Denarius - Clodius Albinus VICT AVG COS II, Victory

Clodius Albinus held the title of Caesar under Septimius Severus from 193 AD as part of a calculated political arrangement, but by 195 Severus had named his own son Caracalla as heir, effectively ending the alliance. Albinus responded by declaring himself Augustus and crossing from Britain into Gaul with his legions. This coin belongs to that usurpation period, struck at Lugdunum — the mint he controlled — as he built his case for legitimacy against Severus. The two finally met at the Battle of Lugdunum in February 197, the largest Roman civil war engagement since Actium, where Albinus was defeated and killed.