Dux Belgicae secundae

The Dux Belgicae secundae (literally "commander of the second Belgic province") was a senior officer in the late Roman army of the West, Supreme Commander of the limitanei and a naval squadron to the so-called Saxon Shore in Gaul.

A known Dux was the Frankish king Childeric I. (late 5th century).

Definition
The Office was probably established around 395 AD. At the imperial court the Dux counted to the highest ranking class of viri spectabiles. In the Notitia Dignitatum be for the Gallic part of the Litus saxonicum two high command units and units for securing the coasts of Flanders (Belgica II), of Normandy (province Lugdunensis II) and of Brittany (province Lugdunensis III) enumerated in the above Commander and the adjacent tract Dux Armoricani et Nervicani. These two section commanders were probably the successors of a public official, who formerly held the command over both the British and on the Gallic part of the Saxon Shore (Comes maritimi). Their coastal defense was maintained up to the mid-5th Century.

Forts, officers and units
Notitia Dignitatum - Dux Belgicae secundae.jpg: The fortress cities Quartensis, Portuae Patiaci and the forts on Litus saxonicum (symbolically represented as a fort) under the command of the Dux Belgicae secundae.

Text: XXXVIII. Dux Belgicae secundae. Sub dispositione viri spectabilis ducis Balgicae secundae : Equites Dalmatae, Marcis in litore Saxonico. Praefectus classis Sambricae, in loco Quartensi siue Hornensi. Tribunus militum Neruiorum, Portu Epatiaci. Officium autem habet idem uir spectabilis dux hoc modo : Principem xe eodem corpore. Numerarium. Commentariensem. Adiutorem. Subadiuuam. Regrendarium. Exceptores. Singulares et reliquos officiales ]] In addition to administrative staff (officium) were still eight tribunes / prefects and their units available to this Dux (sub dispositione):
 * Equites Dalmatae (no officer stated).
 * Praefectus classis Sambricae, commander of a flotilla of patrol ships (Navis lusoria), the fourth since the Century on the Somme was stationed. Their bases were in locus Quartensis or Vicus ad Quantiam (Port d'Etaples, France, north of the Somme estuary) and locus Hornensis (possibly Cap Hornu, Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, France).

Tribunus militum Nerviorum, a prefect for Sarmatian settlers: Praefectus Sarmatarum gentilium, inter Renos et Tambianos secundae provinciae Belgicae, and four prefects, that commanded the contingents of Germanic Laeti: Their shield emblems are not shown in the Notitia, however.
 * Praefectus laetorum Nerviorum in Fanomantis (modern Famars, Picardie, France),
 * Praefectus laetorum Batavorum Nemetacensium in Atrabatis (modern Arras, Pas de Calais, France),
 * Praefectus laetorum Batavorum Contraginnensium in Noviomago and a
 * Praefectus laetorum gentilium in Remo et Silvanectas.

The Dux had in earlier times, however, more units, that have united under his command. Arnold Hugh Martin Jones identified the origin of, inter alia, units from the Gallic army. They originally came also from the Belgica II and their names are the same as the well-known cities of this province: Unlike vexillations of other Duces, these units are no longer additionally as under the command of the Dux Belgicae II indicated standing. It seems that this province after the destruction of the border units on the Rhine (Rhine crossing of 406 had to relinquish AD), one of the first many of their units to the field army.
 * Geminiacenses, a legio comitatenses from Geminiacum (modern Liberchies, Hainaut, Belgium),
 * Cotoriacenses, a legio comitatenses from Cotoriacum,
 * Prima Flavia (Prima Flavia Metis), a pseudocomitatenses from Metis.

Literature

 * Arnold Hugh Martin Jones : The Later Roman Empire, 284-602. A Social, Economic and Administrative Survey. 2 vols. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1986, ISBN 0-8018-3285-3 (paperback edition).
 * Heinrich Beck and others (eds): Lexicon of Germanic archeology . Volume 18 de Gruyter, Berlin-New York 2001, ISBN 3-11-016950-9, p 524
 * Dieter Geuenich (ed.): The Franks and the Alemanni to the "Battle of Zuelpich" (496/97) . Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-11-015826-4, page 97