2026/07/28 by Meaghan McEvoy
paper · doi:10.1093/bics/qbag036
Abstract Following the political turmoil of the deaths in rapid succession of the emperors Constantius II, Julian, and Jovian in the early 360s, the rise of the new imperial dynasty of the Valentinians in 364 heralded a more stable period of rule for the Roman empire. This paper will examine the marriages into the Valentinianic dynasty of two women with blood connections to the house of Constantine: Justina and Constantia. It will highlight the ways in which both women had been exploited as political pawns in their childhoods by usurpers due to their imperial lineage, emphasizing the imperative for the house of Valentinian to incorporate them within their own family. Yet, despite their value as vital connections between the Valentinianic and Constantinian dynasties, neither woman was granted the rank of Augusta after their marriages or received the public prominence that their elevation to this rank would have entailed. Drawing particularly upon contemporary literary evidence, this paper will explore the question of why neither Justina nor Constantia became Augustae. It will also examine the ways in which the Valentinianic emperors chose instead to advertise their own family credentials and history of military service to establish their legitimacy as late fourth century emperors.