Constantius Gallus

326 – 354 · Generation XVII · Caesar of the East (AD 351–354) · Constantinian

Constantius (AD 326 – AD 354). Caesar of the East (AD 351–354). Married Constantina around AD 351. Julian’s half-brother; his harsh rule in Antioch ended with a summons west and a beheading on the road. Born at Massa Veternensis in Italy, a grandson of Constantius Chlorus, he lost his father and elder brother in the killings that swept the imperial family after Constantine’s death in 337, himself one of the few boys spared. His boyhood was spent in study, perhaps partly in exile, and he was later lodged with Julian at the imperial estate of Macellum in Cappadocia. In 351, needing a deputy in the East while he fought the usurper Magnentius, Constantius II made him Caesar at Sirmium, renamed him Constantius and gave him his sister Constantina. From Antioch his general Ursicinus crushed a Jewish revolt in Palestine, but grain shortages, treason trials and the killing of the prefect Domitianus turned the emperor against him. Lured west by hints of promotion to Augustus, he was arrested at Poetovio and questioned at Pola; a late reprieve was reportedly held back by the eunuch Eusebius.

Place in the family

Constantius Gallus was a nephew of Constantine the Great.

One of 10 people of Constantinian (246–363) in this archive. Constantine’s house — the first Christian emperors, and a new capital in the east.

Line of descent: Constantius Chlorus → Julius Constantius → Constantius Gallus.

Parents

Julius Constantius (289 – 337)

Siblings

Julian the Philosopher (331 – 363) (half)

Partners

Married Constantina Flavia Julia (318 – 354) in 351

Life

326 — Born
351 — Married Constantina
354 — Died