Abstract

The nomination of Valentinian I as emperor in 364 was not only based on his own military merits but also on the career of his father Gratianus maior. This paper investigates the background and career of Gratianus for which the main source is a passage in the necrology of Valentinian in the Res Gestae of Ammianus Marcellinus. The reconstruction of his career is of significance because the merits of a father became an important condition for candidacy for the imperial throne in the fourth century, in particular when there was no heir or designated successor.

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