The man known to us as Emperor Flavius Valentinian I was born in AD 321 in the Roman border province of Pannonia to Gratian the Elder and an unnamed wife. Though originally of humble origins, his family rose swiftly through the ranks of the Roman military aristocracy during Constantine I’s reign. By the time of Valentinian’s birth, his father had become a distinguished officer, holding key commands and later serving as comes Africae. Valentinian and his younger brother Valens followed their father on military tours in Africa and Britain during the 330s and 340s, gaining firsthand experience of frontier warfare. By the time of the civil war between Magnus Magnentius and Constantius II in 351, Valentinian was in Pannonia, though his role remains unclear. Regardless, after Magnentius' defeat in 353, the family’s estates were confiscated in the widespread reprisals against those suspected of supporting the usurper. Despite this setback, Valentinian recovered. In 355, he was stationed in Gaul, but after a military defeat, he and a subordinate were unfairly blamed and dismissed. Ian Hughes notes this was likely due to factional struggles at court, where Constantius II relied on a network of powerful eunuchs and advisors to dictate promotions and purges. Forced into temporary retirement, Valentinian withdrew to his estate near Sirmium, where he married and fathered a son, Gratian, in 359. By the early reign of Julian II, Valentinian had reentered military service, though tensions soon emerged between them. Julian, a staunch pagan, distrusted Christian officers, and Valentinian, a Nicene Christian, reportedly suffered for his beliefs. According to Hughes, he was exiled to Mesopotamia after refusing to participate in a pagan ritual. This exile, however, spared him from Julian’s ill-fated Persian campaign of 363, which ended in disaster and the emperor’s death. When Jovian unexpectedly died in early 364, Valentinian was well-positioned in Ancyra. The army, desperate for a capable leader, acclaimed him emperor. However, when he attempted to address the troops, they drowned him out, demanding he appoint a co-emperor to prevent further instability. He conceded and named his brother Valens as ruler of the eastern dioceses. Upon taking power, the brothers inherited a near-bankrupt empire. Hughes emphasizes that Julian’s mismanagement of finances, his failed Persian campaign, and the extravagant bonuses promised to the legions had drained the treasury. These payments included Julian’s unfulfilled donative, the one Jovian was forced to provide, and the sums Valentinian and Valens had to promise to secure their own legitimacy. In total, the brothers owed 80,000 pounds of gold and 1,000,000 pounds of silver, a staggering burden that dictated much of their early fiscial policy. Despite these financial constraints, both emperors managed to pay off the owed donatives, with Valentinian even lowering taxes in 370. His fiscal policies were aggressive but effective: he dismissed Julian’s sycophantic court officials, reclaimed lands granted by Julian, and reorganized taxation in North Africa, targeting the vast senatorial estates. This coin was struck during the early years of demobilization in Antioch, likely to help fund the enormous donative owed to the armies by the Imperial brothers. It is one of the finest examples from this period that I have seen and will likely remain the highlight of my collection. I am eternally grateful to God for the opportunity to own such a remarkable piece of history from my favorite emperor. The Roman World on the ascension of Valentinian I and Valens. Courtesy of OmniAtlas And the coin itself: DENOMINATION: Solidus MATERIAL: Gold DATE: 364 - 367 AD MINTMARK: ANTA (Antioch) SIZE: 21.6mm dia WEIGHT: 4.45 grams ATTRIBUTION: Antioch RIC IX 2b, xxix var RIC IX 2(b), type xxix var (officina); Cohen 28 var; Sear (1988) 4088 var (mintmark) Please post your coins of Valentinian I or Valens. Thanks. ~MM
What a spectacular, eye watering coin! Very sharply struck and I can see why it's the highlight of your collection! I just recently got a coin from Valens, but's a silver siliqua instead of a gold solidus. Well done on your purchase!
