ebook img

STUDIES IN THE LIVES OF THE SONS OF CONSTANTINE by EDWARD GEORGE WILSON BA PDF

357 Pages·2009·17.56 MB·English
by  
Save to my drive
Quick download
Download
Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.

Preview STUDIES IN THE LIVES OF THE SONS OF CONSTANTINE by EDWARD GEORGE WILSON BA

STUDIES IN THE LIVES OF THE SONS OF CONSTANTINE by EDWARD GEORGE WILSON B.A., University of V i c t o r i a , 1965 M.A., University of B r i t i s h Columbia, 1968 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY i n THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Department of Clas s i c s ) We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA A p r i l 1 9 7 7 Edward George Wilson, 1 9 7 7 In presenting th i s thesis i n p a r t i a l f u l f i l m e n t of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of B r i t i s h Columbia, I agree that the Library s h a l l make i t f r e e l y a v a i l a b l e for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of t h i s thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or by his representatives. It i s understood that copying or pu b l i c a t i o n of this thesis for f i n a n c i a l gain s h a l l not be allowed without my written permission. Department of Cl a s s i c s The University of B r i t i s h Columbia 2075 Wesbrook Place Vancouver, B r i t i s h Columbia Dominion of Canada V6T 1W5 Research Supervisors: J . A. S. Evans and M. F. McGregor ABSTRACT The reigns of the emperor Constantine the Great and of h i s nephew J u l i a n the Apostate have fascinated scholars from the fourth century to the present day. Some have seen i n Constantine the founder of the Middle Ages and i n J u l i a n the l a s t flowering of the pagan world. However, the eighteen years that passed between the death of Constantine in 337 and the proclamation of J u l i a n as Caesar i n 355 have received very l i t t l e attention because of the paucity of the sources for t h i s period. Only 0. Seeck, i n h is monumental Gesckichte des Untevgang dev antiken Welt (Stuttgart 1922), and G. G i g l i , i n h i s notes e n t i t l e d La dinastia dei seeondi Flavii: Costantino II, Costante, Costanzo II (337-361) (Rome 1959), have attempted a de t a i l e d analysis of t h i s period, but Seeck's volume, though s t i l l e s s e n t i a l , has been rendered somewhat dated by recent numismatic and prosopographical studies while G i g l i ' s , which i s f ar l e s s thorough, emphasizes the r e l i g i o u s problems of the age at the expense of the p o l i t i c a l . The task undertaken i n t h i s study i s to determine the workings of the court during the period f or which source-material i s poorest (i.e., 337-353) and to show how the government ruled with an iro n hand by Constantine I degenerated into the weak administration of Constantius II as revealed i n the f i r s t surviving books of Ammianus Marcellinus. Because the period under consideration i s poorly documented i n i v the l i t e r a r y sources, thorough use has been made of the epigraphical, numismatic, and l e g a l sources. The study of the p o l i c i e s and pract i c e s of the sons of Constantine i s aided to a great extent by an examination of the careers of both th e i r appointees and th e i r opponents. At times the p o l i t i c s of the period are r e f l e c t e d i n the contemporary r e l i g i o u s disputes, e s p e c i a l l y i n the struggle of Athanasius to overcome the Arian heresy. In other cases the workings of the government can be discerned i n the careers of prominent bureaucrats, e s p e c i a l l y the grand chamber- l a i n Eusebius and the praetorian prefects Ablabius, Fla v i u s Philippus, and Fabius Ti t i a n u s . These chapters encompass the t r a i n i n g of the sons (including Crispus, Constantine I I , Constantius I I , and Constans), the massacre of t h e i r r e l a t i v e s upon the death of th e i r father, the dispute between Constantine II and Constans, the j o i n t reign of Constantius II and Constans, the overthrow of Constans by Magnentius, and the recovery of the West by Constantius I I . The main conclusion reached i s that the characters and reigns of the sons of Constantine were determined for the most part not by heredity, nor by the ins t r u c t i o n s of t h e i r father, but by th e i r teachers during t h e i r youth and by t h e i r advisers at court a f t e r the death of th e i r father. Constantine the Great both reigned and ruled, since he had the t r a i n i n g of a s o l d i e r and achieved supremacy by ca r e f u l strategy against considerable odds. His sons, however, succeeded to the throne before they were old enough to shake off the influence of t h e i r cou r t i e r s and can be said only to have reigned, not to have ruled. The executions of t h e i r half-brother Crispus and the i r mother Fausta rendered them suspicious and insecure, to the end that they trusted only the bureaucrats at court and feared the prefects and generals i n the provinces and even one another. A great b a r r i e r arose between the thr sons and the problems of th e i r subjects. This b a r r i e r , the ce n t r a l bureaucracy, grew more corrupt while the i n i t i a t i v e of the armies and pr o v i n c i a l s was sapped. The weakness of the three sons foreshadows that of Arcadius and Honorius i n the t w i l i g h t of the Roman Empire. