Английская Википедия:Gratian

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Gratian (Шаблон:Lang-la; 18 April 359 – 25 August 383) was emperor of the Western Roman Empire from 367 to 383. The eldest son of Valentinian I, Gratian was raised to the rank of Augustus as a child and inherited the West after his father's death in 375. He nominally shared the government with his infant half-brother Valentinian II, who was also acclaimed emperor in Pannonia on Valentinian's death. The East was ruled by his uncle Valens, who was later succeeded by Theodosius I.

Gratian subsequently led a campaign across the Rhine, attacked the Lentienses, and forced the tribe to surrender. That same year, the eastern emperor Valens was killed fighting the Goths at the Battle of Adrianople, which led to Gratian elevating Theodosius to replace him in 379. Gratian favoured Nicene Christianity over traditional Roman religion, issuing the Edict of Thessalonica, refusing the office of pontifex maximus, and removing the Altar of Victory from the Roman Senate's Curia Julia. The city of Cularo on the Isère river in Roman Gaul was renamed Шаблон:Lang-la after him, which later evolved to Grenoble. In 383, faced with rebellion by the usurper Magnus Maximus, Gratian marched his army towards Lutetia (Paris). His army deserted him. He fled to Lugdunum and was later murdered.

Early life

A marble head of a Young Gratian. C. late 4th century A.D.
Marble head of a young Gratian.[1]

According to the Chronicle of Jerome and the Chronicon Paschale, Valentinian's eldest son Gratian was born on 18 April 359 at Sirmium, now Sremska Mitrovica in Serbia, the capital of Pannonia Secunda, to Valentinian's first wife Marina Severa.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Gratian was his parents' only son together.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn At the time of his birth Gratian's father was living in exile.Шаблон:Sfn Gratian was named after his grandfather Gratianus, who was a tribune and later comes of Britannia for Constantine the Great.Шаблон:Sfn

Following the death of the emperor Jovian, on 26 February 364, Valentinian was proclaimed Augustus (emperor).Шаблон:Sfn Within a month, motivated by senior officers, he proclaimed his brother Valens, Gratian's uncle, Augustus of the Eastern empire.Шаблон:Sfn Gratian was appointed consul in 366 and was entitled nobilissimus puer by his father.Шаблон:EfnШаблон:Sfn Gratian was seven when entitled nobilissimus puer, which indicated he was to be proclaimed Augustus.Шаблон:Sfn Gratian's tutor was the rhetor Ausonius, who mentioned the relationship in his epigrams and a poem.Шаблон:Sfn

Reign

In summer 367, Valentinian became ill at Civitas Ambianensium (Amiens), raising questions about his succession. On recovery, he presented his then eight-year-old son to his troops on 24 August, as his co-augustus, passing over the customary initial step of caesar.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

Файл:Valentinian1cng99000738.jpg
Solidus of Valentinian I showing Valentinian and Gratian on the reverse, marked: Шаблон:Smallcaps ("the Victors Augusti"). A palm bough is between them and Victory crowns each with a wreath

Junior augustus

Valentinian, concerned with Gratian's age and inexperience, stated his son would assist commanders with upcoming campaigns.Шаблон:Sfn The magister peditum Merobaudes, together with the comes rei militaris Sebastianus, was sent by Valentinian to campaign against the Quadi.[2]

When a party of Alamanni visited Valentinian's headquarters to receive the customary gifts towards the end of 364, Ursatius, the magister officiorum made them an offering they considered inferior to that of his predecessor. Angered by Ursatius' attitude, they vowed revenge and crossed over the Rhine into Roman Germania and Gaul in January 365, overwhelming the Roman defences.Шаблон:Sfn Although at first unsuccessful, eventually Jovinus, the magister equitum in Gaul inflicted heavy losses on the enemy at Scarpona (Dieulouard) and at Catalauni (Châlons-sur-Marne), forcing them to retire.Шаблон:Sfn An opportunity to further weaken the Alamanni occurred in the summer of 368, when king Vithicabius was murdered in a coup, and Valentinian and his son Gratian crossed the river Moenus (the Main) laying waste to Alamannic territories.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Gratian was awarded the victory titles of Germanicus Maximus and Alamannicus Maximus, and Francicus Maximus and Gothicus Maximus in 369.Шаблон:Sfn

