Bagaudae

The name for groups of insurgents in the Later Roman Empire, particularly Gaul. They came to the attention of the authorities in 284, and were crushed by 286 under the Caesar Maximian, working for the Augustus Diocletian. Their leaders are given as Amandus and Aelianus. There has been some speculation that theirs was a Christian revolt, but the sparsity of information in the texts gives this little substance, although there may well have been Christians among them.