Paulus Catena

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Paulus (d. 362) was the name of an imperial notary, or senior civil servant, whose cruelty was infamous throughout the Roman and medieval world. He was despatched to Roman Britain by the Emperor Constantius II to control subversive elements in 353. So harsh were his measures that he earned the nickname Catena meaning 'The Chain'. His acts in Britain are recorded in Ammianus XIV v. 6-9.

His brief in Britain was to hunt down known supporters of the recently-defeated usurper Magnentius in the army garrisons in Britain. Once arrived however, he widened his remit and began arresting other figures, often on apparently trumped-up charges and without evidence.

Constantius appears to have tacitly approved of the purges initiated by Paulus and no effort was made to rein in his campaign of arrest, conviction and punishment of leading figures in the Romano-British administration. The rebel Magnentius had counted on British support for the previous three and a half years and it is likely that few in positions of power in the province could have convincingly argued that they had not sided with the usurper. Similar witch hunts were taking place in Gaul at this time for the same reasons.

Paulus' methods were so extreme and the injustices he committed so great however that eventually the vicarius of Britain, Flavius Martinus, although a loyal supporter of Constantius, felt obliged to end them. He tried to persuade Paulus to release the innocent prisoners he had taken using the threat of his own resignation as leverage. Paulus refused however and turned on Martinus, falsely accusing him and other senior officers in Britain of treason.

In desperation, Martinus attacked Paulus with a sword, the attack failed however and the vicarius committed suicide. Paulus' ruthless destruction of so much of the Romano-British ruling class may be one of the reasons for the eventual breakdown of Roman rule in the province over the succeeding decades.

The emperor then sent him to Egypt with the excuse that the consultations to and responses from the oracle of Besa had displeased him. Paulus set up a kangaroo court and with near full imperial power delegated to him, he began summarily passing judgement on suspected traitors.

His convictions were numerous and his punishments and methods of torture cruel. He summoned cartloads of shackled prisoners from all over the eastern empire. Some had their property confiscated and were exiled, while others were placed on racks and turned on wheels before being mutilated and executed.

Paulus was burnt alive for his crimes under Constantius later successor, Julian, around 362.