Roman Empire Constantius Gallus 352-354AD Bronze

An historically invaluable record, charting the decay and ultimate disintegration of one of the world’s greatest Ancient superpowers, we are delighted to present the ‘Constantius Gallus (351-354AD) Bronze Coin’.

Flavius Claudius Gallus was born in 325AD in Etruria (central Italy), the son of Julius Constantius. His father was the half-brother of the Emperor Constantine the Great, meaning that Gallus was a half-first cousin to Constantine’s three sons – Constantine II, Constantius II and Constans. Being part of the Roman Empire’s leading family may have provided many an opportunity for power, but it also brought inevitable danger – as illustrated by the events that followed the death of Constantine the Great in 337AD.

Constantine had ended the Tetrarchy – the Rule of Four – after defeating his then co-emperor Licinius in 324AD, and in doing so re-established one-man rule in the Roman Empire. Constantine may well have seen that civil war was inevitable if he attempted to pass the empire onto just one man and, thus, he planned to divide the empire between his relatives. Specifically, the empire was to be split between his three sons, Constantine II, Constantius II and Constans, and his nephews Hannibalianus and Dalmatius. Even before Constantine’s death, his sons had decided that this arrangement was not acceptable.

Although the details are a little uncertain, and different theories have been posited, many believe that the three brothers conspired to kill not only Hannibalianus and Dalmatius, but a number of other male members of the Constantinian Dynasty. Although his father and elder brother were killed in the brutal purge, Gallus survived. Some historians suggest he was spared because he was only 12 years old at the time, whilst others state that it was believed he was suffering from a terminal illness. Whatever the case, Gallus did not suffer the fate of so many of his kinsmen as Constantine’s sons systematically tightened their grip on power.

Gallus’ younger half-brother Julian – the future Roman Emperor, ruling from 360AD to 363AD – also survived, and the upbringing of the two boys was carefully managed by Constantius II. Although enduring a state of virtual imprisonment, Gallus and Julian lived a luxurious existence, and received a strong, wide-ranging education appropriate to their station. Julian, who wrote extensively during his reign as emperor, recalled that these years of confinement sparked a cruel, violent streak in Gallus – something that would be inescapably apparent when he rose to the position of Caesar.

That rise to power was triggered by an uprising in the west by the usurper Magnentius, who had overthrown Constans, the younger brother of Constantius II. Magnentius was recognised as emperor by most of the western provinces, and had designs on taking the entire empire, thereby forcing Constantius II into action. Travelling west to deal with the usurper, he raised Gallus to the rank of Caesar in the east. Gallus then changed his name to Constantius Gallus, and married the sister of Constantius II, who was named Constantina.

The decision of Constantius II to elevate Gallus to the role of Caesar was driven by necessity,

and their relationship was never strong. Indeed, Constantius II was both jealous of Gallus, and intensely paranoid about his ambitions. His fears may have been well-grounded, as at least one source suggests that, having been emboldened by crushing a Jewish rebellion in Palestine, Gallus was readying a coup against his cousin in 351 or 352AD.

Certainly, Constantius II was worried enough to send key officials to Gallus’ court at Antioch to keep an eye on him. Gallus’ behaviour became more and more outrageous, however, as he attacked members of the patrician class, tortured and executed alleged conspirators, and stripped the wealthy of property. With the cries against Gallus at fever pitch, and a rebellion against the increasingly unstable Caesar likely, Constantius II was forced into action.

The senior emperor invited Gallus to journey to his court, but, smelling a rat, the latter stayed in Antioch. Knowing his cousin well, Constantius II then held out to Gallus the prospect of being elevated to the role of Augustus in the East – an offer Gallus could not resist. Whilst traveling to the west, a hand-picked squad of soldiers surrounded Gallus’ palace in Noricum (modern Austria) and he was arrested.

Stripped of his imperial robes, Gallus was interrogated about several high-profile treason ‘show’ trials in Antioch, and attempted to shift the blame for the subsequent unjustified executions to his wife, Constantina. This slur on his deceased sister sent Constantius II into a fierce rage, and he instantly condemned Gallus to death. In a final twist of fate, Constantius II reversed his decision after having calmed down, only for his chief eunuch to delay the delivery of the reprieve long enough for Gallus’ beheading to proceed unimpeded.