Sirmium, Roman Empire (modern Serbia)Classical
359Emperor Gratian Was Born
A boy emperor inherits a crumbling west
In the garrison town of Sirmium, the infant Gratian was born to Emperor Valentinian I. He would be raised to the rank of Augustus as a child of just eight years, inheriting the Western Roman Empire upon his father's sudden death. Gratian proved a capable ruler in his youth, defeating the Alamanni and appointing Theodosius to govern the East. But his favoritism toward Christian orthodoxy and Gothic bodyguards would ultimately turn his own troops against him.
359 AD
