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Constantius II: Usurpers, Eunuchs and the Antichrist Hardcover – November 4, 2016

by Peter Crawford (Author)

4.2 80 ratings

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The reign of Constantius II has been overshadowed by that of his titanic father, Constantine the Great, and his cousin and successor, the pagan Julian. However, as Peter Crawford shows, Constantius deserves to be remembered as a very capable ruler in dangerous, tumultuous times.

When Constantine I died in in 337, the twenty-year-old Constantius and his two brothers, Constans and Constantine II, all recieved the title of Augustus to reign as equal co-emperors. In 340, however, Constantine II was killed in a fraternal civil war with Constans. The two remaining brothers shared the Empire for the next ten years, with Constantius ruling Egypt and the Asian provinces, constantly threatened by the Sassanid Persian Empire. However, Constans in turn was killed by the usurper Magentius in 350. Constantius refused to accept this fait accompli, made war on Magentius and defeated him at the battles of Mursa Major and Mons Seleucus, leading him to commit suicide.

Constantius, was now sole ruler of the Empire but it was an empire beset by external enemies. Constantius campaigned successfully against the Germanic Alamanni along the Rhine and the Quadi and Sarmatians across the Danube, as well as against the Persians in the East, though with more mixed results. In 360 he elevated his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar (effectively deputy emperor) and left him to govern the West, while he concentrated on the Persian threat. Julian defeated the Alamanni in battle but was then proclaimed Augustus by his troops. Constantius was marching back to meet this threat to his rear when he fell ill and died. Having done so much to defend and preserve the empire, his dying act was to attempt to avert further civil war by declaring Julian his rightful heir.

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"Crawford gives us several good accounts of various campaigns, including excellent analyses of a number of battles and sieges; notably those of Strasbourg, Amida, and Bezobde [...] This is a good read for anyone interested in the late Empire."
The NYMAS Review

About the Author

Dr Peter Crawford gained a PhD in Ancient History at Queen's University, Belfast under the tutelage of respected classicist Professor Brian Campbell. His previous books, _The War of the Three Gods_ (2013) and _Constantius II_ (2015) were also published by Pen & Sword. He lives in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen and Sword Military (November 4, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1783400552
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1783400553
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.7 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.2 x 1.75 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,863,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,029 in Italian History (Books)
- #3,113 in Ancient Roman History (Books)
- #5,136 in German History (Books)

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4.2 80 ratings

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Gregory V.

CONSTANTIUS II

Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2017

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I was pleasantly surprised about this book. It is well written and a very thoughtful and I think accurate assessment of Constantius' reign. Given that the primary source material for this reign is sketchy, Mr. Crawford does a good job in interpreting this material. I particularly appreciated his critical review of the work of Ammianus Marcellinus, the primary relatively contemporary source for this period. Although Marcellinus' account is invaluable but I found Crawford's insights into his bias in favor of Julian and against Constantius as both fair and interesting. I approached this book thinking that Crawford's approach would be completely revisionist with a strong defense and justification of Constantius' actions as emperor. Not so. He does not gloss over Constantius' leading role in ordering the murders of his close relatives on his accession nor does he defend Constantius' tendency to rely on ministers of questionable integrity. But, he does point out the positive aspects of this emperor's rule. He also points out - quite fairly - both the strengths and the weaknesses of the character of Julian, the 'hero' of Marcellinus' history. If you are interested in this period of later Roman history, I would strongly recommend reading this book.

8 people found this helpful

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Stephen

Really good book. Exhaustively researched

Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2017

Verified Purchase

Really good book. Exhaustively researched. Impossible to believe anyone could do a better job. Rehabilitates Constantinus' reputation without being blind to his faults - even the author admits to respecting him more than actually liking him. The book is harsher on Julian than Julian normally gets, but the author makes his case well.

4 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Three Stars

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2017

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I expected more of this book. Howevet I don'y regret having bought it.

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PM

Enlightening and entertaining history of Constantius II and his time

Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2019

Verified Purchase

Excellent book on this much neglected ruler. Well written, well researched, scholarly. Highly recommend it to all interested in Roman history.

