PROLOGUE:

One of the most interesting Byzantine emperors was Jovian, an emperor who never ruled in Constantinople, who was the first Byzantine emperor not to be from the line of Constantius Chlorus, whose main claim to fame would be a shameful peace treaty with Persia, and an emperor who met his death under most mysterious and suspicious circumstances.

EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY:

Flavius Claudius Jovianus was born in the town of Singidunum (modern Belgrade) in the year 330 or 331 A. D. His father, Varronian, was a distinguished soldier who had served under Constantius II, first, as a tribune in the Joviani legion, and, later, as "comes domesticorum" (count). Varronian had retired to private life by the time Jovian became emperor, and died while Jovian was on his journey to Constantinople. Jovian married a woman named Charito, by whom he had two children, one of which, was named Varronian, in honor of Jovian’s father, and who was to be proclaimed co-consul with Jovian in 364. Like Jovian’s father, Charito’s father, Lucillian, had served under Constantius II, and had been named "comes domesticorum" (count), and "comes et magister equitum et peditum." He, also, had retired to private life during Julian’s reign. These military connections undoubtedly helped Jovian’s career. There is a story that Varronian, Jovian’s father, had a dream about Jovian becoming emperor, and about Jovian’s having a co-ruler named Varronian, which ended up being Jovian’s son because of Jovian’s father’s death. Jovian also had a brother named Januarius who was "comes rei militaris" in Thrace.

MILITARY CAREER:

Jovian’s military career was not as distiguished as his father’s was. The only rank he held was Prefect of the Imperial Guard under Julian, which he held during the Persian wars. He still held that rank when he was elevated to emperor, thus, it was because of his father’s military fame, and not his own, that he was chosen emperor at all.

DEATH OF JULIAN AND JOVIAN’S ELEVATION TO EMPEROR:

During the Persian campaign of 363, Julian was wounded by a spear thrown by either a Persian or one of his own Byzantine soldiers. He died on June 26, 363 as a result of his wounds. Now, in the middle of a war, the Byzantines found themselves without an emperor. Their first choice was Salatius, the Praetorian Prefect of the East. Salatius declined the honor on the grounds of old age and ill health. Some of the soldiers then began calling the name of “Jovian”, who accepted the honor, and became the first Byzantine emperor not to be from the line of Constantius Chlorus, Constantine I’s father. There are also some historians who believe Jovian was chosen, not by the soldiers, but by vote, or, that he had been nominated by Julian on his deathbed. A story tells about Jovian supposedly stepping on Julian’s imperial purple robe while the two of them were descending a mountain slope during the campaign, thus predicting Jovian’s becoming the next emperor.

COMPARISON OF JULIAN AND JOVIAN:

When their new emperor was proclaimed by the soldiers calling out the name “Jovian”, some of them didn’t hear the name correctly and thought that the name being shouted was “Julian”, believing that Julian had recovered from his wounds and was still emperor. Actually, Julian and Jovian were about as opposite as could be except for the similarity of their names. Julian was of average looks and height, while Jovian was cheeerful , had blue-grey eyes, and was so exceptionally tall that it was hard to find imperial robes to fit him. Julian was a pagan who led an ascetically moral life. Jovian was a Christian, but also a well-known drinker and ladies’ man. The most important difference in the two men, however, was their religious policy, which will be covered later.

THE RETREAT OF THE BYZANTINE ARMY FROM PERSIA:

King Shapur of Persia was not slow to react to the news of Julian’s death. The Byzantines were vulnerable to attack during the time of the transition from Julian’s reign to Jovian, which is why Jovian was chosen so swiftly. Jovian needed to get back to Constantinople so he could be crowned emperor, and he also must have known the Persians would take advantage of Julian’s death to renew the war with the Byzantines, so the Byzantines began to retreat from Persian territory, taking the embalmed body of Julian with them so it could be buried in the city of Tarsus, according to Julian’s wishes. Along with the burden of carrying Julian’s body with them, the Byzantines also faced may other obstacles on their retreat: crossing the Tigris river in July at flood-stage, marching through the desert in the scorching heat, and being so short of food and provisions that they had to kill all their camels and pack mules in order to survive. It was because of these circumstances that Jovian made the shameful peace treaty with Shapur in 363.

THE SHAMEFUL PEACE TREATY OF 363:

The thirty-year peace treaty of 363 was the most shameful and humiliating treaty the Byzantines had ever made up to this time. Many of the soldiers felt they would rather have been defeated in battle than to be defeated by a peace treaty. The Byzantines were forced to give up key cities and territories, including Nisibis, Castra Maurorum, Singara, and substantial land in Armenia. The loss of Nisibis was particularly devastating to the Byzantines, because, before Jovian’s treaty with Persia, Nisibis was the only Byzantine city in which the Persians were allowed to trade. According to the terms of the treaty, Persia was to keep Nisibis for 120 years and then return it to the Byzantines. However, the 120 years were up in 483 A. D. (incidentally, the year of Justinian I’s birth, another Byzantine emperor who also had an “Everlasting Peace” treaty with Persia), during the reign of Zeno, and the Persians broke this treaty term by not returning Nisibis to the Byzantines. One interesting fact about the surrender of Nisibis is that Jovian ordered all the city’s inhabitants to leave the city so that they would not be captured by the Persians when the Persian troops came to occupy the city. King Shapur agreed to supply the Byzantine army with food and provisions as they continued their retreat towards Constantinople, but failed to keep his part of the bargain. As a result, the peace treaty of 363 was Jovian’s worst act as emperor, but, perhaps, the act he is best remembered for.

