Flavia Julia Constantia Constantius

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• _UID: 7B45D09CA234496BA3C420240D14B9346F76

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The emperor Constantius (Chlorus) I and his wife Theodora had sixchildren: Flavius Dalmatius, Julius Constantius, Hannibalianus,Constantia, Anastasia, and Eutropia. Constantia's full name was FlaviaJulia Constantia. The date of her birth is not known; even the relativeages of the six siblings are unknown, so that any list is ratherarbitrary in order. If one accepts 293 as the year of her parents'marriage --- that date, however, has been called in question -- then onemay assume that she was born at the very earliest in the following year.Nor is there direct evidence for her place of birth. But a good case canbe made for Trier, since this city served as Constantius' principalresidence during the years 293-306, and here, too, she must have spenther childhood years.

Late in 311 or early in 312, Constantine I, Constantia's half-brother,betrothed her to his fellow-emperor Licinius. She was then eighteen yearsold at most, while Licinius was more than twice her age. The marriagetook place some months later, probably in February of 313, on theoccasion of Constantine's meeting with Licinius in Milan. But therelationship between the two emperors was a strained one, and openhostilities, the bellum Cibalense, erupted in 316. Constantia remained ather husband's side. In about July of 315 she bore him a son namedValerius Licinianus Licinius.

A second war between Constantine and Licinius took place in 324.Licinius. was defeated twice, on July 3 at Adrianople and on September 18at Chrysopolis, and soon thereafter surrendered to Constantine.Constantia interceded with her half- brother for the life of her husband,and Constantine spared Licinius' life, ordering him to reside atThessalonike as a private citizen. A few months later, in the spring of325, Constantine ordered Licinius to be executed, violating an oath whichhe had sworn to Constantia. A year or so later, in 326, the youngerLicinius also fell victim to Constantine's wrath or suspicions.

The loss of both husband and son must have been a severe blow toConstantia and must have strained her relationship to Constantine.Nevertheless she occupied a position of honor and influence atConstantine's court, held the rank of nobilissima femina, and receivedConstantine's loving attention; Constantine was at her side when she diedca, 330, before reaching the age of forty. We do not know when, where, orhow Constantia first embraced Christianity. We do know that Eusebius,bishop of Nicomedia from ca. 317 on, wielded considerable influence atcourt. On one occasion Constantia exchanged letters with the otherEusebius, bishop of Caesarea. Jerome, Rufinus, Socrates, Sozomen, andTheodoret, while not in full agreement on some of the details, all reportthat she was a defender of the person and doctrine of Arius. She alsoattended the Council of Nicaea, where she counseled the representativesof the Arian party.

Flavia married Valerius Licinianus ('Licinius') (Emperor Of The Roman Empire) in Feb 313 in Milan, Italy. Valerius was born in 265; died in 325 in Valerius. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Valerius Licinianus Licinius was born in Jul 315; and died.

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• _UID: 9670447D69FB463798E980768FD84E15E943

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Born March 31st, Emperor Flavius Valerius Constantius may have come intothe world ca. 250. His family was from Illyricum. In the army he servedas a protector, tribunus, and a praeses Dalmatiarum. During the 270s orthe 280s, he became the father of Constantine by Helena, his firstspouse. By 288 he was the Praetorian Prefect of the western emperorMaximianus Herculius.

On 1 March 293 Diocletian appointed Galerius as his Caesar (junioremperor) in the east and Constantius as the Caesar of MaximianusHerculius. Caesar in the west. Both Caesars had the right of succession.In order to strengthen the dynastic relationship between himself andHerculius., Constantius put aside his wife Helena and married Theodora,the daughter, or perhaps stepdaughter, of Maximianus Herculius.. Theunion was fruitful and of it there were six issue: Flavius Dalmatius,Julius Constantius, Hannibalianus, Constantia, Anastasia, and Eutropia.To strengthen his bond with Galerius and Diocletian in the east,Constantius allowed Galerius to keep his son Constantine as a hostage forhis good behavior.

