Constantius II
Emperor of the Roman Empire
Constantius II coin, celebrating his 15th year of reign.
Reign	1) Caesar under his father 2) full co-emperor 337 - November 3, 361 with Constans and Constantine II (and in competition with others)
Full name	Flavius Iulius Constantius
Born	7 August 317
	Sirmium
Died	3 November 361
	Tarsus in Cilicia
Predecessor	Constantine I
Successor	Julian
Wife/wives	daughter of Julius Constantius
	Eusebia
	Faustina
Issue	by 3) Faustina Constantia, who later married Gratian
Dynasty	Constantinian
Father	Constantine I
Mother	Fausta

Flavius Iulius Constantius, known in English as Constantius II, (7 August 317 - 3 November 361) was a Roman Emperor (337 - 361) of the Constantinian dynasty. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links Constantius_II_-_solidus_-_antioch_RIC_viii_025. ... Caesar (plural Caesars), Latin: Cæsar (plural Cæsares), is a title of imperial character. ... Bronze statue of Constantine I in York, England, near the spot where he was proclaimed Emperor in 306 For other uses, see Constantine I (disambiguation). ... Events February 6 - Julius is elected pope. ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... Events Emperor Ai succeeds Emperor Mu as emperor of China. ... Bronze coin bearing the profile of Constans Flavius Julius Constans (320 - January 18, 350), was a Roman Emperor who ruled from 337 to 350. ... Constantine II as caesar. ... August 7 is the 219th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (220th in leap years), with 146 days remaining. ... Events Jin Yuan Di succeeds Jin Min Di; end of the western and beginning of the eastern Jin Dynasty King Marian II of Iberia declares Christianity the official state religion Births February _ Constantine II, Roman Emperor Deaths Categories: 317 ... Sremska Mitrovica (Сремска Митровица) is a city located in the Vojvodina province of Serbia and Montenegro at 44. ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... Events Emperor Ai succeeds Emperor Mu as emperor of China. ... Tarsus is a city in present day Turkey, on the mouth of the Tarsus Cay (Cydnus) into the Mediterranean. ... Bronze statue of Constantine I in York, England, near the spot where he was proclaimed Emperor in 306 For other uses, see Constantine I (disambiguation). ... Flavius Claudius Iulianus (331–June 26, 363), was a Roman Emperor (361–363) of the Constantinian dynasty. ... Flavius Julius Constantius (d. ... A coin of Gratian. ... Category: ... Bronze statue of Constantine I in York, England, near the spot where he was proclaimed Emperor in 306 For other uses, see Constantine I (disambiguation). ... Fausta, as Salus, holding her two sons, Constantine II and Constantius II. Fausta Flavia Maxima was the daughter of the Roman Emperor Maximianus. ... August 7 is the 219th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (220th in leap years), with 146 days remaining. ... Events Jin Yuan Di succeeds Jin Min Di; end of the western and beginning of the eastern Jin Dynasty King Marian II of Iberia declares Christianity the official state religion Births February _ Constantine II, Roman Emperor Deaths Categories: 317 ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... Events Emperor Ai succeeds Emperor Mu as emperor of China. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Events February 6 - Julius is elected pope. ... Category: ...

Biography

Rise to power

Constantius was the second of the three sons of Constantine I and his second wife Fausta. Constantius was born in Sirmium (in Illyricum) and named Caesar by his father. He married three times, first to a daughter of Julius Constantius, then to Eusebia, and last to Faustina, who gave birth to a posthumous daughter, Faustina Constantia, who later married Emperor Gratian. Bronze statue of Constantine I in York, England, near the spot where he was proclaimed Emperor in 306 For other uses, see Constantine I (disambiguation). ... Fausta, as Salus, holding her two sons, Constantine II and Constantius II. Fausta Flavia Maxima was the daughter of the Roman Emperor Maximianus. ... Sremska Mitrovica (Сремска Митровица) is a city located in the Vojvodina province of Serbia and Montenegro at 44. ... This article is about an ancient civilization in southeastern Europe; see also Illyria (software), Illyria (character in the TV series Angel). ... Caesar (plural Caesars), Latin: Cæsar (plural Cæsares), is a title of imperial character. ... Flavius Julius Constantius (d. ... A coin of Gratian. ...

