The Battle of Thyatira was fought in 366 at

Thyatira Thyateira (also Thyatira) ( grc, Θυάτειρα) was the name of an ancient Greek city in Asia Minor, now the modern Turkish city of Akhisar ("white castle"). The name is probably Lydian. It lies in the far west of Turkey, south of Istanbu ...

, Lydia (modern Turkey), between the army of the Roman Emperor

Valens Valens ( grc-gre, Ουάλης, Ouálēs; 328 – 9 August 378) was Roman emperor from 364 to 378. Following a largely unremarkable military career, he was named co-emperor by his elder brother Valentinian I, who gave him the eastern half of ...

and the army of the

usurper A usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power, often but not always in a monarchy. In other words, one who takes the power of a country, city, or established region for oneself, without any formal or legal right to claim it as ...

Procopius Procopius of Caesarea ( grc-gre, Προκόπιος ὁ Καισαρεύς ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; la, Procopius Caesariensis; – after 565) was a prominent late antique Greek scholar from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman gen ...

, led by his general Gomoarius.

Background

After the death of the emperor Julian in his campaign against

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

in 363, the

Flavian Flavian may refer to: * A member of the Flavian dynasty of Roman emperors, during the late 1st century AD, or their works * Flavian Zeija, a Ugandan lawyer, academic and judge. Principal Judge of Uganda, since December 2019. * A person named Flavian ...

line was extinguished. Only

, a distant relative of the former, remained of all the descendants of

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 ...

. Although under

Jovian Jovian is the adjectival form of Jupiter and may refer to: * Jovian (emperor) (Flavius Iovianus Augustus), Roman emperor (363–364 AD) * Jovians and Herculians, Roman imperial guard corps * Jovian (lemur), a Coquerel's sifaka known for ''Zoboomafo ...

the dangerous rank of Procopius was allowed to go unnoticed, and he retired to the humble management of his properties in

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Re ...

, the timid

could not brook the presence of such eminent heredity, and ministers were dispatched to eliminate with his life the possibility of his succession. Unfortunately for the peace of the eastern empire, Procopius escaped, and after experiencing the bitterness of a distant exile in Bosphorus, at length returned to claim his birth-right. He diligently exploited the occasion of Valens' absence in Syria to win the capital,

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

, and the adjoining provinces of

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...

and Bithynia to his allegiance; and by the claim of his consanguinity to Julian and the Flavians (which he accentuated by his marriage to Faustina, widow of

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 Germanic ...

), as well as the assurance of ample donatives to the soldiery, he was enabled to gather a very strong force.

The battle

The pusillanimous despair of Valens at these tidings was overridden by the activity of his generals, including the prefect

Salutius Saturninius Secundus Salutius ( 355–367) was a Roman official and Neoplatonist author. A native of Gaul, he had a successful career as a provincial governor and officer at the imperial court, becoming a close friend and adviser of the Emperor J ...

, and the brave Arintheus and Arbetio, and the usurper was soon put on the defensive. The legions of Syria were promptly directed against the revolted provinces, and the contending forces met at

. Both in this action, and in the succeeding battle of

Nacolia Nakoleia ( el, Νακώλεια and Νακόλεια) also known as Nakolaion (Νακώλαιον), Latinized as Nacolia or Nacolea, was an ancient and medieval city in Phrygia. It corresponds to present-day Seyitgazi, Eskişehir Province in th ...

, the primary characteristic of the engagement was its termination by the utter desertion of Procopius by his troops, who were won over to Valens' allegiance by the exhortations of their own former generals, who had espoused the cause of the brother of

Valentinian I Valentinian I ( la, Valentinianus; 32117 November 375), sometimes called Valentinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 364 to 375. Upon becoming emperor, he made his brother Valens his co-emperor, giving him rule of the eastern provinces. Val ...

. The usurper was presently made destitute of his army, his faction, and his head. One further action, after that of Thyatira, sufficed to quash the rebellion, and Procopius was delivered to Valens' camp by his own followers, where he was summarily put to death. In the aftermath, Valens cruelly revenged the revolt on Procopius' adherents, deserving him the execration of a tyrant and despot.Gibbon pp.852-54

References

366 360s in the Byzantine Empire {{AncientRome-battle-stub