Valentia was the name of a consular northern province of Roman Britain.
Count Theodosius set up Valentia in 369 AD as part of his reorganisation of Britain following the Great Conspiracy, and probably named it after the reigning emperors, Valentinian and Valens.
Its exact location remains uncertain. The name's closeness to the Latin word for wall (valens) has led to the suggestion that it straddled Hadrian's Wall. This seems unlikely however, as archaeological evidence shows that the wall functioned as the border between Roman and barbarian Britain at the time. The remaining options for locating Valentia are northern England or north Wales. The latter was unlikely to have been of sufficient importance to warrant a governor of consular rank, and most historians consider Valentia to have been created from Britannia Secunda with its capital at Carlisle.
Last updated: 05-13-2005 12:35:23