Dux Belgicae secundae facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dux Belgicae secundae
The Saxon Shore (Litus saxonicum) around the year 380.
Active	end of the fourth century to the fifth century
Country	Roman Empire
Type	commander of a stretch of the Rhine limes and Litus Saxonicum (Saxon Shore)

Childeric in the clothes of a Roman officer from the 5th century. This is how he might have looked based on items found in his grave.

The Dux Belgicae secundae (which means "commander of the second Belgic province") was a very important military leader in the Late Roman Empire. Think of them as a top general! Their job was to command the soldiers who guarded the borders (called limitanei). They also commanded a special navy fleet on the coast known as the Saxon Shore in Gaul (modern-day France and Belgium).

This important position was likely created around the year 395 AD. A dux was a very high-ranking official in the Roman Empire. A famous old Roman document called the Notitia Dignitatum lists two commanders for the Gallic (French) part of the Litus Saxonicum ("the Coast of Saxony"). These commanders were in charge of protecting the coasts of Flanders, Normandy, and Brittany. One of them was the Dux Belgicae secundae.

These two commanders took over from an earlier official called the Comes Maritimi Tractus (Commander of the Coastal Regions). This earlier commander used to protect both the British and Gallic parts of the Saxon Shore. The new duces kept these coastal defenses strong until the mid-5th century. A well-known leader who held a similar role was the Frankish king Childeric I in the late 5th century.

History of the Dux

During the time of Emperor Diocletian, the Roman Empire made many changes to its army. New military jobs were created in Britain and Gaul. This is when the "Saxon Shore" border defenses were set up on both sides of the English Channel.

Protecting the Coasts

Old castles and forts along the coast were repaired or changed. These places were very important because they guarded areas that were easy for invaders to attack. The soldiers stationed there had to stop raiders and prevent enemies from getting further inland.

By the middle of the 4th century, one main commander, the Comes Maritimi Tractus, was in charge of protecting both coasts. But in 367, many barbarian groups invaded Britain. They almost completely destroyed the local Roman forces and killed the coastal commander, Nectaridus.

After this attack, the area of responsibility was divided. By 395 AD, it was split into three military districts. This was probably done to stop any one military commander from having too many soldiers. If a commander had too much power, they might try to start a rebellion, like Carausius did with the British fleet. For the Gallic part of the Saxon coast, two new ducal regions were created. These regions existed until the early 5th century.

Childeric I: A Frankish Leader

In the final years of Roman rule in Gaul, a leader named Childeric I played a very important role. He was a Frankish king and acted as both a civilian leader and a military commander. He led warrior groups around the town of Tournai in the northern part of the province. Tournai was his home and his main office.

Childeric's power was partly based on the weapon workshops in Tournai. When his grave was found in 1653, archaeologists discovered interesting items. These included gold coins from the Eastern Roman Empire, a gold-plated officer's coat, and a golden brooch. The coins were likely payment for his services. The brooch was a sign of rank in the late Roman army.

It's not completely clear if Childeric was just a Roman general or an independent king. Most likely, both roles had become mixed together by then. Childeric probably remained loyal to the Roman military leaders in Gaul. What mattered most was his actual power from commanding soldiers, not just his official titles. The fact that he held both civilian and military power shows he was a very important leader among the barbarian army commanders. He was probably officially recognized by the Roman government in Italy and even by the Eastern Roman Empire. He might have even had a higher rank than other barbarian commanders. As a king, he could also give out important titles like patricius (a high-ranking noble), comes (a count), and dux (a duke) to deserving people in his territory.

Administrative Staff

This image from the Notitia Dignitatum shows the forts on the Saxon Shore (represented by one fort) and the fortress cities Quartensis and Portuae Patiaci. All these places were under the command of the Dux Belgicae secundae. The text lists the Dux Belgicae secundae and the units under their command, along with their administrative staff.

The officium was the administrative staff that helped the dux do their job. It included several important roles:

• Princeps ex eodem corpore: This was like a chief of staff or chancellor, chosen from the army.
• Numerarii: Two accountants who handled the money.
• Commentariensus: A legal advisor.
• Adiutor: An assistant.
• Subadiuva: Another assistant.
• Regerendarius: An administrator who managed records.
• Exceptores: Secretaries who wrote things down.
• Singulares et reliquos officiales: Notaries (who kept official records) or bodyguards, and other civil servants.

Forts, Officers, and Units

Besides the administrative staff, the Dux also had several military officers and their units under his command. These were available "at discretion" (sub dispositione), meaning the Dux could use them as needed.

• Equites Dalmatae: These were cavalry units, but no specific officer is named for them.
• Praefectus classis Sambricae: This was the commander of a small fleet of patrol ships (called Navis lusoria). These ships had been stationed on the Somme River since the 4th century. Their main bases were in locus Quartensis (which is now Port d'Etaples, France) and locus Hornensis (possibly Cap Hornu, Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, France).

The Dux also commanded a Tribunus militum Nerviorum, who was a prefect for Sarmatian settlers. These were people from a different culture who had settled between the Rhine and Tambianos rivers in the second Belgic province. There were also four prefects who commanded groups of Germanic settlers called Laeti:

• Praefectus laetorum Nerviorum in Fanomantis (modern Famars, France)
• Praefectus laetorum Batavorum Nemetacensium in Atrabatis (modern Arras, France)
• Praefectus laetorum Batavorum Contraginnensium in Noviomago
• Praefectus laetorum gentilium in Remo et Silvanectas

The shield designs for these units are not shown in the Notitia Dignitatum.

The Dux originally had even more units under his command. Some of these units came from the Gallic army and were from the Belgica II province. Their names were the same as well-known cities in this province:

• Geminiacenses: A legion of comitatenses (soldiers assigned to a field army). They were from Geminiacum (modern Liberchies, Belgium).
• Cotoriacenses: Another legio comitatenses from Cotoriacum (West Flanders).
• Prima Flavia: A pseudo-comitatenses unit from Metis.

Unlike the flag-bearers (vexillarii) of other duces, these units are not shown as being directly under the command of the Dux Belgicae II. It seems that this province lost some of its influence after the border units on the Rhine were destroyed. This happened during the Rhine crossing of 406 AD, when many of their units were moved to the main field army.

See also

• Count of the Saxon Shore