Page "Valens" Paragraph 5

Valens inherited the eastern portion of an empire that had recently retreated from most of its holdings in Mesopotamia and Armenia because of a treaty that his predecessor Jovian had made with Shapur II of the Sassanid Empire.

Valens's first priority after the winter of 365 was to move east in hopes of shoring up the situation.

By the autumn of 365 he had reached Cappadocian Caesarea when he learned that a usurper had proclaimed himself in Constantinople.

When he died, Julian had left behind one surviving relative, a maternal cousin named Procopius.

Procopius had been charged with overseeing a northern division of Julian's army during the Persian expedition and had not been present with the imperial elections when Julian's successor was named.

Though Jovian made accommodations to appease this potential claimant, Procopius fell increasingly under suspicion in the first year of Valens ' reign.