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT i i i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ix DEDICATIO x ABREVIATIONS xi CHAPTER ONE: THE SONS AS CAESARS (1) Problem of the Imperial Sucesion 1 (2) Crispus, L i c i n i u s I I , and Constantine II Made Caesars 7 1 (3) The Training of the New Caesars 13 (4) The War Against L i c i n i u s 19 (5) Constantius I Made Caesar 21 (6) The Death of Crispus 27 (7) Constantine I and Constantius I 327-3 3 (8) Constans Made Caesar 34 (9) Dalmatius Made Caesar' and Hannibalianus Made King of Kings 38 (10) The Training of the Caesars 43 (1) The Death of Constantine 46 Notes to Chapter One 48 CHAPTER TWO: THE DEATH OF CONSTANTINE I AND THE MURDER OF CONSTANTINE II (1) Eusebius and the Masacre of 37 64 (2) Traditions Surounding the Masacre of 37 6 vi v i i Page (3) The Victims of the Masacre of 37 78 (4) Summary of Events Surrounding the Death of Constantine the Great 92 (5) The Meting of the Thre Sons i n 37 97 (6) The D i v i s i o n of Authority i n 37 10 (7) The Problem of the I n i t i a t i o n of L e g i s l a t i o n 105 (8) The Nomination of the Consuls 38-340 106 (9) The Authority of Constantine II and Constantius II . . . . 108 (10) The Honours Paid to Constantine 1 10 (1) The Praetorian Prefects 37-340 14 (12) Urban Prefects and Other O f f i c i a l s 37-340 120 (13) The Return of Athanasius and His Second E x i l e 12 (14) Constantius I i n the East 37-340 124 (15) Constantine I and Constans 37-38 125 (16) The Revolt of Constans 128 (17) The Death of Constantine I 136 Notes to Chapter Two ( 141 CHAPTER THREE: THE JOINT RULE OF CONSTANTIUS II AND CONSTANS (1) Constantius I i n the East 340-349 163 (2) Constans i n the West 340-349 170 (3) The Relationship between Constantius II and Constans 181 (4) The Fate of the Survivors of the Masacre of 37 184 (5) The Struggle of Athanasius and the Triumph of To l e r a t i o n 18 (6) The Consuls 340-350 198 v i i i Page (7) The Praetorian Prefects 340-350. 21 (8) The Urban Prefects 340-350 218 (9) Other O f f i c i a l s 340-350 23 (10) Libanius and the Aniversary of 348 27 Notes to Chapter Thre 230 CHAPTER FOUR: THE DEATH OF CONSTANS AND THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST MAGNENTIUS (1) The Revolt of Magnentius 250 (2) The Revolt of Vetranio 261 (3) The O f f i c i a l s of Magnentius 264 (4) Preparations and Negotiations before Mursa 270 (5) The Campaign of 351 279 (6) The Last Months of Magnentius 284 Notes to Chapter Four 293 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION 31 Notes to Chapter Five 30 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 31 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT S I should l i k e to express my gratitude and indebtedness to Professors J . A. S. Evans and Malcolm F. McGregor, the d i r e c t o r s of th i s study. Professor Evans shed considerable l i g h t upon the coinage of the fourth century and, i n h i s absence, Professor McGregor turned from the study of the age of P e r i c l e s and devoted himself to t h i s l a t e r , and more decadent, period. I also thank Professors W. J. Dusing and K. A. Dusing for a s s i s t i n g i n t h i s study and for i n s t r u c t i n g me i n the p o l i t i c s of the Late Republic and the chaos of the t h i r d century. My colleagues i n the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of B r i t i s h Columbia were frequently h e l p f u l , most of a l l Gary B. Ferngren by the example he set and David G. 0. Smith by his penetrating analysis of Roman hi s t o r y . I am indebted also to the l a t e P. C. F. Guthrie of t h i s u n i v e r s i t y , who instructed me i n Ammianus Marcellinus and L a t i n epigraphy and also suggested the t i t l e of t h i s work. I appreciate the advice of J. P. C. Kent, of the B r i t i s h Museum, who provided valuable assistance i n evaluating the rare coins of th i s period, and also the incitement given by Professor Geoffrey Archbold, of the Univ e r s i t y of V i c t o r i a , who was the f i r s t to acquaint me, then an undergraduate, with the h i s t o r y of the Roman Empire. F i n a l l y , I express my thanks to my parents and my great aunt, Audrey M. Ginn, without whose kindness and support th i s t r e a t i s e would never have been completed. E. G. W. ix DEDICATIO In Memoriam P. C. F. Guthrie V i r i Docti atque Amicissimi x

See more

The list of books you might like

Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.