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Anthony1

A very good book about an underappreciated emperor

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2017

Verified Purchase

While I am often apprehensive and reluctant to purchase and read a pen & sword published book considering they are usually rife with errors, (and this does have a few of the grammatical nature) I believe this was a very well done study of Constantius II, a significant yet usually overlooked later Roman emperor.

9 people found this helpful

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OCProf

The only biography I know of of this Roman dictator.

Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2017

Verified Purchase

A good look at a little known dictator. Recommended.

2 people found this helpful

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Mick Maye

Constantius

Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2017

Verified Purchase

A rambling narrative spanning multiple decades. The sources are limited and the main source Ammianus has a distinct bias against him, however the book gives a solid story of his life.

3 people found this helpful

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JPS

Maligned and squeezed between father and cousin

Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2016

Review first posted on Amazon.co.uk on 25 September

This is an interesting and original biography of Constantius II, the son of Constantine the Great and predecessor of Julian. In this well-researched book, the author shows to what extent Constantius’ reign have been eclipsed by his much better-known kin. He also claims that his achievements have been underplayed or denied, mainly by, Ammianus Marcellinus, Julian and by the Christian Church after his death.
Contrary to appearances, this book is not exactly a revisionist reassessment of Constantius’ reign and of his personality. Rather, it is part, and perhaps even a key part, of an effort by modern historians to see through the biases of the sources, and their hostility towards this son of Constantine. Despite the somewhat conventional – but nevertheless correct - moaning about insufficient sources, Peter Crawford does a rather good and successful job in bringing to light the twenty-four years reign of his subject, but also his complex personality.

This book stands out and is very much worth reading for numerous reasons.

One is the careful analysis of the numerous events, upheavals and crises that took place during his reign, as can be seen through the author’s chronological presentation. These included numerous usurpations throughout the reign and it is therefore hardly surprising that Constantius was paranoid, just like his father became after successfully usurping power in both the West and the East. Interestingly, and as the author shows, Constantius successfully withstood and overcame all attempts, except the last one – that of Julian – where he died as he was just started to march against Julian.

The point here is that by successfully withstanding these attempts, he did achieve the reputation of a ruthless, efficient and successful survivor. He very probably deserves to share such a reputation with his father who, after all is said about the glorious first Christian Emperor, did manage to kill (and have killed) his father-in-law, his two brothers-in-law, his own son and his wife. Constantius, by eliminating all adult contenders for the Empire from the elder branch of the family just after the death of his father and apparently contrary to the latter’s wishes, was therefore walking in his footsteps.

There are other areas as well where the author shows Constantius as continuing his father’s policies and this is especially the case regarding his religious policy. Constantius has, until relatively recently, been presented as an “Arian Emperor” who clashed with the Church – that is with the majority of bishops. The author shows rather well that this is very unlikely to be true. However, once again, he was following in his father’s steps, believed in the Emperor’s supremacy and fought hard to impose it on some unruly, quarrelsome and somewhat fanatical bishops. This was especially the case with Athanasius, who became Patriarch of Alexandria I rather dubious conditions, was deposed and exiled several times, but survived Constantius and is largely responsible for the “bad press” that this Emperor gets in Church sources where he is even labelled “the Antichrist”.

Perhaps the most interesting point of the book is the assessment of Constantius’ military policy, and the convincing way in which the author shows that the sources – and Ammianus Marcellinus in particular – have blackened his reputation and distorted his achievements. He did not only defeat usurpers. His defensive strategy in the East against the Sassanid King can be seen as largely successful; however “Un-Roman” Marcellinus and some of the military chose to portray it.

Letting the Persians exhaust themselves in costly sieges of well-defended fortresses was probably the best strategy in the 340s even if the author’s claim that he had no other option because he only had one-third of the Empire’s resources at his disposal may be a little disingenuous. This is because such a statement assumes that troop deployments were roughly equal between the Rhine, the Danube and the Eastern frontier, which is possible since the three sons of Constantine had divided the army some months after their father’s death, but not known for certain. However, it also ignores that the Eastern part of the Empire was the most populated and the richest and that while the Late Eastern Roman/Early Byzantine Empire would pursue such a defensive strategy during the sixth century, it also went on the offensive. In fact, Julian’s rebellion upset the plans of his cousin at a time where the Emperor was precisely in the last stages of planning such an invasion, and invasion that Julian would carry out and which would result in disaster.

