The Works of the Emperor Julian, Vol. 1Julian, Emperor of Rome
Religion
The Works of the Emperor Julian, Vol. 1
Julian, Emperor of Rome
Speeches, addresses, etc., Greek -- Translations into English
When the excesses of the revolutionary Gallus ended in his death at the
hands of Constantius, Julian, an awkward and retiring student, was
summoned to the court at Milan, where he was protected by the Empress
Eusebia from the suspicions of Constantius and the intrigues of hostile
courtiers. Constantius had no heir to continue the dynasty of the
Constantii. He therefore raised Julian to the Caesarship in 355, gave him
his sister Helena in marriage, and dispatched him to Gaul to pacify the
Gallic provinces. To the surprise of all, Julian in four successive
campaigns against the Franks and the Alemanis proved himself a good
soldier and a popular general. His _Commentaries_ on these campaigns are
praised by Eunapius(2) and Libanius,(3) but are not now extant. In 357‐358
Constantius, who was occupied by wars against the Quadi and the
Sarmatians, and threatened with a renewal of hostilities by the Persian
king Sapor, ordered Julian, who was then at Paris, to send to his aid the
best of the Gallic legions. Julian would have obeyed, but his troops,
unwilling to take service in the East, mutinied and proclaimed him Emperor
(359 A.D.). Julian issued manifestoes justifying his conduct to the
Senates of Rome and Athens and to the Spartans and Corinthians, a
characteristic anachronism, since their opinion no longer had any weight.
It was not till 361 that he began his march eastward to encounter the army
of Constantius. His troops, though seasoned and devoted, were in numbers
no match for the legions of his cousin. But the latter, while marching
through Cilicia to oppose his advance, died suddenly of a fever near
Tarsus, and Julian, now in his thirtieth year, succeeded peacefully to the
throne and made a triumphal entry into Constantinople in December, 361.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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