Severus' army at the Battle of Lugdunum. After a hard-fought battle, with 150,000 troops on either side recorded by Dio Cassius, Albinus was defeated and killed himself.

Albinus had stripped Britain of every available soldier, which meant that Severus' new administration had to deal with several rebellions, including those of the Maeatae.

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