When Constantine died in 337, Constantius II led the massacre of his relatives descended from the second marriage of his grandfather Constantius Chlorus and Theodora,^[1] leaving himself, his older brother Constantine II, his younger brother Constans and two cousins (Gallus and his half-brother Julian) as the only surviving males related to Constantine. The three brothers divided the Roman Empire among them, according to their father's will. Constantine II received Britannia, Gaul and Hispania; Constans ruled Italia, Africa, and Illyricum; and Constantius ruled the East. On the reverse of this argenteus struck in Antioch under Constantius Chlorus, the tetrarcs are sacrificing to celebrate a victory against the Sarmatians. ... Flavia Maximiana Theodora (known as Theodora) was the daughter or step-daughter of Maximian. ... Constantine II as caesar. ... Bronze coin bearing the profile of Constans Flavius Julius Constans (320 - January 18, 350), was a Roman Emperor who ruled from 337 to 350. ... Constantius Gallus (? - 354 AD) was a cousin of Roman Emperor Constantius II and became Caesar in 351 A.D. .Gallus set residence in Antioch. ... Flavius Claudius Iulianus (331–June 26, 363), was a Roman Emperor (361–363) of the Constantinian dynasty. ... Principal sites in Roman Britain Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between 43 and 410. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... Roman theater at Mérida; the statues are replicas Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra and Gibraltar) and to two provinces created there in the period of the Roman Republic: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. ... Roman North Africa The Roman Empire ca. ...

Struggles against usurpers and foreign threats

This division changed when Constantine II died in 340, trying to overthrow Constans in Italy, and Constans became sole ruler in the Western half of the empire. The division changed once more in 350 when Constans was killed in battle by forces loyal to the usurper Magnentius. Until this time, Constantius was preoccupied with fighting the Sassanid Empire, and he was forced to elevate his cousin Gallus to Caesar of the East to assist him, while he turned his attention to this usurper. Events Constantine II attacks his brother Constans near Aquileia, aiming for sole control of the western half of the Roman Empire, but is defeated. ... Events January 18 - Magnentius proclaimed Emperor by the army in Autun. ... Usurpers were a common feature of the late Roman Empire, especially from the so-called crisis of the third century onwards, when political instability became the rule. ... Magnentius (ruled AD January 18, 350–August 11, 353), was a Roman usurper. ... The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Empire (Persian: ‎ Sasanian) is the name used for the fourth Iranian dynasty, and the second Persian Empire (226 - 651). ...

Constantius eventually met and crushed Magnentius in the Battle of Mursa Major, one of the bloodiest battles in Roman history, in 351. Magnentius committed suicide in 353, and Constantius soon after put his cousin Gallus to death. However, he still could not handle the military affairs of both the Eastern and German frontiers by himself, so in 355 he elevated his last remaining relative, Julian, to Caesar. The Battle of Mursa Major was fought in 351 between a Roman army led by Constantius II and the forces of the usurper Magnentius. ... Events March 15 - Constantius II elevates his cousin Gallus to Caesar, or assistant emperor, and is put in charge of the Western Roman Empire. ... Events Battle of Mons Seleucus - Constantius II defeats the usurper Magnentius. ... Events November 6 - Julian is promoted to Caesar. ...

On 11 August 355, the magister militum Claudius Silvanus revolted in Gaul. Silvanus had surrendered to Constantius after the battle of Mursa Major. Constantius had made him magister militum in 353/353, with the purpose of blocking the German threats, a feature that Silvanus achieved by bribing the German tribes with the money he had collected. A plot organized by members of Constantius' court led the emperor to recall Silvanus. After Silvanus revolted, he received a letter by Constantius that recalled him to Milan, but which made no reference to the revolt. Ursicinus, who should have replaced Silvanus, bribed some troops, and Silvanus was killed. August 11 is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Magister militum (Latin for Master of the Soldiers) was a top-level command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. ... Claudius Silvanus (died 7 September 355) was a Roman general of Frankish descent who became Roman Emperor (recognized only in Gaul) for 28 days in 355. ... The Battle of Mursa Major was fought in 351 between a Roman army led by Constantius II and the forces of the usurper Magnentius. ... Ursicinus was the master of cavalry (magister equitum) in the Eastern Roman Empire 349-359. ...