JOVIAN’S RELIGIOUS POLICY:

As soon as the retreating army left Persia and entered Byzantine territory at Antioch, Jovian announced his religious policy. In contrast to Julian who was a pagan who persecuted Christians, Jovian was a Christian who didn’t persecute pagans, as is evidenced by the fact that he followed Julian’s wishes and had him buried in Tarsus, the city that was the hometown of St. Paul. While in Antioch, Jovian announced his adherence to the Nicaene creed, the Orthodox faith, the repudiation of Arianism, and restored Athanasius to the see of Alexandria, from which, Julian had removed him. Two interesting laws illustrate Jovian’s religious policy: one dealing with the corruption of virgins and widows who have dedicated themselves to God, and another law mandating the return of any lands and estates to the crown that were given or sold to (pagan?) temples by previous emperors. Julian’s pagan policies were also reversed and restrictions on Christians were lifted.

JOVIAN AND VARRONIAN OFFICIALLY PROCLAIMED CO- CONSULS:

Jovian continued his retreat toward Constantinople and now firmly in Byzantine territory in Ankara, Jovian and his infant son Varronian were named consuls and proclaimed co-emperors. Byzantine coins have survived listing “Divine Jovian and Varronian consuls”, however, Jovian’s short eight-month reign was nearly over. During the proclamation ceremonies, Varronian had bawled and cried so loudly that many of the people present thought it was an evil omen of dark and disastrous days to come for the empire. Indeed, it was to be Jovian’s only, and final, triumph in his short eight-month reign, for he would never live to see, or reign in, Constantinople.

JOVIAN’S MYSTERIOUS DEATH:

Jovian’s father, Varronian, had supposedly had a dream about Jovian becoming emperor. The dream came true, but it didn’t last for long. After leaving Tarsus, once Julian’s body was buried, Jovian continued his march westward to Constantinople. On February 16, 364, the army stopped at the town of Dadastana and camped for the night. Jovian, as was his custom, over-indulged himself in wine" STYLE="text-decoration: none; border-bottom: medium solid green;" HREF="http://search.targetwords.com/u.search?x=5977|1||||wine|AA1VDw">wine and other delicacies, including mushrooms. On the next morning, February 17, Jovian was found dead in his chamber, at the age of 32 or 33. Due to the extreme cold the night before, a charcoal fire had been left burning. The chamber walls had recently been painted, and the fire had apparently ignited the paint fumes, and Jovian breathed in the fatal fumes as he slept. Other causes of his death have been speculated on, including the eating of poisoned mushrooms the night before, indigestion, overeating, natural causes, or maybe even murder by someone who didn’t like the shameful peace treaty with Persia. Jovian’s death was not deeply investigated-or mourned. Ten days after Jovian’s death, Valens and Valentinian I became the next co-emperors of Byzantium. Jovian’s brother, Januarius, was considered as a possible successor at first, but was passed over in favor of Valens and Valentinian I.

EPILOGUE:

Jovian’s body was sent to Constantinople where it was buried with his various predecessors in the Church of the Holy Apostles. Jovian had finally reached Constantinople in spirit, although not in body. His wife, Charito, had met the funeral procession on the way to Constantinople, who mourned not only the loss of Jovian, but of her father, Lucillian, who had also died shortly before. Charito’s grief was not over, however, because her son, Varronian, who had been co-consul with Jovian, was taken, and had at least one of his eyes put out (possibly by Valens?) to prevent him from becoming emperor. Varronian lived to be at least sixteen, but was only a sad reminder of his, and Jovian’s, short and tragic reign.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Eutropius. EUTROPIUS’S ABRIDGEMENT OF ROMAN HISTORY, N. Y.: Hinds, Noble, and Eldridge, n. d., page 85.

Gibbon, Edward. THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. N. Y.: The Modern Library, 1995, pages 728—743.

“Jovian (Flavius Claudius Jovianus)”. COLUMBIA ENCYCLOPEDIA, 5th edition, N. Y.: Columbia University Press, 1993, page 19600.

“Jovian”. HARPER ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MILITARY BIOGRAPHY, N. Y.: Harper Collins Publishers, 1992, page 384.

“Jovian”. OXFORD DICTIONARY OF BYZANTIUM: Volume II. N. Y.: Oxford University Press, 1991, pages 1076—1077.

Marcellinus, Ammianus. THE LATER ROMAN EMPIRE. N. Y.: Penguin Books, 1986, pages 299—313.

Norwich, John Julius. BYZANTIUM: THE EARLY CENTURIES. N. Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997, pages 101—104.