Julius Constantius
Encyclopedia
Julius Constantius was a politician of the Roman Empire and a member of the Constantinian dynasty
, being a son of emperor Constantius Chlorus
and his second wife Flavia Maximiana Theodora
, a younger half-brother of emperor Constantine I
and the father of emperor Julian.
and his wife Theodora
, adoptive daughter of emperor Maximian
. He had two brothers, Dalmatius
and Hannibalianus
, and three sisters, Constantia
, Anastasia
and Eutropia
. Emperor Constantine I
was his half-brother, as he was the son of Constantius and Helena. Despite this illustrious kinship Julius Constantius was never himself emperor or co-emperor; Constantine, however, gave him the title of Patricius.
Julius Constantius was married twice. With his first wife, Galla
, sister of the later consuls Vulcacius Rufinus
and Neratius Cerealis
, he had two sons and a daughter. His eldest son, whose name is not recorded, was murdered in 337 together with his father. His second son Constantius Gallus
, was appointed Caesar by his cousin Constantius II
. His daughter
was the first wife of Constantius II. It has been proposed that Galla and Julius had another daughter, born between 324 and 331 and married to Justus, mother of Justina, whose daughter, wife of emperor Theodosius I
, was called Galla.
After the death of his first wife, Julius Constantius married a Greek woman Basilina
, the daughter of the governor of Egypt Julius Julianus
. Basilina gave him another son, the future emperor Julian the Apostate
, but died before her husband, in 332/333. Nothing is known about other marriages of Julius Constantius, but since the sources about him are rather poor, other marriages are of course not excluded.
Allegedly at the instigation of his stepmother Helena, Julius Constantius did not live initially at the court of his half brother, but together with Dalmatius and Hannibalianus in Tolosa
, in Etruria
, the birthplace of his son Gallus, and in Corinth
. Finally, he was called in Constantinople, and was able to build a good relationship with Constantine.
Constantine favoured his half brother appointing him patricius and Consul for the year 335, together with Gaius Caeionius Rufius Albinus.
However, in 337, after the death of Constantine, several male members of the Constantinian dynasty were killed, among them Constantius (whose property was confiscated) and his eldest son; his two younger sons however survived, because in 337 they were still children, and later were elevated to the rank of co-emperor and the emperor.
Constantinian dynasty
The Constantinian dynasty is an informal name for the ruling family of the Roman Empire from Constantius Chlorus to the death of Julian in 363. It is named after its most famous member, Constantine the Great who became the sole ruler of the empire in 324...
, being a son of emperor Constantius Chlorus
Constantius Chlorus
Constantius I , commonly known as Constantius Chlorus, was Roman Emperor from 293 to 306. He was the father of Constantine the Great and founder of the Constantinian dynasty. As Caesar he defeated the usurper Allectus in Britain and campaigned extensively along the Rhine frontier, defeating the...
and his second wife Flavia Maximiana Theodora
Flavia Maximiana Theodora
Flavia Maximiana Theodora was the stepdaughter of Maximian. Her parents were Flavius Afranius Hannibalianus and wife, divorced before 283, Eutropia, later wife of Maximian. Theodora's father was consul in 292, and praetorian prefect under Diocletian...
, a younger half-brother of emperor Constantine I
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
and the father of emperor Julian.
Biography
Julius Constantius was born after 289, the son of Constantius ChlorusConstantius Chlorus
Constantius I , commonly known as Constantius Chlorus, was Roman Emperor from 293 to 306. He was the father of Constantine the Great and founder of the Constantinian dynasty. As Caesar he defeated the usurper Allectus in Britain and campaigned extensively along the Rhine frontier, defeating the...
and his wife Theodora
Flavia Maximiana Theodora
Flavia Maximiana Theodora was the stepdaughter of Maximian. Her parents were Flavius Afranius Hannibalianus and wife, divorced before 283, Eutropia, later wife of Maximian. Theodora's father was consul in 292, and praetorian prefect under Diocletian...
, adoptive daughter of emperor Maximian
Maximian
Maximian was Roman Emperor from 286 to 305. He was Caesar from 285 to 286, then Augustus from 286 to 305. He shared the latter title with his co-emperor and superior, Diocletian, whose political brain complemented Maximian's military brawn. Maximian established his residence at Trier but spent...
. He had two brothers, Dalmatius
Flavius Dalmatius
Flavius Dalmatius , also known as Dalmatius the Censor, was a censor , and a member of the Constantinian dynasty, which ruled over the Roman Empire at the beginning of the 4th century....
and Hannibalianus
Hannibalianus
Flavius Hannibalianus was a member of the Constantinian dynasty, which ruled over the Roman Empire in the 4th century.Hannibalianus was the son of Flavius Dalmatius, and thus nephew of Constantine I...
