Gratian

Flavius Gratianus was the eldest son of Valentinian I, raised to Augustus in 367 as a child. He became nominal sole ruler of the West at 16 on his father's death, then received the East as well after Adrianople until Theodosius was appointed. A zealous Nicene Christian, he was the first emperor to refuse the traditional pagan title Pontifex Maximus and removed the Altar of Victory from the Senate House. He was murdered near Lugdunum by followers of the usurper Magnus Maximus, who had been proclaimed emperor in Britain.

Gratian's refusal of the Pontifex Maximus title marked the definitive separation of the emperor from the Roman pagan priesthood, a symbolic rupture that his father and even Theodosius had not made so explicitly. His assassination by Maximus's forces began the process that would make Britain increasingly peripheral to imperial concerns.

Key Events

Coinage

Gratian's coinage continues the Valentinianic style with the standard GLORIA ROMANORVM, REPARATIO REIPVB, and SECURITAS REIPVBLICAE types. His portrait is notably youthful; he was emperor from age 8 and died at 24. The western mints at Trier and Arles were most active under him. His solidus types are well-struck and regularly available.

Related Resources

Further Reading

• Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IX, J.W.E. Pearce
• Roman Coins and Their Values, Volume V, David R. Sear