VALENTINIAN II

AD 375-392

AE4. 1.37 g, 13.64 mm

MINTED: Thessalonica mint, AD 378-388

REF: RIC IX Thessalonica 49a (scarce)

OBVERSE: DN VALENTINIANVS P F AVG, pearl diademed, draped and bust cuirassed right.

REVERSE: VOT/X/MVLT/XX within a wreath; TES in exergue.

Historical Notes:

Valentinian was 4 years of age when his father, Valentinian I, died in AD 375 and senior army officers decided to raise him to the purple.  He co-ruled with his elder brother, Gratian and an uncle, Valens, but by AD 383 both of them were also dead.  Young Valentinian never exercised much imperial power himself, and was mostly under the thumb of his mother or co-emperors like Theodosius.  In AD 392, the 21-year old Valens apparently hung himself in his home.  He was possibly murdered by Theodosius's Frankish general, Arbogast.