Jovianus (1), Flavius, Christian emperor
from June 27, 363, to Feb. 16, 364. The
authorities for the Life of Jovian are generally
the same as those for that of Julian. The
fifth oration of Themistius, and certain tracts
printed among the works of St. Athanasius, are important for the special points of his edict of toleration and dealings with the Arians. There is a useful Life of Jovian by the Abbé J. P. R. de la Bléterie (Paris, 1748, 2 vols., and 1776, 1 vol.), containing also a translation of some of Julian's works.
Life.—Jovian was born c. 331. His father, the count Varronianus, was an inhabitant of the territory of Singidunum (Belgrade) in Moesia, the country which gave birth to so many emperors (Victor, Epit. 68). At the time of his unexpected elevation he was the first of the imperial bodyguard, a position of no very great distinction (Amm. xxv. 5, 4).
Julian died of a wound at midnight, between
June 26 and 27, 363, in the midst of his
retreat from Persia, leaving his army surrounded
by active enemies. Early in the
morning the generals and chief officers met
to choose an emperor. Saturninus Secundus
Sallustius, the prefect of the East, a
moderate heathen, who was respected also
by Christians, was elected; but he refused
the dangerous honour, and Jovian was chosen.
The new emperor was a Christian and a firm
adherent of the Nicene faith. He had, indeed, some claim to the honours of a confessor under his predecessor, but Julian, it is said, did not wish to part with so good an officer (Socr. iii. 22). He was in other respects a man of no very marked ability (Amm. xxv. 5, 4; Eutropius, x. 17). He was a generous, bluff, and hearty soldier, popular with his companions, fond of jest and merriment, and addicted to the pleasures common in the camp (Vict. Epit. 6; Amm. xxv. 10, 15). He had a bright and open face, always cheerful, and lighted with a pair of clear grey eyes. His figure was extremely tall and his gait rather heavy, and it was long before an imperial wreath could be found to fit him. He was only a moderate scholar, and in this and many other points was a strong contrast to Julian (Amm. l.c.).
Though he was a sincere believer, we cannot
credit the statement of Rufinus that he would
not accept the empire till he had obliged all
his soldiers to become Christians (H. E. ii. 1). But the greater part of the army did, no doubt, return without difficulty to the profession of faith to which they had been accustomed under Constantius. The labarum again became their standard; and Jovian's coins present, besides the , the new and striking type (now so familiar) of the ball surmounted by the cross, the symbol of the church dominating the world (see Eckhel, Num. Vet. viii. p. 147). Ammianus notes that sacrifices were offered, and entrails of victims inspected on the morning of Jovian's inauguration to decide on the movements of the army (xxv. 6, 1). But directly the reins of power were in his hands such things apparently ceased at once.
We need not describe at length the perplexities
of the Roman generals in their
endeavours to escape from Persia, and the
protracted negotiations with Sapor, to whose
terms Jovian felt it imperative to submit
(Eutrop. Brev. x. 17; Amm. xxv. 7, 8). The
terms were ignoble and humiliating: the
cession of the five Mesopotamian provinces
which Galerius had added to the Roman
dominions, and of the fortresses of Nisibis and
Singara, the former of which had been the
bulwark of the empire since the reign of
Mithridates. No less disgraceful was the
sacrifice of Arsaces, king of Armenia, the firm
ally of the Romans and a Christian prince, allied to the house of Constantine by his marriage with Olympias (Amm. ib. 9–12; cf. Greg. Naz. Or. v. 15). But probably no better terms could have been obtained without the loss of nearly all the army.
After crossing the Tigris with difficulty, the
Roman forces marched for six days through
very desert country to the fortress of Ur, where they were met by a convoy of provisions (Amm. xxv. 8, 16). The scenes at Nisibis were heartrending when the inhabitants were bidden leave their homes. Jovian, however, was firm (xxv. 9, 2). The Persian standard was hoisted on the citadel, in token of the change of ownership and the weeping and broken-hearted people were settled in the suburb of Amida. The emperor proceeded to Antioch. The remains of Julian were sent to be buried at Tarsus, where he had intended to reside on his return from the Persian war.