In April 307, he attempted to depose his son, but failed and fled to the court of Constantius ' successor, Constantine ( who was both Maximian's step-grandson and also his son-in-law ), in Trier.

Brought up a Christian, Emperor Julian had converted to a philosophical and mystical form of paganism ; and once in power upon the providential death of Constantius II, then Julian attempted to reorganize the highly decentralized pagan cults, on lines analogous to the Christian Church.

However, feeling that the east still required some sort of imperial presence, he elevated his cousin Constantius Gallus to Caesar of the eastern provinces.

In the meantime, Constantius had been receiving some disturbing reports regarding the actions of his cousin Gallus.

However, after some convincing by one of Constantius ’ agents, Gallus continued his journey west, passing through Constantinople and Thrace to Poetovio ( Ptuj ) in Pannonia.

In spite of the some of the edicts issued by Constantius, it should be recognised that he was not fanatically anti-pagan – he never made any attempt to disband the various Roman priestly colleges or the Vestal Virgins, he never acted against the various pagan schools, and, at times, he actually made some effort to protect paganism.

Judaism faced some severe restrictions under Constantius, who seems to have followed an anti-Jewish policy in line with that of his father.

* Constantius Chlorus retakes some of the Gallic territories and conquers the crucial port of Bononia ( modern Boulogne ).

In 293 Carausius was isolated when the western Caesar, Constantius Chlorus, retook some of his Gallic territories, particularly the crucial port of Bononia ( modern Boulogne ), and defeated his Frankish allies in Batavia.

In order to obtain a wife more consonant with his rising status, Constantius divorced Helena some time before 289, when he married Theodora, Maximian's daughter.

Germanus may have made a second visit to Britain in the mid 430s or mid 440s, though this is contested by some scholars who suggest it may be a ' doublet ' or variant version of the visit that has been mistaken as describing a different visit and erroneously included as such by Constantius, according to whom Germanus was joined by Severus, Bishop of Trier and met Elafius, described by Bede as ' a chief of that region '.

Here he was interrogated by some of the highest officials of Constantius ' court, including the eunuch praepositus cubiculi Eusebius and the agens in rebus Apodemius.

Although Constantius rebuilt the western field army to some extent – the Notitia Dignitatum gives a list of the units of the western field army at this time – he did so only by replacing half of its units ( vanished in the wars since 395 ) by re-graded barbarians, and by garrison troops removed from the frontier.

Also extant is a pair of letters which are allegedly correspondence between Lucifer and the emperor's secretary Florentius on the subject of some of Lucifer's inflammatory works that he had sent to Constantius.

Diocletian and Maximian seem to have understood this when they set up Constantius Chlorus and Galerius as Caesars in Gaul and Illyria respectively some thirty-five years later.

There is some doubt as to whether Flavia Maximiana Theodora, who married Constantius I Chlorus, was the a daughter of Eutropia by an earlier husband < ref > Aurelius Victor, de Caesaribus 39. 25 ; Eutropius, Breviaria 9. 22 ; Jerome, Chronicle 225 < sup > g </ sup >; Epitome de Caesaribus 39. 2, 40. 12, quoted in Barnes, New Empire, 33 ; Barnes, New Empire, 33 .</ ref > or whether she was a daughter of Maximian by an earlier anonymous wife < ref > Origo Constantini 2 ; Philostorgius, Historia Ecclesiastica 2. 16 < sup > a </ sup >, quoted in Barnes, New Empire, 33.

Meanwhile, his brother Constantine desired to retain control of Constans ' realm – leading Constantius ' two brothers into open conflict.

The following year saw a combined operation planned by Constantius to regain control of the Rhine from the Germanic tribes that had spilt across the river onto the west bank.

Constantius spent the next two years neutralising the threat of the Franks who were the allies of Allectus, as northern Gaul remained under the control of the British usurper until at least 295.

The murder of Constans in 350 placed the East under the sole control of Constantius, and Paul was at once exiled.

Allectus, having assassinated Carausius in 293, remained in control of Britain until 296, when Constantius staged an invasion to retake the island.

Honorius was unable to control his own court and the death of Constantius initiated more than ten years of instability.

He was dispatched to Roman Britain by the Emperor Constantius II to control subversive elements in 353, after the fall of the Britto-Frankish usurper Magnentius.

After Constantius ' death in 361, his successor Julian the Apostate, a devotee of Rome's pagan gods, declared that he would no longer attempt to favor one church faction over another, and allowed all exiled bishops to return ; this had the objective of further increasing dissension among Christians.

* 357 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory over Magnus Magnentius.

In 340, Constantius ' brothers clashed over the western provinces of the empire.

The relative moderation of Constantius ' actions toward paganism is reflected by the fact that it was not until over 20 years after Constantius ' death, during the reign of Gratian, that any pagan senators protested their religion's treatment.

A member of the Constantinian dynasty, he was made Caesar over the western provinces, by Constantius II in 355, where he campaigned successfully against the Alamanni and Franks.

On December 11, 361, Julian entered Constantinople as sole emperor and, despite his rejection of Christianity, his first political act was to preside over Constantius ' Christian burial, escorting the body to the Church of the Apostles, where it was placed alongside that of Constantine.

* July – Emperor Constantius II convenes the Council of Rimini to resolve the crisis over Arianism in the Church.

* April 28 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory over Magnentius.

* Constantine I sends his half-brother Julius Constantius to Licinius at Sirmium ( Pannonia ), with the proposal to accept Bassianus as Caesar and his power over Italy.

By 288, his period as governor now over, Constantius had been made Praetorian Prefect in the west under Maximian.

Nevertheless, over the next three years the Rhine frontier continued to occupy Constantius ’ s attention.

In 305 Constantius crossed over into Britain, travelled to the far north of the island and launched a military expedition against the Picts, claiming a victory against them and the title Britannicus Maximus II by 7 January 306.

Constantius himself, it seems, did not reach Britain until it was all over, and his panegyrist claims he was welcomed by the Britons as a liberator.

The future Constantius III, who arrived at Arles, put Gerontius to flight and then took over the siege of Constantine in Arles.

After his death in 337, two of his sons, Constantius II and Constans, took over the leadership of the empire and re-divided their Imperial inheritance.

Constantius was not likely to pass over this rebellion against his authority.

Constantius II built there a magnificent bridge over the Pyramus ( Malalas, Chronographia, XIII ; P. G., XCVII, 488 ) afterwards restored by Justinian ( Procopius, De Edificiis, V. 5 ) and has been restored again recently.

Pope Liberius had been banished in 355, as a result of a conflict with the Emperor Constantius II over the treatment of Arianism.

In 354, Pope Liberius asked Eusebius to join Bishop Lucifer of Cagliari in carrying a request to the Emperor Constantius II at Milan, pleading for the emperor to convoke a council to end the dissentions over the status of Athanasius of Alexandria and the matter of Arianism.

In 305, Constantius Chlorus re-invaded the northern lands of Britain although the sources are vague over their claims of penetration into the far north and a great victory over the " Caledones and others " ( Panegyrici Latini Vetares, VI ( VII ) vii 2 ).

Marcellus was reinstated by the Council of Sardica and Pope Julius I in 343, but Basil was restored in 350 by Constantius, over whom he gained considerable influence.

# Troubles after the Abdication of Diocletian – Death of Constantius – Elevation of Constantine and Maxentius – Six Emperors at the same Time – Death of Maximian and Galerius – Victories of Constantine over Maxentius and Licinius – Reunion of the Empire under the Authority of Constantine – His Laws – General Peace