Julius Constantius (died September 337 AD) was a politician of the Roman Empire and a member of the

Constantinian dynasty The Constantinian dynasty is an informal name for the ruling family of the Roman Empire from Constantius Chlorus (died 306) to the death of Julian in 363. It is named after its most famous member, Constantine the Great, who became the sole rule ...

, being a son of Emperor

Constantius Chlorus Flavius Valerius Constantius "Chlorus" ( – 25 July 306), also called Constantius I, was Roman emperor from 305 to 306. He was one of the four original members of the Tetrarchy established by Diocletian, first serving as caesar from 293 t ...

and his second wife

Flavia Maximiana Theodora Flavia Maximiana Theodora (c. 275 – before 337) was a Roman empress, wife of Constantius Chlorus. She is often referred to as a stepdaughter of Emperor Maximian by ancient sources, leading to claims by historians Otto Seeck and Ernest Stein tha ...

, a younger half-brother of Emperor

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

and the father of Emperor Julian.

Biography

Julius Constantius was born after 289, the son of

and his wife

Theodora Theodora is a given name of Greek origin, meaning "God's gift". Theodora may also refer to: Historical figures known as Theodora Byzantine empresses * Theodora (wife of Justinian I) ( 500 – 548), saint by the Orthodox Church * Theodora o ...

,Zonaras, 12.33. adoptive daughter of emperor

Maximian Maximian ( la, Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus; c. 250 – c. July 310), nicknamed ''Herculius'', 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 ...

. He had two brothers,

Dalmatius :''This article deals with the Caesar (335-337). For the censor Flavius Dalmatius, father of the caesar, see Flavius Dalmatius. For saints with this name, see Saint Dalmatius (disambiguation).'' Flavius Dalmatius Caesar (his name is often spell ...

and Hannibalianus, and three sisters, Constantia,

Anastasia Anastasia (from el, Ἀναστασία, translit=Anastasía) is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia, where it was the most ...

and Eutropia. Emperor

Constantine I Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

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.Athanasius of Alexandria, ''Two writings against the Arians'', 76. Julius Constantius was married twice. With his first wife, Galla, sister of the later consuls

Vulcacius Rufinus Vulcacius Rufinus (died 368) was a Roman politician, related to the Constantinian dynasty. Biography A pagan, Rufinus was the brother of Neratius Cerealis, Galla (the mother of Constantius Gallus), and the mother of Maximus. He was '' pontifex ...

and

Neratius Cerealis Neratius (or Naeratius) Cerealis ( 328–358) 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 s ...

,Ammianus Marcellinus 14, 11, 27 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 Flavius Claudius Constantius Gallus (326–354) was a statesman and ruler in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire from 351 to 354, as ''Caesar'' under emperor Constantius II (), his cousin. A grandson of emperor Constantius Chlorus () and ...

, was appointed Caesar by his cousin

Constantius II Constantius II (Latin: ''Flavius Julius Constantius''; grc-gre, 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 Germani ...

His daughter ''His Daughter'' is a 1911 American short silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Edwin August and featuring Blanche Sweet. Cast * Edwin August - William Whittier * Florence Barker - Mary * Linda Arvidson * Wilfred Lucas * Mac ...

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 ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. During his reign, he succeeded in a crucial war against the Goths, as well as in two ...

, was called Galla. After the death of his first wife, Julius Constantius married a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

woman

Basilina Basilina ( gr, Βασιλίνα; died 332/333) was the wife of Julius Constantius and the mother of the Roman emperor Julian (r. 361–363) who in her honour gave the name ''Basilinopolis'' to a city in Bithynia (modern Pazarköy near Gemlik, i ...

, the daughter of the governor of Egypt,

Julius Julianus Julius Julianus ( 315–325 AD) was a Roman politician, the grandfather and namesake of the future emperor Julian. Life He served Licinius as praetorian prefect from at least spring 315 to September 324, until Constantine I definitively defeate ...

. Basilina gave him another son, the future emperor

Julian the Apostate Julian ( la, Flavius Claudius Julianus; grc-gre, Ἰουλιανός ; 331 – 26 June 363) was Roman emperor from 361 to 363, as well as a notable philosopher and author in Greek. His rejection of Christianity, and his promotion of Neoplato ...

, 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 Etruria () was a region of Central Italy, located in an area that covered part of what are now most of Tuscany, northern Lazio, and northern and western Umbria. Etruscan Etruria The ancient people of Etruria are identified as Etruscan civiliza ...

, the birthplace of his son Gallus, and in

Corinth Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part o ...

. Finally, he was called to 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

Ceionius Rufius Albinus Ceionius Rufius Albinus (fl. 4th century) was a Roman senator who was appointed consul in 335. Life and career Rufius Albinus was the son of Gaius Ceionius Rufius Volusianus who was consul in 311 and 314 before being exiled. In 335 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;Zosimus 2, 40, 2; Libanius, ''Orations'' 18, 31. his two younger sons, however, survived, because in 337 they were still children. They would later be elevated to the rank of Caesar and Augustus, respectively.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Constantius, Julius 3rd-century births 337 deaths 4th-century Romans Ancient Roman murder victims Constantinian dynasty Imperial Roman consuls Julii Patricii Year of birth unknown Sons of Roman emperors Julian (emperor)