In the remainder of the time that he was a Caesar, Constantius spent muchof his time engaged in military actions in the west. In the summer of 293Constantius expelled the troops of the usurper Carausius from northernGaul; after Constantius' attack on Bononia (Boulogne), Carausius wasmurdered. At the same time he dealt with the unrest of the Germans. In296 he invaded Britain and put down the revolt of the usurper Allectus.Between 300 and 305 A.D. the Caesar campaigned successfully several timeswith various German tribes. It is worth noting in passing, that while hiscolleagues rigidly enforced the "Great Persecution in 303," Constantiuslimited his action to knocking down a few churches.

On 1 May 305 Diocletian, at Nicomedia, and Maximianus Herculius, atMediolanum (Milan), divested themselves of the purple, probably becauseof the almost fatal illness that Diocletian contracted toward the end of304. Diocletian forced Maximianus to abdicate. They appointed as theirsuccessors Constantius and Galerius, with Severus and Maximinus Daia asthe new Caesars. The retired emperors then returned to private life.Constantius, as had his predecessor, ruled in the west, while Galeriusand Daia ruled in the east. Almost as soon as he was appointedAugustus, he crossed to Britain to face incursions by the Picts where hedied at York on 25 July 306 with his son at his side.

From Michael DiMaio, Jr., Salve Regina University -

Constantius I Chlorus (305-306 A.D.)

Constantius' Early Life and Marriage - Born March 31st, Emperor FlaviusValerius Constantius may have come into the world ca. 250. His family wasfrom Illyricum. In the army he served as a protector, tribunus, and apraeses Dalmatiarum. During the 270s or the 280s, he became the father ofConstantine by Helena, his first spouse. By 288 he was the PraetorianPrefect of the western emperor Maximianus Herculius.

Constantius' Reign as Caesar - On 1 March 293 Diocletian appointedGalerius as his Caesar (junior emperor) in the east and Constantius asthe Caesar of Maximianus Herculius. Caesar in the west. Both Caesars hadthe right of succession. In order to strengthen the dynastic relationshipbetween himself and Herculius., Constantius put aside his wife Helena andmarried Theodora, the daughter, or perhaps stepdaughter, of MaximianusHerculius.. The union was fruitful and of it there were six issue:Flavius Dalmatius, Julius Constantius, Hannibalianus, Constantia,Anastasia, and Eutropia. To strengthen his bond with Galerius andDiocletian in the east, Constantius allowed Galerius to keep his sonConstantine as a hostage for his good behavior.

In the remainder of the time that he was a Caesar, Constantius spent muchof his time engaged in military actions in the west. In the summer of 293Constantius expelled the troops of the usurper Carausius from northernGaul; after Constantius' attack on Bononia (Boulogne), Carausius wasmurdered. At the same time he dealt with the unrest of the Germans. In296 he invaded Britain and put down the revolt of the usurper Allectus.Between 300 and 305 A.D. the Caesar campaigned successfully several timeswith various German tribes. It is worth noting in passing, thatwhile his colleagues rigidly enforced the "Great Persecution in 303,"Constantius limited his action to knocking down a few churches.

Constantius as Augustus and His Untimely Death - On 1 May 305 Diocletian,at Nicomedia, and Maximianus Herculius, at Mediolanum (Milan), divestedthemselves of the purple, probably because of the almost fatal illnessthat Diocletian contracted toward the end of 304. Diocletian forcedMaximianus to abdicate. They appointed as their successors Constantiusand Galerius, with Severus and Maximinus Daia as the new Caesars. Theretired emperors then returned to private life. Constantius, as had hispredecessor, ruled in the west, while Galerius and Daia ruled in theeast. Almost as soon as he was appointed Augustus, he crossed toBritain to face incursions by the Picts where he died at York on 25 July306 with his son at his side.

Bibliography -

Barnes, T.D . Constantine and Eusebius,, Cambridge, 1980.
________. New Empire of Diocletian and Constantine. Cambridge, 1981.
DiMaio, Michael. Zonaras' Account of the Neo-Flavian Emperors, (Ph.D.diss., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1977).
Jones, A.H.M. J.R. Martindale, and J. Morris. "Fl. Val. Constantius 12."the Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, (Cambridge, 1971),1.227-228.
Kienast, Dietmar. R?mische Kaisertabelle: Grundz?ge einer r?mischenKaiserchronologie. Darmstadt, 1990.
MacMullen, R. Constantine, New York, 1969.
Mattingly, Harold, and B.H. Warmington ."Constantius (Chlorus)." OCD.2281-282.
Seeck, Otto. "Constantius 1." RE 4, col.1040ff.

