Valerius Valens

Infobox Roman emperor
title=Emperor of the Roman Empire
full name=Aurelius Valerius Valens
name=Valerius Valens
full name= Aurelius Valerius Valens


caption =
reign =late 316 - March 1, 317 (co-emperor with Licinius)
date of death =After March 1, 317
place of death =
place of burial =|

Aurelius Valerius Valens (died 317) was Roman Emperor from late 316 to March 1 317. Valens had previously been "dux limitis" (duke of the frontier) in Dacia, but this is all we know of him.

In the first civil war between Licinius and Constantine I, the latter won an overwhelming victory at the battle of Cibalae on October 8 316. [For the consensus on dating of the battle of Cibalae in 316, see W. Treadgold, "A History of the Byzantine State and Society", 34, D. Potter, 378 and C. Odahl, 164. For the alternative dating at 314 see, among others, Ramsay MacMullen, "Constantine", Routledge, 1987, 67 and A.H.M. Jones, "Constantine and the Conversion of Europe", The English University Press, 1948, 127] Licinius fled to Adrianople where, with the help of Valens, gathered a second army. There, early in December 316, he elevated Valens to the rank of Augustus, presumably in order to secure his royalty [A. H. M. Jones, 127] . Much later, Licinius would use the same trick (with just as little success) in the second civil war with Constantine, by appointing Martinianus co-emperor.

Despite the literary sources referring to Valens as a junior emperor (Caesar), the numismatic evidence indicates his Augustan rank. [Samuel N. C. Lieu, D. Montserrat, 57]

After Licinius's indecisive defeat at Campus Ardiensis in later 316 / early 317, Constantine was still in the dominant position from which he was able to force Licinius to recognize him as the senior emperor, depose Valens and appoint their sons as Caesars. According to Petrus Patricius, he explicitly expressed his anger from the elevation of Valens by saying the following to the envoy of Mestrianus: [Petrus Patricius, "Excerpta de legationibus ad gentes" at N.C. Lieu, D. Montserrat, 58. In the original Greek text (J. P. Migne, "Patrologia Graeca Cursus Completus", vol.113, col. 672), Valens is called "ευτελές ανδράποδον"]

The emperor made clear the extent of his rage by his facial expression and by the contortion of his body. Almost unable to speak, he said, "We have not come to this present state of affairs, nor have we fought and triumphed from the ocean till where we have now arrived, just so that we should refuse to have our own brother-in-law as joint ruler because of his abominable behaviour, and so that we should deny his close kinship, but accept that vile slave [ie Valens] with him into imperial college".

The peace treaty was finalized at Serdica on 1 March, 317 [D. Potter, 378] Whether it was part of the agreement is unknown, but Licinius also had Valens executed.

Citations

References

* [http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/valesianus1.html Anonymus Valesianus. "Origo Constantini Imperatoris"] at The Latin Library
*Jones, A.H.M. "Constantine and the Conversion of Europe", The English University Press, 1949
*Lieu, Samuel N. C., Montserrat Dominic. "From Constantine to Julian: A Source History", Routledge, 1996. ISBN 0-4150-9335-X (includes an English translation of "Origo Constantini")
*Odahl, Charles M. "Constantine and the Christian Empire", Routledge, 2004. ISBN 0-415-17485-6
*Potter, David S. "The Roman Empire at Bay AD 180–395", Routledge, 2004. ISBN 0-415-10058-5

External links

* [http://www.roman-emperors.org/valenz.htm DiMaio, Michael, "Valens (316 A.D.)", "DIR" (1996).] s-ttl | title=Roman Emperor
years=316-317
alongside=Licinius