Valentinian fortified the frontier from Raetia in the east to the Belgic channel, but the construction was attacked by Alamanni at Mount Pirus (the Spitzberg, Rottenburg am Neckar). In 369 (or 370) Valentinian then sought to enlist the help of the Burgundians, who were involved in a dispute with the Alamanni, but a communication failure led to them returning to their lands without joining forces with the Romans.Шаблон:Sfn It was then that the magister equitum, Theodosius the Elder and his son Theodosius (the Theodosi) attacked the Alamanni through Raetia, taking many prisoners and resettling them in the Po Valley in Italy.Шаблон:Sfn Valentinian made one attempt to capture Macrianus in 372, but eventually made peace with him in 374.Шаблон:Sfn

Gratian, who was then 15, was married in 374 to Constantius II's 13 year-old posthumous daughter Constantia at Trier.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

The necessity to make peace was the increasing threat from other peoples, the Quadi and the Sarmatians. Valentinian's decision to establish garrisons across the Danube had angered them, and the situation escalated after the Quadi king, Gabinus, was killed during negotiations with the Romans in 374. Consequently, in the autumn, the Quadi crossed the Danube plundering Pannonia and the provinces to the south.Шаблон:Sfn The situation deteriorated further once the Sarmatians made common cause inflicting heavy losses on the Pannonica and Moesiaca legions.Шаблон:Sfn However, on encountering Theodosius' forces on the borders of Moesia in the eastern Balkans, which had previously defeated one of their armies in 373, they sued for peace.Шаблон:Sfn Valentinian mounted a further offensive against the Quadi in August 375, this time using a pincer movement, one force attacking from the northwest, while Valentinian himself headed to Aquincum (Budapest), crossed the Danube and attacked from the southeast.Шаблон:Sfn This campaign resulted in heavy losses to the enemy, following which he returned to Aquincum and from there to Brigetio (Szőny, Hungary) where he died suddenly in November.Шаблон:Sfn

Senior augustus

When his father died on 17 November 375, Gratian inherited the administration of the western empire.Шаблон:Sfn Days later, Gratian's half-brother Valentinian was acclaimed augustus by troops in Pannonia.Шаблон:Sfn He was forced to accept the proclamation, though he did supervise his younger brother’s upbringing.Шаблон:Sfn Despite Valentinian being given nominal authority over the praetorian prefectures of Italy, Illyricum, and Africa, Gratian ruled the western Roman empire himself.Шаблон:Sfn His tutor Ausonius became his quaestor, and together with the magister militum, Merobaudes, the power behind the throne.Шаблон:Sfn Neither Gratian or Valentinian travelled much, which was thought to be due to not wanting the populace to realise how young they were. Gratian is said to have visited Rome in 376, possibly to celebrate his decennalia on 24 August,Шаблон:Sfn but whether the visit actually took place is disputed.Шаблон:Sfn

Файл:Gratian Solidus.jpg
Solidus of Gratian
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Location of the battle of Argentovaria in 378.

Gratian's uncle Valens, returning from a campaign against the Sasanian Empire, had sent a request to Gratian for reinforcements against the Goths.Шаблон:Sfn According to Ammianus Marcellinus, Valens also requested that Sebastianus be sent to him for the war, though according to Zosimus Sebastianus went to Constantinople of his own accord as a result of intrigues by eunuchs at the western court.[2] Once Gratian had put down the invasions in the west in early 378, he notified Valens that he was returning to Thrace to assist him in his struggle against the Goths. Late in July, Valens was informed that the Goths were advancing on Adrianople (Edirne) and Nice, and started to move his forces into the area. However, Gratian's arrival was delayed by an encounter with Alans at Castra Martis, in Dacia in the western Balkans. Advised of the wisdom of awaiting the western army, Valens decided to ignore this advice because he was sure of victory and unwilling to share the glory.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The forces Gratian sent never reached Valens due to its commander feigning illness.Шаблон:Sfn Weeks later, Gratian had arrived in Castra Martis with a few thousand men, by which time Valens was at Adrianople (Шаблон:Lang-la; Шаблон:Lang-tr).Шаблон:Sfn Aware that Gratian's forces were not going to arrive, Valens attacked the Gothic army and as a result thousandsШаблон:Efn of Romans died in the Battle of Adrianople along with Sebastianus and the emperor himself.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn[2]

Файл:Gratian Trier enhanced.jpg
Marble portrait head of Gratian (Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier)
Файл:Theodosius1cng11100822.jpg
Solidus of Theodosius I showing Theodosius and Gratian on the reverse, marked: Шаблон:Smallcaps ("the Victory of the Augusti")

