Great Conspiracy in Roman Britain

The Great Conspiracy struck Roman Britain in 367 when several groups attacked or raided the province while Roman military command was disrupted. Ancient sources refer to Picts, Scots, Attacotti and Saxons, though the exact coordination and scale remain debated.

The crisis exposed weaknesses in the province’s frontier and coastal systems. The general Theodosius, father of the future emperor Theodosius I, was sent to restore order and reorganise Britain. The recovery included the creation or restoration of the province called Valentia.

Eagle and the Flame begins in this crisis, with Hadrian’s Wall and the surrounding province suddenly falling into confusion. For fiction, the Great Conspiracy offers missing units, civilian flight, treachery, intelligence failure and the problem of rebuilding authority after a frontier collapse.