156- Jockeying for Position

What It Covers

Following Emperor Gratian's assassination in 383 CE, three imperial courts—Maximus in Trier, Valentinian II in Milan, and Theodosius in Constantinople—engage in five years of diplomatic maneuvering, religious positioning, and strategic stalemate before inevitable military confrontation.

Key Questions Answered

• •Diplomatic Stalling Tactics: Bishop Ambrose delays Maximus's demands for Valentinian II's submission by requesting winter postponement and claiming lack of mandate, buying critical time for Milan's generals to fortify Alpine passes and prevent swift conquest of Italy.
• •Religious Authority Over Imperial Power: Ambrose refuses Empress Justina's request for even one Arian church in Milan, mobilizes Nicene congregations to physically expel imperial guards from the Portian Basilica, and successfully forces the empress to withdraw—establishing church independence from state control.
• •Competitive Religious Extremism: Maximus executes heretic bishop Priscillian and six followers (history's first execution for heresy) attempting to prove stronger Nicene credentials than Theodosius to win Ambrose's support, though the bishop condemns this as imperial overreach into church jurisdiction.
• •Strategic Treaty Sacrifice: Theodosius cedes four-fifths of Armenia to Sassanid Persia in 387 CE, accepting territorial loss to secure eastern peace, freeing his forces to march west against Maximus and breaking the five-year imperial stalemate.