In the immediate aftermath of Adrianople, Gratian issued an edict of tolerance at Sirmium, restoring bishops exiled by Valens and ensuring religious freedoms to all religions.Шаблон:Sfn Following the battle, the Goths raided from Thrace in 378 to Illyricum the following year.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Convinced that one emperor alone was incapable of repelling the inundation of foes on several different fronts, Gratian, now senior augustus following Valens's death,Шаблон:Sfn appointed Theodosius I augustus on 19 January 379 to govern the east.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn On 3 August that year, Gratian issued an edict against heresy.Шаблон:Sfn

On 27 February 380, Gratian, Valentinian II, and Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessalonica.Шаблон:Sfn This edict made Nicene Christianity the only legal form of Christianity and outlawed all other forms of religion,Шаблон:Sfn bringing a period of widespread religious tolerance that had existed since the death of Julian to an end.Шаблон:Sfn According to the late 5th/early 6th-century Greek historian Zosimus, Gratian refused the robe of office of the pontifex maximus, though this story is not creditable, because no such garment was associated with the priesthood.Шаблон:Sfn Emperors from Gratian to Marcian styled themselves as pontifex inclytus, "honorable pontiff". The title of pontifex maximus was not adopted by the bishops of Rome until the Renaissance.[3][4]

In September 380, the augusti Gratian and Theodosius met, returning the Roman diocese of Dacia to Gratian's control and that of Macedonia to Valentinian II.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The same year, Gratian won a victory, possibly over the Alamanni, that was announced officially at Constantinople.Шаблон:Sfn

By 380, the Greuthungi tribe of Goths moved into Pannonia, only to be defeated by Gratian.Шаблон:Sfn Consequently, the Vandals and Alemanni were threatening to cross the Rhine, now that Gratian had departed from the region.Шаблон:Sfn With the collapse of the Danube frontierШаблон:Efn under the incursions of the Huns and Goths, Gratian moved his seat from Augusta Treverorum (Trier) to Mediolanum (Milan) in 381.Шаблон:Sfn He became increasingly aligned with the city's bishop, Ambrose, and the Roman Senate, shifting the balance of power within the factions of the western empire.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

In 382, Gratian issued edicts that removed the statue of the winged goddess Victory from the Senate floor,Шаблон:Sfn removed the privileges of Vestal Virgins,Шаблон:Sfn and confiscated money designated for sacrifices and ceremonies.Шаблон:Sfn He declared that all of the pagan temples and shrines were to be confiscated by the government and that their revenues were to be joined to the property of the treasury.Шаблон:Sfn This resulted in protests from the Roman Senate led by Symmachus, which in turn was counter-protested by Christian senators led by Pope Damasus.Шаблон:Sfn

On 16 January 383 Theodosius made his son Arcadius co-emperor, evidently without Gratian’s approval as he never recognized the promotion on his coinage.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Within the same year, Gratian's wife Constantia died, and he remarried to Laeta.Шаблон:Sfn Both marriages remained childless.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Efn

In the summer of 383 Gratian was again at war with the Alamanni in Raetia.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Gratian alienated the army by his favouritism towards his Alan deserters, whom he made his bodyguards and to whom he gave military commands.Шаблон:Efn Other criticisms of his behavior were that he surrounded himself with bad companyШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn and neglected the affairs of state,Шаблон:Sfn preferring to have fun.Шаблон:Sfn[5]Шаблон:Efn Shortly after, the Roman general Magnus Maximus had raised the standard of revolt in Britain and invaded Gaul with a large army.Шаблон:Sfn Maximus, who had served under the comes Theodosius and had won a victory over the Picts in 382, was proclaimed augustus and crossed the channel, encamping near Paris. There, his forces encountered Gratian, but much of the latter's army defected to the usurper, forcing Gratian to flee.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

Файл:INC-3045-r Солид. Грациан. Ок. 367—375 гг. (реверс).png
Reverse of a solidus of Gratian marked: Шаблон:Smallcaps ("the Victory of the augusti")

Death and burial

Gratian was pursued by Andragathius, Maximus' magister equitum and killed at Lugdunum (Lyon) on 25 August 383,Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn supposedly against orders.Шаблон:Sfn Maximus then established his court at the former imperial residence in Trier.Шаблон:Sfn On the death of Gratian, the 12 year old Valentinian II became the sole legitimate augustus in the west.Шаблон:Sfn

Maximus initially kept Gratian’s body for political reasons, and Ambrose’s second embassy to him in 385 or 386 to recover it was unsuccessful.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn It would not be until 387, possibly even after the death of Magnus Maximus, that Gratian's remains were interred at Mediolanum in the imperial mausoleum.Шаблон:Sfn Gratian was deified in Шаблон:Lang-la.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

See also

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Notes

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References

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Sources

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External links

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