Gratian otherwise Gratianus Augustus, was a Roman Emperor. He was born in 359 and died in about 386. The eldest son of the Emperor Valentinian I, when he was only eight years of age he was raised by his father to the rank of Augustus. On the death of Valentinian in 375 the Eastern Empire remained subject to Valens, and Gratian was obliged to share the western part with his half-brother, Valentinian II, then four years old. In 378 he succeeded to the Eastern Empire, which he bestowed on Theodosius I. He was deserted by his soldiers while leading them against Maximus, and put to death at Lyons in the eighth year of his reign. Research Gratian
St Ambrose was a celebrated father of the Christian church. He was born in 333 or 334, probably at Treves and died in 397. His father was prefect at Treves. He was educated at Rome, studied law, practised as a pleader at Milan, and in 369 was appointed governor of Liguria and AEmilia (North Italy). His kindness and wisdom gained him the esteem and love of the people, and in 374 he was unanimously called to the bishopric of Milan, though not yet baptized. For a time he refused to accept the post, but he had to give way, and at once ranged himself against the Arians. In his struggles against the Arian heresy he was opposed by Justina, mother of Valentinian II, and for a time by the young emperor himself, together with the courtiers and the Gothic troops. Backed by the people of Milan, however, he felt strong enough to deny the Arians the use of a single church in the city, although Justina, in her son's name, demanded that two should be given up. He also carried on a war with paganism, Symmachus, the prefect of the city, an eloquent orator, having endeavoured to restore the freedom to worship heathen deities.
In 390, on account of the massacre at Thessalonica ordered by the emperor Theodosius, he refused him entrance into the church of Milan for eight months. The later years of his life were devoted to the more immediate care of his see. His writings, which are numerous, show that his theological knowledge extended little beyond an acquaintance with the works of the Greek fathers. He wrote Latin hymns, but the Te Deum Laudamus, which has been ascribed to him, was written a century later. He introduced the Ambrosian Chant, a mode of singing more monotonous than the Gregorian which superseded it. He also compiled a form of ritual known by his name. Research St Ambrose
Valentinian II was Roman emperor of the West, from 375 to 392. He was born in 371 and died in 392. A merechild, he became joint emperor with his half-brother Gratian, after whose death, in 383, his mother, Justina, was virtual ruler of the empire. When Maximus Magnus, whose claims as an independent sovereign had been recognized beyond the Alps, advanced against Italy, Valentinian II took refuge with his brother-in-law, Theodosius, who defeated Maximus and restored Valentinian II. An uneventful reign ended with his assassination by one of his generals, Arbogast the Frank, on May the 15th, 392. Research Valentinian II
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