Arbitio was the main general (magister militum) of Constantius. He was given a consulship in 355.

Death and succession

As Julian was hailed Augustus by the army in Gaul, in 361, Constantius saw no alternative but to face the usurper with violent force. As the two armies sought engagement, Constantius died from a fever near Tarsus on November 3, 361, and Julian was proclaimed Augustus throughout the Roman Empire. Tarsus is a city in present day Turkey, on the mouth of the Tarsus Cay (Cydnus) into the Mediterranean. ...

Religious issues

Constantius was pro-Arian in his leanings and took an active part in the affairs of the Christian church — convening one council at Rimini and its twin at Seleuca, which met in 359 and 360. "Unfortunately for his memory the theologians whose advice he took were ultimately discredited and the malcontents whom he pressed to conform emerged victorious," writes the historian A.H.M. Jones. " The great councils of 359-60 are therefore not reckoned oecumenical in the tradition of the church, and Constantius II is not remembered as a restorer of unity, but as a heretic who arbitrarily imposed his will on the church."^[2] Arian may refer to one of the following. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... The Council of Rimini (also called the Council of Ariminum) was a Christian church council that took place in Rimini (Latin name, Ariminum) in July 359, and was concerned with the problem of Arianism. ... Silifke (Selefke) is a town in south-central Adana Province, Turkey, on the banks of the (Göksu) River near the Taurus Mountains, geographically located at 36°22′N 33°56′E. // Economy Silifke is a successful industrial town, producing beverages, chemicals, clothes, footwear, glass, plastics, pottery, and textiles. ... Events Battle of Amida: Shapur II of Persia conquers Amida from the Romans. ... For other uses, see number 360. ... Arnold Hugh Martin (A.H.M.) Jones (1904-1970) was a prominent 20th century historian of classical antiquity, particularly of the later Roman Empire. ... Separate articles treat Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Orthodox Judaism. ... This article is about theological views like those of Arius. ...

Jones also notes that Constantius "appears in the pages of Ammianus as a conscientious emperor but a vain and stupid man, an easy prey to flatterers. He was timid and suspicious, and interested persons could easily play on his fears for their own advantage."^[3] Ammianus Marcellinus (325/330-after 391) was a Roman historian who wrote during Late Antiquity. ...

Anti-Jewish persecution

The laws of Constantius (October 18, 315, and August 13, 339) forbid intermarriage between Jewish men and Christian women. A generation later, in 388, all marriages between Jews and Christians were forbidden. Constantius also did away with the right of Jews to possess slaves. This prohibition to trade in and to keep slaves at a time when slave labor was common was not merely an attempt to arrest conversion to Judaism; it was also a blow at the economic life of the Jew. It put Jews at a disadvantage with Christian competitors with whom this economic privilege was assured.^[4] The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ...

Notes

1. ^ X. Lucien-Brun, "Constance II et le massacre des princes," Bulletin de l'Association Guillaume Budé ser. 4 (1973): 585-602; Joe W. Leedom, "Constantius II: Three Revisions," Byzantion 48 (1978): 132-145, and Michael DiMaio and Duane Arnold, "Per Vim, Per Caedem, Per Bellum: A Study of Murder and Ecclesiastical Politics in the Year 337 A.D," Byzantion, 62(1992), 158ff. Cited in DiMaio and Frakes.
2. ^ A.H.M. Jones, The Later Roman Empire, 284-602: a Social, Economic and Administrative Survey (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University, 1986), p. 118.
3. ^ Jones, Later Roman Empire, p. 116.
4. ^ Jacob R. Marcus, The Jew in the Medieval World: A Source Book: 315-1791, Atheneum, 1938, p. 4.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Constantius II

• DiMaio, Michael, and Robert Frakes, "Constantius II," De Imperatoribus Romanis site.