BattlefieldsMagnus Maximus — Southeast Troop Withdrawal 383 AD
Roman Period

Magnus Maximus — Southeast Troop Withdrawal 383 AD

383
Kent, England
Also known as: Maximus strips SE garrisons 383 · Magnus Maximus departs Britain via southeast
Era
Roman Period
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Kent, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Loyalist units remaining in southeast Britain
Forces
loyalist units c. 500–1,500.
VS
Victor
Magnus Maximus
Forces
Magnus Maximus withdrawing force c. 2,000–4,000
Outcome
Southeast Britain stripped of field army units; Richborough used as embarkation point
The Battle

History & Significance

When Magnus Maximus crossed to Gaul in 383 to seize the western empire, his forces embarked from the southeast — Richborough was the primary port of departure for Continental crossings. The withdrawal of field army units from the Saxon Shore forts of Kent, Sussex and Hampshire left these defences seriously undermanned. The Lympne, Pevensey and Portchester forts thereafter relied on static garrison units rather than mobile limitanei.

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