Greetings all,

Today we reflect on the Frankish General and Magister Militum Claudius Silvanus who briefly attempted to usurp Gaul from August 10th to September 7th in 355 AD:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudius_Silvanus   He was a Frankish general in Gaul who had supported the Emperor Constantius II against Magentius in the Battle of Mursa Major, rising to the important rank of Magister Militum.    Constantius II tasked him with forcing the Alemanni tribe back beyond the Rhine which he managed to do, thereby restoring the eroding Roman province. Sadly the corrupt court of Constantius II then convinced the Emperor that Silvanus was plotting against him. The historian Ammianus wrote that  Silvanus discovered the plot against him and proclaimed himself Emperor briefly in self defense. There are no coins to support this as it is recorded the Imperial mint in Trier barred it's gates against him, helping to disrupt the revolt.    -Marcus Cassius Julianus www.byzantiumnovum.org