148- The Cousin's Cousin

What It Covers

Brothers Valentinian and Valens divide the Roman Empire between West and East in 364 CE, establishing a permanent administrative split. Valens faces his first major test defeating usurper Procopius while Valentinian battles Alemanni invasions in Gaul.

Key Questions Answered

• •Imperial Power Sharing: Valentinian chooses Western provinces despite Constantinople being central capital because he spent his entire career in the West, knew the territory, people, and had strong army ties there, demonstrating how personal experience shapes strategic decisions over conventional wisdom.
• •Legitimacy Through Victory: Valens survives Procopius's eight-month revolt by gathering superior forces at Ancyra, defeating the usurper at Thyatira, and executing him in May 366 CE. This military victory firmly establishes the Valentinian dynasty's legitimacy over the extinct Constantinian line.
• •Propaganda Tactics: Procopius seizes Constantinople by bribing two Constantinian-loyal legions, spreading disinformation that Valentinian died, displaying Constantine's widow and daughter publicly, and falsely claiming Julian designated him successor, showing how sentiment and misinformation enable coups when emperors are absent.
• •Military Command Persistence: Valentinian cycles through multiple failed commanders against Alemanni invaders from November 365 through 366 CE before Jovinus finally succeeds, illustrating that leadership changes matter more than troop numbers when campaigns stall and demonstrating the importance of finding effective field commanders.