Flavius Victor, son of Magnus Maximus and his wife (Helena?), was born before his father's claim to the purple in A.D. 383. Magnus Maximus, who lacked Flavius as a praenomen, seems to have risen from the lower classes. However, by the time Victor was born, Maximus was a high-ranking general in the Western Roman army, hence the name "Flavius" Victor for his son. The precise date of Victor's elevation to Augustus by his father is unknown, but it is likely that Maximus elevated his son in 387, as most of Victor's coins were manufactured in Italy, and he is not mentioned in any imperial capacity from 383 to early 387. It is also likely that Maximus left his son in Trier with the generals Nanninus and Quintinus, along with a small contingent of crack troops from the Ioviani legion, to ensure that his flank was shored up and an imperial presence was left on the volatile Rhine frontier. This decision proved to be a smart move, as around the time of Maximus's defeat by Theodosius I at the Battle of the Sava River in late 388, the Franks, under a warlord named Marcomer, began a series of raids on the northern Rhine frontier. Roman forces were able to kill a number of the raiders before they crossed the Rhine, but the Roman forces endured heavy casualties after they tried to pursue the Franks across the river. After Maximus's death in August of 388, an army led by Theodosius's general, Arborgast, arrived at Trier. The city surrendered without a fight, and Flavius Victor was subsequently strangled to death. Victor was the last Roman emperor to base his headquarters at Trier. Flavius Victor, 387-388. AR-Siliqua, Aquileia; 1.2 g. Draped bust to the right with a pearl diadem//Victoria walking to the left with a wreath and palm branch. Paolucci/Zub 802; RIC 53 b. Fine toning, small scratches very fine.
