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Flavius Julius Constantius (c. 250 – 306 AD), also known as Constantius I, was born of humble Danubian roots and sought his fortune as a Roman soldier. Ambitious and talented, he earned the honorary title of
Protectores Augusti Nostri (meaning "Protector of Our Augustus") under Aurelian and, by the reign of Carus, the governorship of Dalmatia. During this time, his travels took him through the crossroads town of Naissus, where he met a barmaid named Helen. By her he sired a son, Constantine, who would follow in his father’s footsteps and then some.
By the late 280s AD, Constantius had become the protégé of co-Augustus Maximian. In the name of ambition, he left Helen and agreed to marry Maximian’s stepdaughter, Theodora. This arrangement paved the way for Maximian to name Constantius as his Caesar in 293 AD, part of the imperial expansion known as the Tetrarchy. Under this structure, Maximian delegated to Constantius the difficult task of reclaiming Britannia and the Gallic coast from the usurpers Carausius and Allectus. After consolidating his position and building a fleet, Constantius successfully restored Britannia to the Empire and scored military victories along the Rhine against the Alamanni.
In spring 305 AD, just as the Empire seemed to be stabilizing, something rather unexpected transpired. In an unprecedented move, Maximian and Diocletian abdicated. They promoted Constantius and Galerius as the new co-Augusti. Backfilling the two co-Caesars’ positions in the revised Tetrarchy was the prerogative of Galerius, who chose for the West his ally, Severus II, and for the East his nephew, Maximinus II. Galerius intentionally overlooked Maximian’s son, Maxentius, and Constantius’ son, Constantine.
The current nummus was struck amidst this tumultuous transition, circa 305–306 AD, while Constantius served as senior Augustus of the West. Interestingly, it was a product of the mint at Ticinum, under the control of the Western Caesar, Severus II. Despite the underlying tensions regarding the succession, it was vital to project an image of imperial unity. The obverse legend has been appropriately upgraded to reflect his supreme rank: IMP C CONSTANTIVS P F AVG. Within the inscription is a portrait whose head is relatively squared off, set upon an exceptionally thick neck, a proportioning that was very standard among Tetrarchy coinage. Of particular note on this coin is the exceptionally thick, wavy beard. Notwithstanding the prodigious facial hair, this is a conservative portrait — strictly following the rules to project a sense of unchanging order. The intended message was that, despite the chaos of internal strife and external wars, the administrative heart of the Empire remained solid.
The reverse of this coin features the seated figure of Fides holding military standards, with the inscription FIDES MILITVM (The Loyalty of the Soldiers). Exactly to whom the troops are declaring loyalty is ambiguous, suggesting that it should be to the tetrarchy itself.
So, even though Constantius had a new Caesar assigned to him, it didn’t do him much good. Even if he could have relied on his new Western Caesar for help in maintaining order in Britannia, Severus had another, more urgent assignment: restoring control over Italy in the face of an insurrection launched by Maxentius. Consequently Constantius, whose health was failing by this time, found himself alone in dealing with an uprising of one of Britannia’s most fearsome tribes, namely the Picts. Desperate for help, he called upon Constantine. The latter had been secured for a dozen years in the courts of Diocletian and then Galerius, essentially held hostage to ensure his father’s loyalty to the East. Perhaps caving in to his dedication to the Empire’s well-being, Galerius grudgingly approved the request, though it risked giving his rival’s clan the chance for glory and imperial prestige.
It was indeed a glorious reunion as father and son collaborated to defeat the Picts in battle. This victory earned Constantius the accolade Britannicus Maximus II, the last he garnered before he finally succumbed to illness. On his deathbed, Constantius named his faithful son Constantine as his successor. This declaration, wildly popular with the local troops, was not pre-approved by Galerius. Nonetheless, Constantius secured his dynasty, even if it ultimately meant uprooting the Tetrarchy and altering the very destiny of the Roman Empire.
Coin Details: ROMAN EMPIRE, Constantius I, AD 305-306, BI Nummus (26mm, 8.63 g, 6h), Ticinum mint, 3rd officina, Struck circa AD 305, NGC Grade: MS, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 5/5, Obverse: Laureate head right, IMP C CONSTANTIVS P F AVG, Reverse: Fides seated left, holding signum in each hand, FIDES M-ILITVM, • to right field, TT in exergue, Reference: RIC VI 55a.
Image: Sony ɑ 7R Ⅴ camera / Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS lens.