Another very worthwhile feature of this book is the almost systematic comparisons between the reigns and achievements of Constantius and those of his better-known father and cousin (Julian). The later, in particular, can be seen as more dashing but also rash and extremely lucky in his victory at Strasburg but also because of the premature death of Constantius who, had he lived, is likely to have yet again destroyed another usurper.

Two final elements of value relate to Constantius’ government.

One was about court politics and the rather horrid atmosphere of plots where the reputations of rival high ranking officers – whether civilian or military - could be ruined and their lives forfeit. This was encouraged by Constantius’ paranoia, although such paranoia was also part and parcel of the job and numerous Emperors, starting with his father, tended to become so in order to survive. However, Constantius’ paranoia and the fact that unscrupulous courtiers (although not only eunuchs) played on it against their rivals did pushed some of them into rebellion, with Silvanus being perhaps the clearest case. Here again, and although Constantius is made to stand out in this respect, perhaps thanks to the atrocities of “Paul the Chain” and some of his colleagues, similar behaviours can be found under numerous Emperors both before and after him.

The second element relates to his government of the Empire, and the problems he had to face. While recruiting difficulties and some of the measures that Julian took to restore ravaged Gaul are mentioned, the increasingly oppressive and unequal taxation and its effects on the Empire’s social fabric are not analysed as they perhaps could have and as, for instance, Noel Lenski has done for the Eastern Empire under Valens. To be fair, however, this may partly due to shortcomings related to the sources.

Four strong stars for a valuable read on a little-know struggling Emperor.

22 people found this helpful

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Avid reader

The preconditions for the development of religion and politics in the western world

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2018

Verified Purchase

I liked the book, which gives a lot of useful information of a time that is generally not so well known. It gave something of an understanding of the time immediately after the death of Constantin the Great. The very period is crucial to the further development of the whole western world, and very little is known of the sons of Constantin I. A lot of the book is military history, which to me is less interesting, but still I found much good information about that period. As a whole I can recommend the book for anyone interested in the beginnings of the byzantine period.

One person found this helpful

Eloy Domingo Cotallo Abán

An interesting introduction to a forgotten emperor

Reviewed in Spain on September 19, 2017

Verified Purchase

Between Constantinus and Julianus, Constantius is usually forgotten, this book makes justice to this dark emperor, his paranoias and his successes in war. Moreover, the book makes a clear presentation of the IV century society and its problems and evolution, from the army to the Chruch. I highly recommend its reading to people who wants to deep in the late roman empire.

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Harald

Die Tiefe fehlt

Reviewed in Germany on March 8, 2017

Verified Purchase

Leider fehlen wichtige Sekundärquellen. Crawford kennt weder den exzellenten Pedro Barcelo, der schon Constantius II bearbeitet hat. Und es fehlt auch Klaus Rosen und sein Julian, eine der besten Arbeiten über diese Epoche.

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Lex Nosworthy

Constantius II - solid ruler in turbulent times

Reviewed in Australia on May 31, 2017

Verified Purchase

Good and balanced account of an emperor who did the 4th century roman thing - fought off family, usurpers and foreign enemies throughout his lengthy time in power. Interesting and readable throughout.

JPS

Maligned and squeezed between father and cousin

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2016

Verified Purchase

This is an interesting and original biography of Constantius II, the son of Constantine the Great and predecessor of Julian. In this well-researched book, the author shows to what extent Constantius’ reign have been eclipsed by his much better-known kin. He also claims that his achievements have been underplayed or denied, mainly by, Ammianus Marcellinus, Julian and by the Christian Church after his death.
Contrary to appearances, this book is not exactly a revisionist reassessment of Constantius’ reign and of his personality. Rather, it is part, and perhaps even a key part, of an effort by modern historians to see through the biases of the sources, and their hostility towards this son of Constantine. Despite the somewhat conventional – but nevertheless correct - moaning about insufficient sources, Peter Crawford does a rather good and successful job in bringing to light the twenty-four years reign of his subject, but also his complex personality.

This book stands out and is very much worth reading for numerous reasons.

