Carausius came from a sailing background and thanks to his abilities
in this area he was commissioned by Maximianus to build a fleet to control the
widespread pirating along the coasts of Gaul and Britain. Carausius was
successful in this regard but it was soon discovered that he was personally
profiting from the loot seized from the pirates. When Carausius heard that an
arrest warrant had been issued for him he fled to Britain and declared himself
emperor. Taking advantage of the fact that Maximianus had bigger headaches at
the moment with fighting German barbarians, Carausius quickly rallied an army
together and brought Britain under his firm control. In a silent appeal to be
legitimately recognized by the greater empire, he issued coins commemorating his
"fellow" emperors Maximianus and Diocletian. This tactic did little to appease
either, of course, and Maximianus dispatched Constantius Chlorus to deal with
him. In the meantime, Carausius was murdered by one of his own men, Allectus,
who felt ready to take a stab at being emperor himself.
Obv-IMP C CARAVSIVS PF AVG Radiate Bust Right.
Rev-PAX AVG Pax standing left, holding olive branch and sceptre, S P accross field.
Obv-IMP CARAVSIVS P AVG Radiate Bust Right.
Rev-SPES PVBLICA Spes standing left, holding flower and hitching skirt, S and C in left and right fields.
