Religious Intolerance in the Later Roman Empire - Bad request ...

he was about to launch a campaign against the Alamanni. 120 Ammianus indicates that
there was considerable confusion and ignorance in the western court concerning the
eastern situation and no immediate response or plan was forthcoming from
Valentinian to deal with a usurper so early into the reigns of the joint emperors.
Valentinian was even unaware if Valens was still alive or whether he had been killed
by Procopius, or whether perhaps Valens’ death had encouraged Procopius to revolt. 121
Ammianus and Zosimus record that Procopius was a kinsman of Julian, had
risen to the rank of count under Julian and had commanded a sizeable body of troops
in the ill fated Persian campaign. More importantly for Procopius, Ammianus records
the existence of rumours which stated that Julian had given Procopius a purple robe
prior to his Persian campaign with instructions to take over the throne if Julian died
on that campaign. 122 A sentiment which Julian is said to have repeated on his death-
bed. 123 These rumours encouraged Procopius to lie low at his estates near Caesarea in
Cappadocia during the brief reign of Jovian. The importance of the perceived threat
that he posed to Jovian (and potentially thereafter to Valentinian and Valens) is
evidenced by Ammianus who reports that Jovian’s ministers urged the new emperor
to reach a hasty and unfavourable peace with the Persians in order to forestall any
attempt by Procopius to seize power, which they thought he could easily do. 124
Although he renounced any pretence to the throne under Jovian, when Valentinian
and Valens became joint emperors, Procopius felt himself to be under greater suspicion
and he went into hiding.
120
On Procopius’ considerable achievements with very limited means see Lenski (2002) 74-6, 83-4, 88,
96-101; unusual because it was not launched from the power base of an army, and hence was not
“predictable” Lenski (2002) 115. Van Dam (2002) 103-106 gives details of the revolt and of some of the
personalities involved.
121
Amm. Marc. 26.5.4-5
122
Amm. Marc. 23.3.2 repeated at 26.6.3; Zos. 4.4.2
123
Amm. Marc. 26.6.2 Although at 25.3.20 Ammianus records the death-bed speech of Julian in which
he pointedly declined to name a successor. Lib. Or. 18.273 also says that Julian declined to name a
successor and left the decision to the army.
124
Amm. Marc. 25.7.10-11
123