One is the careful analysis of the numerous events, upheavals and crises that took place during his reign, as can be seen through the author’s chronological presentation. These included numerous usurpations throughout the reign and it is therefore hardly surprising that Constantius was paranoid, just like his father became after successfully usurping power in both the West and the East. Interestingly, and as the author shows, Constantius successfully withstood and overcame all attempts, except the last one – that of Julian – where he died as he was just started to march against Julian.

The point here is that by successfully withstanding these attempts, he did achieve the reputation of a ruthless, efficient and successful survivor. He very probably deserves to share such a reputation with his father who, after all is said about the glorious first Christian Emperor, did manage to kill (and have killed) his father-in-law, his two brothers-in-law, his own son and his wife. Constantius, by eliminating all adult contenders for the Empire from the elder branch of the family just after the death of his father and apparently contrary to the latter’s wishes, was therefore walking in his footsteps.

There are other areas as well where the author shows Constantius as continuing his father’s policies and this is especially the case regarding his religious policy. Constantius has, until relatively recently, been presented as an “Arian Emperor” who clashed with the Church – that is with the majority of bishops. The author shows rather well that this is very unlikely to be true. However, once again, he was following in his father’s steps, believed in the Emperor’s supremacy and fought hard to impose it on some unruly, quarrelsome and somewhat fanatical bishops. This was especially the case with Athanasius, who became Patriarch of Alexandria I rather dubious conditions, was deposed and exiled several times, but survived Constantius and is largely responsible for the “bad press” that this Emperor gets in Church sources where he is even labelled “the Antichrist”.

Perhaps the most interesting point of the book is the assessment of Constantius’ military policy, and the convincing way in which the author shows that the sources – and Ammianus Marcellinus in particular – have blackened his reputation and distorted his achievements. He did not only defeat usurpers. His defensive strategy in the East against the Sassanid King can be seen as largely successful; however “Un-Roman” Marcellinus and some of the military chose to portray it.

Letting the Persians exhaust themselves in costly sieges of well-defended fortresses was probably the best strategy in the 340s even if the author’s claim that he had no other option because he only had one-third of the Empire’s resources at his disposal may be a little disingenuous. This is because such a statement assumes that troop deployments were roughly equal between the Rhine, the Danube and the Eastern frontier, which is possible since the three sons of Constantine had divided the army some months after their father’s death, but not known for certain. However, it also ignores that the Eastern part of the Empire was the most populated and the richest and that while the Late Eastern Roman/Early Byzantine Empire would pursue such a defensive strategy during the sixth century, it also went on the offensive. In fact, Julian’s rebellion upset the plans of his cousin at a time where the Emperor was precisely in the last stages of planning such an invasion, and invasion that Julian would carry out and which would result in disaster.

Another very worthwhile feature of this book is the almost systematic comparisons between the reigns and achievements of Constantius and those of his better-known father and cousin (Julian). The later, in particular, can be seen as more dashing but also rash and extremely lucky in his victory at Strasburg but also because of the premature death of Constantius who, had he lived, is likely to have yet again destroyed another usurper.

Two final elements of value relate to Constantius’ government.

One was about court politics and the rather horrid atmosphere of plots where the reputations of rival high ranking officers – whether civilian or military - could be ruined and their lives forfeit. This was encouraged by Constantius’ paranoia, although such paranoia was also part and parcel of the job and numerous Emperors, starting with his father, tended to become so in order to survive. However, Constantius’ paranoia and the fact that unscrupulous courtiers (although not only eunuchs) played on it against their rivals did pushed some of them into rebellion, with Silvanus being perhaps the clearest case. Here again, and although Constantius is made to stand out in this respect, perhaps thanks to the atrocities of “Paul the Chain” and some of his colleagues, similar behaviours can be found under numerous Emperors both before and after him.

The second element relates to his government of the Empire, and the problems he had to face. While recruiting difficulties and some of the measures that Julian took to restore ravaged Gaul are mentioned, the increasingly oppressive and unequal taxation and its effects on the Empire’s social fabric are not analysed as they perhaps could have and as, for instance, Noel Lenski has done for the Eastern Empire under Valens. To be fair, however, this may partly due to shortcomings related to the sources.

Four strong stars for a valuable read on a little-know struggling Emperor.

8 people found this helpful

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Constantius II: Usurpers, Eunuchs and the Antichrist Hardcover – November 4, 2016

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