You know how with Trump, there’s always that one tweet? Well, much can be said of history - there’s always something in the past that’s going to inform how the present pans out. Here’s one for Nigel Farage, Jacob Rees-Mogg, and every other Brexiteer out there. THREAD /1 
The Roman province of Britannia in the late third century had, it must be said, seen better days. The entirety of the Empire had been caught up in a century of strife & instability, and the northern island province simply wasn’t the focus of attention. /2 bbc.co.uk/history/ancien…
Those outside the grasp of Rome had taken advantage of the instability to enrich themselves. In addition to raiding on land, Germanic tribes had taken to the English Channel, to harass shipping - a time of rampant piracy more than a millennia before Blackbeard and his ilk. /3
A soldier called Carausius who had distinguished himself, was given the job of helming the military response to these pirates. It has to be said, he was no slouch. He knew sailing, as a former seaman, and quickly established his forces across the area. /4 independent.co.uk/life-style/his…
However, in time, it seemed that Carausius was doing *too* well in tackling piracy. In fact, some started to suspect that Carausius & the pirates were in league with one another, giving the fiction that the problem was disappearing, when it had merely greased the right palm. /5
Eventually evidence started to add up against Carausius, & in 286CE, Maximianus, the Emperor, declared a death sentence. Carausius then decided to go hard or go home - he declared himself Emperor of an independent Britannia, using his influence & not inconsiderable fortune. /6
It sounds incredible, but the province were largely on side. Carausius promised a resurgent Britannia (he had ‘restorer of Britain’ on some coins he minted. He even started work on projects - the ‘Saxon Shore’ forts, bringing in mercenaries to man them. /7 heritagedaily.com/2018/02/saxon-…
Carausius’ influence was felt right across the province. There was an inscription to him found near Carlisle, and his coins have been found across the north of England. It honestly sounds as if he did enjoy the support of the province, who felt that things were on the mend. /8
The fact that Carausius called on a number of myths and legends about the past - casting himself as a messianic figure, emphasising the supposed ‘glory days’ of the province - must have played a large role in his popularity - that and all the currency he was producing. /9
Of course, the good times couldn’t last forever. Behind every bastard - & let’s be clear, Carausius was far from a spotless character - there’s an even bigger bastard. In Carausius’ case, it was his treasurer, Allectus, who had him murdered in 293CE. /10 armstrongeconomics.com/research/monet…
Allectus only had three years to enjoy being Emperor of the independent province of Britannia. By that stage, things had calmed down in Gaul to the point where an invasion fleet could be launched to reclaim Britannia in the name of Rome. /11
Allectus was no slouch as a general - he had served as a soldier previously - but his legions were no match from the invasion force. They were routed near Silchester and he was killed, his burial site unknown. /12
Sources say that when the invasion force entered Londinium, the crowds greeting them were overjoyed. The same crowds that had cheered Carausius when he had taken the province. Just goes to show, the people *are* very capable of changing their minds, thank you very much! /13
Britannia was once again a province of the Empire, and the legions would remain for more than a century, before withdrawing around 400CE However, there were cracks forming that could not easily be fixed. /14
The mercenaries periodically stationed in the Saxon Shore forts would start to grasp just how desirable the land was in Britain. Elsewhere, relationships between the Britons and the military had to be reestablished, weakening the hold that the legions had in some areas. /15
Now, I’m not saying that the ERG, or Leave dot EU are planning to sever the UK from Europe just to line their own pockets. Nor am I suggesting that Nigel Farage colluded with criminals in order to further his own career. However, it does all sound rather familiar, doesn’t it? /16
If you want to know more about Britannia’s first exit from the Roman Empire, here’s a great radio documentary on the subject from @PRI. /17 pri.org/stories/2016-0…
You can also learn more about Carausius and his time as Emperor here, in this recent @ConversationUK piece. /18
theconversation.com/how-a-third-ce…
theconversation.com/how-a-third-ce…
Thanks for reading, and remember - there’s always a precedent. That’s why we study history. Things don’t turn out the same way every time, but there’s enough commonalities to give even the most skeptical pause. /FIN
