Justina (empress)

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For other uses of the name, see Justina

Justina (died 388) was the second wife of the Roman Emperor Valentinian I (reigned 364-375) and the mother of Valentinian II (reigned 375-392), Galla and Justa.

The daughter of Justus, governor of Picenum under Constantius II, she was at first the wife of the usurper Magnentius (d. 353). Valentinian divorced his first wife on her account and married her not later than 370. She thus became the stepmother of the future emperor Gratian. During the reign of Gratian she lived in Sirmium, but during the reign of her son, who succeeded as a child, was effective ruler in his stead and lived with him in Milan.

For years she fought Saint Ambrose in the conflict over Arianism, but was at last defeated. In 388 she fled with her son to Theodosius in Thessaloniki Greece, before the invasion of Italy by the usurper Maximus, and seems to have died shortly afterwards.

[edit] References

  • Camphausen, Hans v., 1929. Ambrosius von Mailand als Kirchenpolitiker. Berlin/Leipzig.
  • Homes Dudden, A., 1935. The Life and Times of St. Ambrose. Oxford.
  • Jones, A. H. M. et al., 1971. The Prosopographie of the Later Roman Empire I.. Cambridge.
  • Meslin, Michael, 1967. Les ariens d'occident, pp 335-430. Paris.

[edit] External Links


Preceded by
Marina Severa		 Empress of Rome
370–375
(with Albia Dominica)
 Succeeded by
Albia Dominica
and Flavia Maxima Constantia
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