, and three sisters, Constantia
Flavia Julia Constantia
Flavia Julia Constantia was the daughter of the Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus and his second wife, Flavia Maximiana Theodora....
, Anastasia
Anastasia (4th century)
Anastasia was the daughter of Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus and Flavia Maximiana Theodora, and half sister of Emperor Constantine I. He proposed marrying her to form an alliance with Bassianus; however, Bassianus was found to be plotting against Constantine and the marriage was called off....
and Eutropia
Eutropia (princess)
Eutropia was the daughter of Emperor Constantius Chlorus and of Flavia Maximiana Theodora, and therefore half-sister of Emperor Constantine I.- Biography :...
. Emperor Constantine I
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
was his half-brother, as he was the son of Constantius and Helena. Despite this illustrious kinship Julius Constantius was never himself emperor or co-emperor; Constantine, however, gave him the title of Patricius.
Julius Constantius was married twice. With his first wife, Galla
Galla (wife of Julius Constantius)
Galla was a member of the Constantinian dynasty that ruled on the Roman Empire.- Biography :Galla was the sister of the consul Neratius Cerealis and of the praetorian prefect Vulcacius Rufinus....
, sister of the later consuls Vulcacius Rufinus
Vulcacius Rufinus
Vulcacius Rufinus was a Roman politician, related to the Constantinian dynasty.- Biography :A pagan, Rufinus was the brother of Neratius Cerealis, of Galla , and of the mother, of unknown name, of Maximus...
and Neratius Cerealis
Neratius Cerealis
Neratius or Naeratius Cerealis was a Roman senator and politician, Praefectus urbi and Consul.- Biography :He was the brother of Galla, wife of Julius Constantius, and half-brother of Vulcacius Rufinus, and probably had a son named Neratius Scopius...
, he had two sons and a daughter. His eldest son, whose name is not recorded, was murdered in 337 together with his father. His second son Constantius Gallus
Constantius Gallus
Flavius Claudius Constantius Gallus , commonly known as Constantius Gallus, was a member of the Constantinian dynasty and Caesar of the Roman Empire . Gallus was consul three years, from 352 to 354.- Family :...
, was appointed Caesar by his cousin Constantius II
Constantius II
Constantius II , was Roman Emperor from 337 to 361. The second son of Constantine I and Fausta, he ascended to the throne with his brothers Constantine II and Constans upon their father's death....
. His daughter
Daughter of Julius Constantius
-Family :She is mentioned in the "Letter To The Senate And People of Athens" by Julian the Apostate to have been a sister of Constantius Gallus. When mentioning the execution of Gallus by orders of Constantius II, Julian lists the several ways the two men were related...
was the first wife of Constantius II. It has been proposed that Galla and Julius had another daughter, born between 324 and 331 and married to Justus, mother of Justina, whose daughter, wife of emperor Theodosius I
Theodosius I
Theodosius I , also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Theodosius was the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. During his reign, the Goths secured control of Illyricum after the Gothic War, establishing their homeland...
, was called Galla.
After the death of his first wife, Julius Constantius married a Greek woman Basilina
Basilina
Basilina was the wife of Julius Constantius and the mother of Roman Emperor Julian, who in her honour gave the name Basilinopolis to a city in Bithynia .- Biography :...
, the daughter of the governor of Egypt Julius Julianus
Julius Julianus
Julius Julianus was a politician of the Roman Empire, related to the Constantinian dynasty.- Life :He served Licinius as praetorian prefect from at least spring 315 to September 324, until Constantine I definitively defeated Licinius...
. Basilina gave him another son, the future emperor Julian the Apostate
Julian the Apostate
Julian "the Apostate" , commonly known as Julian, or also Julian the Philosopher, was Roman Emperor from 361 to 363 and a noted philosopher and Greek writer....
, but died before her husband, in 332/333. Nothing is known about other marriages of Julius Constantius, but since the sources about him are rather poor, other marriages are of course not excluded.
Allegedly at the instigation of his stepmother Helena, Julius Constantius did not live initially at the court of his half brother, but together with Dalmatius and Hannibalianus in Tolosa
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, in Etruria
Etruria
Etruria—usually referred to in Greek and Latin source texts as Tyrrhenia—was a region of Central Italy, an area that covered part of what now are Tuscany, Latium, Emilia-Romagna, and Umbria. A particularly noteworthy work dealing with Etruscan locations is D. H...
, the birthplace of his son Gallus, and in Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
. Finally, he was called in Constantinople, and was able to build a good relationship with Constantine.
Constantine favoured his half brother appointing him patricius and Consul for the year 335, together with Gaius Caeionius Rufius Albinus.
However, in 337, after the death of Constantine, several male members of the Constantinian dynasty were killed, among them Constantius (whose property was confiscated) and his eldest son; his two younger sons however survived, because in 337 they were still children, and later were elevated to the rank of co-emperor and the emperor.