Commentary On Chapter 6

The central event reported in this chapter is the nomination of Valentinian's eight-year-old son Gratian as Augustus on August 24, 367, with the full assent of the army. Valentinian made the decision to raise the young prince to imperial power after he had recovered from a very severe illness, which had caused considerable concern among his staff and soldiers. Ammianus Marcellinus does not state whether his illness, and the potential problem of his succession, inspired the idea as such or hastened the implementation of a previously formed plan. The contents of the chapter favour the latter assumption. In the first three sections Amm. deals with speculations among some of the Gallic members of the imperial staff concerning the succession of the severely ill Valentinian.Keywords: Ammianus Marcellinus; Gratian; Valentinian