However, Julian claimed the rank of Augustus in 360, leading to war between the two after Constantius' attempts to persuade Julian to back down failed. The war against the Sasanians, which had been in a lull since 350, erupted with renewed intensity in 359 and Constantius travelled to the east in 360 to restore stability after the loss of several border fortresses. His military campaigns against Germanic tribes were successful: he defeated the Alamanni in 354 and campaigned across the Danube against the Quadi and Sarmatians in 357. Shortly thereafter, in 355, Constantius promoted his last surviving cousin, Gallus' younger half-brother Julian, to the rank of Caesar.Īs emperor, Constantius promoted Arianism, banned pagan sacrifices, and issued laws against Jews. In 351, Constantius elevated his cousin Constantius Gallus to the subordinate rank of Caesar to rule in the east, but had him executed three years later after receiving scathing reports of his violent and corrupt nature. Magnentius committed suicide after the latter battle, leaving Constantius as sole ruler of the empire. Unwilling to accept Magnentius as co-ruler, Constantius waged a civil war against the usurper, defeating him at the battles of Mursa Major in 351 and Mons Seleucus in 353. The two remaining brothers maintained an uneasy peace with each other until, in 350, Constans was overthrown and assassinated by the usurper Magnentius. In the meantime, his brothers Constantine and Constans warred over the western provinces of the empire, leaving the former dead in 340 and the latter as sole ruler of the west. For the following decade a costly and inconclusive war against Persia took most of Constantius's time and attention. The brothers divided the empire among themselves, with Constantius receiving Greece, Thrace, the Asian provinces, and Egypt in the east. He promptly oversaw the massacre of his father-in-law, an uncle, and several cousins, consolidating his hold on power. His religious policies inflamed domestic conflicts that would continue after his death.Ĭonstantius was a son of Constantine the Great, who elevated him to the imperial rank of Caesar on 8 November 324 and after whose death Constantius became Augustus together with his brothers, Constantine II and Constans on 9 September 337.
His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic peoples, while internally the Roman Empire went through repeated civil wars, court intrigues, and usurpations. Kōnstántios 7 August 317 – 3 November 361) was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. Imperator Caesar Flavius Julius Constantius AugustusĬonstantius II ( Latin: Flavius Julius Constantius Greek: Κωνστάντιος, translit.
0 kommentar(er)
