Valentinian II
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| Valentinian II | ||
|---|---|---|
| Emperor of the Western Roman Empire | ||
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| A solidus minted by Valentinian II. On the reverse, both Valentinian and Theodosius I are celebrated as victorious. | ||
| Reign | 375 - May 15, 392 | |
| Full name | Flavius Valentinianus | |
| Born | 371 | |
| Died | May 15, 392 | |
| Vienne | ||
| Predecessor | Valentinian I | |
| Successor | Theodosius I | |
| Dynasty | Valentinian | |
| Father | Valentinian I | |
| Mother | Justina | |
Valentinian II (371 - 392) was a Western Roman Emperor (375-392).
[edit] Life
Valentinian (Flavius Valentinianus) and his family lived in Milan. He was elevated to the imperial dignity at the age of four and the empire was nominally divided between him and his half brother Gratian. Gratian took the trans-alpine provinces, while Italy, Illyricum in part, and Africa were to be under the rule of Valentinian, or rather of his mother, Justina. Justina was an Arian, and the imperial court at Milan struggled against the Catholics of that city, led by their bishop Ambrose. The popularity of Ambrose was so great that the emperors' authority was materially shaken.
Magnus Maximus, commander of the armies in Britain, declared himself emperor of the western empire on Gratian's death in 383, and in 387 crossed the Alps into the valley of the Po and threatened Milan. The emperor Valentinian II and his mother fled to Theodosius I, the Eastern Roman Emperor and Valentinian's brother in law. Valentinian was restored in 388 by Theodosius, following the death of Magnus Maximus.
[edit] Death
On May 15, 392, Valentinian was found hanged in his residence in the town of Vienne in Gaul. The Frankish soldier Arbogast, Valentinian's protector and magister militum, maintained that it was suicide. Arbogast and Valentinian had frequently disputed rulership over the Western Roman Empire, and Valentinian was also noted to have complained of Arbogast's control over him to Theodosius. Thus when word of his death reached Constantinople Theodosius believed, or at least suspected, that Arbogast was lying and that he had engineered Valentinian's demise. These suspicions were further fueled by Arbogast's elevation of a Eugenius, pagan official to the position of Western Emperor, and the veiled accusations which Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, spoke during his funeral oration for Valentinian.
Valentinian II's death sparked a civil war between Eugenius and Theodosius over the rulership of the west in the Battle of the Frigidus. The resultant eastern victory there led to the final brief unification of the Roman Empire under Theodosius, and the ultimate irreparable division of the empire after his death.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Valentinian I and Valens |
Roman Emperor 371–392 with Valens, Gratian and Theodosius I |
Succeeded by Theodosius I |
