Varronianus ( 363 – 380 AD) was the son of the

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

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 ...

Biography

Varronianus was the first of two sons born to the

and

Charito Charito (flourished mid-4th century AD) was a Roman Empress, consort of Jovian, Roman Emperor. Some historians doubt whether Charito was granted the title of Augusta as no archaeological evidence as yet confirms it.''Select Works of Emperor Ju ...

, daughter of Lucillianus. Upon his father's accession to the imperial throne, Varronianus was given the title of ''

Nobilissimus ''Nobilissimus'' (Latin for "most noble"), in Byzantine Greek ''nōbelissimos'' (Greek: νωβελίσσιμος),. was one of the highest imperial titles in the late Roman and Byzantine empires. The feminine form of the title was ''nobilissima ...

'', and in AD 364, he was appointed

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

alongside his father at

Ancyra Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, mak ...

. As he was still an infant when his father died in 364, he was overlooked for the succession, and

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 ...

was elected instead. It is possible that Varronianus was the young man referred to by

John Chrysostom John Chrysostom (; gr, Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος; 14 September 407) was an important Early Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of ...

in two of his letters and homilies ("Homilies on Philippians" and "Letter to a Young Widow"). If so, it appears that Varronianus was still alive in 380, but was living in fear of his life, due to his imperial descent. At some point, he had one of his eyes removed, probably in an attempt to prevent him from making a claim to the throne.Edward Gibbon , "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", vol. 2, chapter 25
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Sources

* Martindale, J. R.; Jones, A. H. M, ''The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'', Vol. I AD 260–395, Cambridge University Press (1971)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Varronianus 4th-century Romans 4th-century Roman consuls Imperial Roman consuls Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 4th-century deaths 4th-century births Constantinian dynasty Nobilissimi Sons of Roman emperors