Constantius II

Member of the House of Constantine dynasty.

Coins for this issuer were issued from 323 until 361.

Flavius Julius Constantius was the second son of Constantine and Fausta, born in 317. He was given the rank of Caesar soon after the defeat of Licinius, and when the empire was divided after Constantine’s death he received the eastern territories.

After the death of Constans in 350, Constantius II marched against the usurper Magnentius; he finally defeated him in 353 and spent the next years on the Danube border. In 359 he went to fight Persia, but received news that Julian had been proclaimed Augustus in Paris. Constantius II tried to march back and face him in battle, but died of fever on the way in Mopsucrene in 361.

Other resources about Constantius II

• Dbpedia: http://dbpedia.org/resource/Constantius_II
• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantius_II
• VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/35247811

View all coins recorded by the scheme attributed to Constantius II.

Information from Wikipedia

• Preferred label: Constantius II
• Full names:
• Title: Roman consul IV, Roman consul II, Roman consul X, Roman consul VIII–IX, Roman consul III, Roman consul V–VII
• Predecessor:
• Successor:
• Definition: Constantius II (Latin: Flavius Julius Constantius; Greek: Κωνστάντιος; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361) was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic peoples, while internally the Roman Empire went through repeated civil wars, court intrigues, and usurpations. His religious policies inflamed domestic conflicts that would continue after his death. Constantius was a son of Constantine the Great, who elevated him to the imperial rank of Caesar on 8 November 324 and after whose death Constantius became Augustus together with his brothers, Constantine II and Constans on 9 September 337. He promptly oversaw the massacre of his father-in-law, an uncle, and several cousins, consolidating his hold on power. The brothers divided the empire among themselves, with Constantius receiving Greece, Thrace, the Asian provinces, and Egypt in the east. For the following decade a costly and inconclusive war against Persia took most of Constantius's time and attention. In the meantime, his brothers Constantine and Constans warred over the western provinces of the empire, leaving the former dead in 340 and the latter as sole ruler of the west. The two remaining brothers maintained an uneasy peace with each other until, in 350, Constans was overthrown and assassinated by the usurper Magnentius. Unwilling to accept Magnentius as co-ruler, Constantius waged a civil war against the usurper, defeating him at the battles of Mursa Major in 351 and Mons Seleucus in 353. Magnentius committed suicide after the latter battle, leaving Constantius as sole ruler of the empire. In 351, Constantius elevated his cousin Constantius Gallus to the subordinate rank of Caesar to rule in the east, but had him executed three years later after receiving scathing reports of his violent and corrupt nature. Shortly thereafter, in 355, Constantius promoted his last surviving cousin, Gallus' younger half-brother Julian, to the rank of Caesar. As emperor, Constantius promoted Arian heresy, banned pagan sacrifices, and issued laws against Jews. His military campaigns against Germanic tribes were successful: he defeated the Alamanni in 354 and campaigned across the Danube against the Quadi and Sarmatians in 357. The war against the Sasanians, which had been in a lull since 350, erupted with renewed intensity in 359 and Constantius travelled to the east in 360 to restore stability after the loss of several border fortresses. However, Julian claimed the rank of Augustus in 360, leading to war between the two after Constantius' attempts to persuade Julian to back down failed. No battle was fought, as Constantius became ill and died of fever on 3 November 361 in Mopsuestia, allegedly naming Julian as his rightful successor before his death.
• Parents:
  • Father: Constantine the Great
  • Mother: Fausta
• Birth place:
• Death place: Cilicia, Mopsuestia
• Spouse:
• Other title(s):
  • Roman consul IV
  • Roman consul II
  • Roman consul X
  • List of Roman consuls
  • List of Roman emperors
  • Roman consul VIII–IX
  • Roman consul III
  • Roman consul V–VII
• Came After:
  • Eusebius (consul 347)
  • Marcus Maecius Memmius Furius Baburius Caecilianus Placidus
  • Lucius Aradius Valerius Proculus
  • Florentius (consul 361)
  • Taurus (consul 361)
  • Flavius Constantius
  • Quintus Flavius Maesius Egnatius Lollianus Mavortius
  • Arbitio
  • Flavius Romulus (consul)
  • Septimius Acindynus
  • Censorius Datianus
  • Neratius Cerealis
  • Vulcacius Rufinus
  • Valerius Maximus (praetorian prefect)
• Came before:
  • Sextus Anicius Paulinus
  • Amantius
  • Ursus
  • Julius Julianus
  • Julius Valerius Alexander Polemius
  • Marcus Nummius Albinus Triturrius
  • Arbitio
  • Quintus Flavius Maesius Egnatius Lollianus Mavortius
  • Eusebius (consul 359)
  • Petronius Probinus (consul 341)
  • Magnentius
  • Hypatius (consul 359)
  • Antonius Marcellinus
  • Gaiso
• Subjects on wikipedia:
  • Illyrian people
  • Arian Christians
  • Burials at the Church of the Holy Apostles
  • Constantius II
  • 361 deaths
  • Infectious disease deaths in Turkey
  • 317 births
  • 4th-century Christians
  • Illyrian emperors
  • Constantinian dynasty
  • People of the Roman–Sasanian Wars
  • Julii
  • Imperial Roman consuls
  • People from Sirmium
  • Flavii
  • 4th-century Roman emperors
  • Sons of Roman emperors
  • 4th-century Roman consuls