Jovinus (consul)

Jovinus
Portrait assumed to be of Jovinus, on his sarcophagus Reims, musée Saint-Remi.

Flavius Jovinus (c. 310 - 370 AD) was a Roman general and consul of the Western Roman Empire. He was of Gallic or Germanic origin and was both born and buried in Durocortorum, modern day Reims.

Biography

Jovinus first appears in the historical record as an officer of unspecified rank in emperor Julian's army. He, along with one other officer, commanded the one-third of Julian's army sent into Italy from Gaul. Later during the same campaign he was promoted to the rank of magister equitum and besieged Aquileia until the war's end. After the war, he was one of the judges at the Trials of Chalcedon.

When emperor Julian invaded the Persian Empire, he left Jovinus in Gaul. Julian died on the Persian campaign, and his successor, Jovian, tried to oust Jovinus because he feared his popularity with the troops could allow him to usurp imperial power. However, Jovian's appointee declined the promotion, and then Lucillianus, another officer, decided to go to Gaul and take up the position. Contemporary historian Ammianus Marcellinus criticizes Lucillianus for immediately putting a civil official on trial for corruption, without first securing the safety of the province or the loyalty of the soldiers. This official fled to the army and claimed that Julian was still alive and Jovian was trying to usurp his power, so the soldiers rioted and killed Lucillianus. After all this effort and chaos to dismiss him, Jovinus took charge, calmed the soldiers, and convinced them to support Jovian. As thanks, Jovian finally reconfirmed Jovinus as magister equitum in Gaul.

Jovian would soon die, and emperors Valentinian I and Valens would ascend the thrones, with the former taking the western Roman Empire. Thus Jovinus became a magister militum in Valentinian's army, during which time he would command a campaign against the Alemanni in 365-66. He engaged the Alamanni, who had crossed the Rhine, in three notable battles: one at Scarponna (Dieulouard), another along a river (probably the Moselle), and a final encounter at Châlons-en-Champagne. He was elected to the prestigious consul in 367, together with another magister, Lupicinus.

After converting to Christianity, Jovinus sponsored the construction of the church of Saint-Agricole and Saint-Vital on the site of the present abbey church of Saint-Nicaise de Reims. He was buried in this church in 370 in a white Marmara marble sarcophagus imported from Italy. This sarcophagus measures 1.48m x 2.85m x 1.33m and weighs approximately 2 metric tons. On its front is a relief of a hunting scene, with Jovinus shown on horseback, spearing a lion. It has been in the Musée d'Archéologie de Saint-Rémi in Reims since 1958. However, its attribution to Jovinus has been disputed since 1880.

Jovinus is also credited with the founding of Joigny (Joviniacum).

• Sarcophagus of Jovinus, Reims, musée Saint-Remi.
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  View of the whole sarcophagus.
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  Detail of a lion.
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  Detail of one of the horsemen.
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  The tomb of Jovinus as it was presented in the old church of Saint-Nicaise in Reims, gravure (1878), Reims, Carnegie library (Reims)

See also

• Durocortorum
• Reims
• Roman Gaul

References

• Bendle, Christopher. 2024. The Office of "Magister Militum" in the 4th Century CE: a Study into the Impact of Political and Military Leadership on the Later Roman Empire. Studies in Ancient Monarchies. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag. ISBN 978-3-515-13614-3.
• Bagnall, Roger S.; Alan Cameron; Seth R. Schwartz & Klaas A. Worp (1987). Consuls of the Later Roman Empire. Oxford University Press. ISBN 1-55540-099-X.
• Jones, A.H.M.; J.R. Martindale & J. Morris (1971). The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire Volume 1: A.D. 260–395. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-07233-6.