Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate

Julian, also known as Julian the Apostate, was a Roman emperor from 361 to 363. He was a nephew of Constantine the Great and a notable philosopher and author in Greek.  Julian publicly announced his conversion to paganism in 361, thus acquiring the epithet “the Apostate”

 Julian was born in 331 or 332 in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) . He was the son of Julius Constantius and Basilina . Julian became an orphan as a child after his father was executed in 337, and spent much of his life under Emperor Constantius’s close supervision . However, the emperor allowed Julian to freely pursue an education in the Greek-speaking east, with the result that Julian became unusually cultured for an emperor of his time .

 

Julian was a man of unusually complex character. He was the last non-Christian ruler of the Roman Empire, and he believed that it was necessary to restore the Empire’s ancient Roman values and traditions in order to save it from dissolution. He purged the top-heavy state bureaucracy, and attempted to revive traditional Roman religious practices at the expense of Christianity . In 351, he converted to the pagan Neoplatonism, recently “reformed” by Iamblichus, and was initiated into theurgy by Maximus of Ephesus .

 

In 355, Constantius II summoned Julian to court and appointed him to rule Gaul. Despite his inexperience, Julian showed unexpected success in his new capacity, defeating and counterattacking Germanic raids across the Rhine and encouraging the ravaged provinces’ return to prosperity . In 360, he was proclaimed emperor by his soldiers at Lutetia (Paris), sparking a civil war with Constantius. However, Constantius died before the two could face each other in battle, and named Julian as his successor .

 

In 363, Julian embarked on an ambitious campaign against the Sasanian Empire. The campaign was initially successful, securing a victory outside Ctesiphon in Mesopotamia. However, he did not attempt to besiege the capital. Julian instead moved into Persia’s heartland, but he soon faced supply problems and was forced to retreat northwards while being ceaselessly harassed by Persian skirmishers. During the Battle of Samarra, Julian was mortally wounded under mysterious circumstances. He died on June 26 or 27, 363 in Ctesiphon, Mesopotamia .