Sub-Roman Britain (Cavalry etc)

[Alanus]

Hello AoTB,

I agree with Vortigern Studies about the plethora of "Arthurian Britain" books now out there. Most written in the past two decades are fairly nutty, and almost all of them rely upon faked-up Welsh pedigrees. You found Ambrosius Aurelianus in just such a pedigree, one which claims he was a Briton from the best of families. But I do believe that a man of the same name was the Prafect of Gaul about 3 generations earlier, and there is no connection with the families of Britain. Most likely Ambrosius came from this non-British family.

I don't believe Theodosius the Elder brought a private-family force into Britain, just whomever Valentinian could spare at the moment. Yes, Magnus Maximus was a "household" tagger-on, but not the entire force. Here again, faked pedigrees have given "Maxen Wledig" an entire progeny derived from two ficticious wives, plus all the wondrous "descendants" that imagination could contrive. Look at the REAL Maximus: he was stationed in Britain for about a year, chances of marrying into British nobility slim (considering he was a broke Spaniard). He then went to Mauritania with Theodosius, possibly involved in that man's murder, then shipped off to Moesia, there disgracing himself in the famous "Dogmeat Scheme," then sent back to Britain as a loser, and finally becomes a usurper. He had but one historically confirmed son who was killed in infancy. Quite the trumped-up career. :roll: