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Julian (331-363), also known as Julian the Apostate, was a member of the Constantinian Dynasty and cousin to Emperor Constantius II. Emperor Constantius II made him Caesar of the western provinces in 355 while he was busy fighting the Sassanid Empire in the east, entrusting Julian against the Alamanni and Franks.<br/><br/> Julian was proclaimed emperor by his soldiers in 360, and Constantius II died in 361 while marching to face him. Constantius claimed Julian as his rightful successor on his deathbed however. Unlike his recent predecessors, Julian was not a Christian and did not possess any Christian sympathies, returning to the traditional religious practices of Rome to the detriment of Christianity and Judaism, resulting in him being named 'Julian the Apostate'.<br/><br/> Julian died in 363 during his ambitious campaign against the Sassanid Empire, after he was mortally wounded in battle. He became the last non-Christian ruler of the Roman Empire, and the last of the Constantinian Dynasty.
Italy: Julian the Apostate (331-363), 63rd Roman emperor, from the book <i>Icones imperatorvm romanorvm</i> (Icons of Roman Emperors), Antwerp, c. 1645. Julian was a member of the Constantinian Dynasty and cousin to Emperor Constantius II. Emperor Constantius II made him Caesar of the western provinces in 355 while he was busy fighting the Sassanid Empire in the east, entrusting Julian against the Alamanni and Franks. Julian was proclaimed emperor by his soldiers in 360.
Didius Julianus (133/137-193 CE) was raised by Domitia Lucilla, the mother of emperor Marcus Aurelius, and was groomed for public office and distinction. He served in the Roman army, and was raised to consulship alongside Pertinax in 175 CE for his successes against the Germanic tribes.<br/><br/> After the Praetorian Guard murdered Pertinax in March 193 CE, they put the imperial throne up for bidding, willing to sell it to whomever could pay the most. Julianus won the bidding war, and was declared as Caesar and emperor, with the Senate formalising the declaration under military threat. His controversial ascension immediately invoked widespread public anger and caused a civil war in protest, with multiple rival claimants to the throne rising up, causing the year to be known as the Year of the Five Emperors.<br/><br/> The Praetorian Guard had become an undisciplined and debauched lot by then, strangers to active military operations, and could not halt rival Septimius Severus' progress towards Rome, who was declared by all Italy as their rightful emperor. Eventually, Julianus was deserted by practically everyone of import, and he was executed after only nine weeks of rule.
Valens (328-378) was the brother of Valentinian, and lived in his brother's shadow for many years. When his brother was appointed emperor in 364 CE, he chose Valens to serve as co-emperor, obtaining the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. Valens made Constantinople his capital.<br/><br/> Valens was soon presented with a usurper named Procopius in 365, a surviving relative of Emperor Julian who proclaimed himself emperor in Constantinople while Valens was away. He managed to defeat Procopius in the spring of 366, executing the usurper. He then warred against the revolting Goths, before heading back east to face the Sassanid Empire. A resurgent Gothic presence, alongside Huns and Alans, led to the commencement of the Gothic War, after an attempted resettlement of Goths had resulted in them revolting in 377.<br/><br/> Rather than wait for his nephew and co-emperor Gratian to arrive with reinforcements as advised by many, Valens marched out on his own. Valens was struck down during the decisive but avoidable Battle of Adrianople. He was known by some as the 'Last True Roman', and the battle that resulted in his death was considered the beginning of the collapse of the decaying Western Roman Empire.
Julian (331-363), also known as Julian the Apostate, was a member of the Constantinian Dynasty and cousin to Emperor Constantius II. Emperor Constantius II made him Caesar of the western provinces in 355 CE while he was busy fighting the Sassanid Empire in the east, entrusting Julian against the Alamanni and Franks.<br/><br/> Julian was proclaimed emperor by his soldiers in 360 CE, and Constantius II died in 361 CE while marching to face him. Constantius claimed Julian as his rightful successor on his deathbed however. Unlike his recent predecessors, Julian was not a Christian or did not possess any Christian sympathies, returning the traditional religious practices of Rome to the detriment of Christianity and Judaism, resulting in him being named Julian the Apostate.<br/><br/> Julian died in 363 CE during his ambitious campaign against the Sassanid Empire, after he was mortally wounded in battle. He became the last non-Christian ruler of the Roman Empire, and the last of the Constantinian Dynasty.
Didius Julianus (133/137-193 CE) was raised by Domitia Lucilla, the mother of emperor Marcus Aurelius, and was groomed for public office and distinction. He served in the Roman army, and was raised to consulship alongside Pertinax in 175 CE for his successes against the Germanic tribes.<br/><br/> After the Praetorian Guard murdered Pertinax in March 193 CE, they put the imperial throne up for bidding, willing to sell it to whomever could pay the most. Julianus won the bidding war, and was declared as Caesar and emperor, with the Senate formalising the declaration under military threat. His controversial ascension immediately invoked widespread public anger and caused a civil war in protest, with multiple rival claimants to the throne rising up, causing the year to be known as the Year of the Five Emperors.<br/><br/> The Praetorian Guard had become an undisciplined and debauched lot by then, strangers to active military operations, and could not halt rival Septimius Severus' progress towards Rome, who was declared by all Italy as their rightful emperor. Eventually, Julianus was deserted by practically everyone of import, and he was executed after only nine weeks of rule.
Didius Julianus (133/137-193) was raised by Domitia Lucilla, the mother of emperor Marcus Aurelius, and was groomed for public office and distinction. He served in the Roman army, and was raised to consulship alongside Pertinax in 175 CE for his successes against the Germanic tribes.<br/><br/> After the Praetorian Guard murdered Pertinax in March 193, they put the imperial throne up for bidding, willing to sell it to whomever could pay the most. Julianus won the bidding war, and was declared as Caesar and emperor, with the Senate formalising the declaration under military threat. His controversial ascension immediately invoked widespread public anger and caused a civil war in protest, with multiple rival claimants to the throne rising up, causing the year to be known as the Year of the Five Emperors.<br/><br/> The Praetorian Guard had become an undisciplined and debauched lot by then, strangers to active military operations, and could not halt rival Septimius Severus' progress towards Rome, who was declared by all Italy as their rightful emperor. Eventually, Julianus was deserted by practically everyone of import, and he was executed after only nine weeks of rule.
Didius Julianus (133/137-193 CE) was raised by Domitia Lucilla, the mother of emperor Marcus Aurelius, and was groomed for public office and distinction. He served in the Roman army, and was raised to consulship alongside Pertinax in 175 CE for his successes against the Germanic tribes.<br/><br/> After the Praetorian Guard murdered Pertinax in March 193 CE, they put the imperial throne up for bidding, willing to sell it to whomever could pay the most. Julianus won the bidding war, and was declared as Caesar and emperor, with the Senate formalising the declaration under military threat. His controversial ascension immediately invoked widespread public anger and caused a civil war in protest, with multiple rival claimants to the throne rising up, causing the year to be known as the Year of the Five Emperors.<br/><br/> The Praetorian Guard had become an undisciplined and debauched lot by then, strangers to active military operations, and could not halt rival Septimius Severus' progress towards Rome, who was declared by all Italy as their rightful emperor. Eventually, Julianus was deserted by practically everyone of import, and he was executed after only nine weeks of rule.