350-369 Julian Reverts Empire to Paganism & Persia Invades

In this 20 year period the Western Emperor Constans was murdered and his place usurped by Magnentius who was killed in battle in 353 by the Eastern Emperor Constantius II (pictured).

The Eastern Emperor Constantius II died in 361 leaving the entire empire to his Pagan cousin Julian who died in battle in 364 and was replaced by Jovian who met a similar fate in same year and was replaced by Valentinian.

The Western Emperor Constans supported the Nicene Creed, but Constantius II - the Eastern Emperor, with his court in Constantinople - favored the newly respectable creed of Arianism and this split in Christianity led to the murder of Constans in Gaul in 350 and his replacement with a German officer, Magnentius from the elite troops.

This usurper was challenged by Vetranio, the local commander in Illyricum, and Constantius II left Constantinople to intervene, persuaded Vetranio to abdicate but Magnentius had to be fought in battle and he was eventually defeated in 353, making Constantius II the sole emperor.

Returning to the East in 355, Constantius turned his attention to the only living male descendant of his father's extended family - the young Julian who was 5 at the time of the massacre of 337. He promoted the young Julian to the command of Gaul, where he became a successful general and when Constantius ordered him to send the best of his troops to the East to fight the Persians, Julian took advantage of the soldiers' reluctance to leave him and accepted their proclamation of him as Emperor in 360.

When Constantius heard this, the Persian threat was so great that he could do nothing - and when Julian boldly invaded Constantius' territory in 361 the old man led his troops to meet his enemy but died on the way - leaving Julian the sole Emperor.

The Arian doctrine supported by Constantius II was detested in the West and in 359 he had forced the Italian bishops to adopt the Arian creed. So, when Julian came to power and reverted the Empire to the old Pagan ways there was a lot of confusion among the Christians - but a great deal of relief among those who had converted without believing.

Religious affairs were interrupted by a Persian Invasion, necessitating Julian in 363 to go to war. He split his army, sending half down the Tigris while he took the traditional route along the Euphrates - expecting to meet up at Ctesiphon. Julian reached his destination, defeated the Persians, then burnt his fleet to increase mobility but the other half of his army failed to arrive leaving him stranded - a situation that the straggling Persians took advantage of and finally he was wounded and died of blood loss.

The new Emperor, Jovian, a Christian, was forced to abide by humiliating terms in order to extricate the Roman army in Persian territory (returning to the Persians the five provinces across the Tigris that Galerius had won in 298).

Jovian died mysteriously in 364 and was replaced by Valentinian, a devout Christian with a bad temper and a hatred of the educated, who had risen through the ranks. He was required to appoint a colleague, and he chose his brother Valens to rule the East.

In 367 Emperor Valentinian sent general Theodosius to restore order in the north of England and in the same year he fell ill and proclaimed his 8 year old son, Gratian, as emperor.

330-349 Constantinople Becomes Capital of Empire

This 20 year period started with the Roman Emperor, Constantine (pictured) dedicating and establishing Constantinople as the capital of his new Christian Empire -- an act which led to the decline of Rome -- and then continued with Constantine and his sons going on murderous sprees.

After Constantine's death in 337 he was succeed by his sons Constantius II (who became the Eastern Emperor), Constantine II (who became the North Western Emperor), and Constans (who became the Emperor of Italy, the Balkans and Africa).

Constantine was open about his preference for Christianity - and his disgust at the old religions - but very wisely did little to force his views upon all citizens in the Roman Empire. Instead, by bestowing money, honor and prestigious positions on those who converted he cleverly induced large numbers of high-class Romans to convert to Christianity.

Constantine started the process whereby the Church assumed the functions of the state, and he also continued, with much vigor, the process whereby Germans were enrolled in the Roman army and given the highest positions of command -- an act that ultimately would lead to the end of the Roman Empire.

In Rome, he built many churches and turned over vast amounts of Imperial property to the Church, but it was the building of the new capital city - Constantinople - on the site of the old Greek city of Byzantium that distinguished his reign. He looted pagan shrines to adorn his new city; offered tax incentives and other rewards to attract settlers; and started a new Senate for the city. It was dedicated in 330 and was established as the capital of the Christian Empire.

Before he died in 337, Constantine acted in a most un-Christian manner. He secured his position as Emperor by executing his eldest son Crispus and his second wife Fausta for conspiracy, and reconciling with his half brothers (from his father's marriage to Maximian's daughter) in order to protect his young sons Constantine II, Constantius II and Constans to whom he assigned parts of Empire to rule.

His son, Constantius II, acted in a similar un-Christian manner by massacring all adult relations of Constantine (except for his brothers) and all possible rivals. (This massacre of 337 excluded children, one of which, Julian, the son of Constantine's half brother, later became emperor).

Although co-operative in murdering rivals, the brothers did not co-operate in ruling the Empire and the first to go was Constantine II (after he invaded Constan's Italian territory in 340 and was killed).