Notes -
Constantius' full name: ILS, 630, 641-3, 648, 650-52; suchvariations as Marcus Flavius Valerius Constantius(ibid, 637), ValeriusConstantius (ibid., 640), Gaius Valerius Constantius (ibid, 649), andGaius Fabius Constantius (ibid., 650a) appear on inscriptions.
Constantius' date of birth, homeland, and career: Michael DiMaio,Zonaras' Account of the Neo-Flavian Emperors: A Commentary, (Ph.D diss.,University of Missouri-Columbia, 1977), 97-98, nn 11-14; Constantius asMaxiamianus' Praetorian prefect: T.D. Barnes, Constantine and Eusebius,,(Cambridge, 1980), 3, 7-8, New Empire of Diocletian and Constantine,(Cambridge, 1981), 36-37.
For a discussion of Constantius' marriage to Helen, see infra, n.2.
For a listing of the sources on the dating Constantius rise to therank of Caesar, see A.H.M. Jones, J.R. Martindale, and J. Morris, theProsopography of the Later Roman Empire, (Cambridge, 1971), s.v. "Fl.Val. Constantius 12," 1.227-228, and Dietmar Kienast, R?mischeKaisertabelle, (Darmstadt, 1990), 276ff
The Caesarship of Constantius is discussed, for example, by O. Seeck, RE4, s.v. "Constantius 1," col.1041.57ff, and Ramsey MacMullen,Constantine, (New York, 1969), 35ff.
Barnes has summarized the problems and the sources surrounding themarriages of Constantius to Helen and to Theodora (New Empire), 33,36-37.
Constantius' campaigns are discussed by Barnes, Constantine andEusebius, 15ff, and by Harold Mattingly and B.H. Warmington, OCD,2s.v."Constantius (Chlorus)," 281-282.
Lact., Mort. Pers., 15.7
For a listing of sources which treat the acclamation of Constantiusto the rank of Augustus, see Barnes, New Empire, 4ff.
For a discussion of the death of Constantius and the sources thattreat it, see DiMaio, 96ff.

Copyright (C) 1996, Michael DiMaio, Jr. This file may be copied on thecondition that the entire contents, including the header and thiscopyright notice, remain intact.

Constantius married Theodora on 1 Mar 292-293. Theodora and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• _UID: BC7209361E9A4F81B4FF86A5F2C644A06F87

Notes:

Theodora was the step-daughter of the emperor Maximianus, and thusputting aside Helena and marrying her (probably in about 289) made goodpolitical sense for Constantius Chlorus. Constantius became Caesar on hisfather-in-law's abdication. Theodora's marriage did, of course, gain herchildren and grand-children the enmity of St. Helena, who long outlivedher rival.

Theodora bore Constantius six children, including a daughter Anastasia("Resurrection"), whose name is offered as evidence by those proposingConstantius I Chlorus as a Christian, or at least a Christiansympathizer. Among her other children was a son Julius Constantius, thefather of Gallus and Julian. She was half-sister to Constantine I's wife,Fausta.

From Michael DiMaio, Jr., Salve Regina University -

Theodora (wife of Constantius I Chlorus) - Theodora was the eldestdaughter, or perhaps stepdaughter, of Maximianus Herculius and his wifeEutropia. In order to strengthen the dynastic relationship betweenhimself and Herculius when Maximianus Herculius appointed him as hisCaesar (junior emperor) in the west with the right of succession on 1March 293, Constantius I put aside his wife Helena and married Theodora.She bore him six children: Flavius Dalmatius, Julius Constantius,Hannibalianus, Constantia, Anastasia, and Eutropia.

Bibliography -

Barnes, T.D . Constantine and Eusebius,, Cambridge, 1980.
________. New Empire of Diocletian and Constantine. Cambridge, 1981.
Jones, A.H.M. J.R. Martindale, and J. Morris. "Theodora 1." theProsopography of the Later Roman Empire, (Cambridge, 1971), 1.895.

Copyright (C) 1996, Michael DiMaio, Jr. This file may be copied on thecondition that the entire contents, including the header and thiscopyright notice, remain intact.