Valentinian I

Valentinian I, who lived from 321 to 17 November 375 and is sometimes called Valentinian the Great, served as Roman emperor from 364 to 375, the second to last emperor to govern the empire as a whole, ruling jointly with his brother Valens after governing alone for roughly two months in 364. Born in Cibalae, in the province of Pannonia, present day Vinkovci in Croatia, he came from a military family of Illyro-Roman origin; his father was Gratianus, nicknamed Funarius, and his younger brother was Valens. During his reign Valentinian campaigned successfully against Germanic tribes along the Rhine and Danube frontiers, including the Alamanni, Quadi and Sarmatians, strengthened border fortifications, and appointed the general Theodosius the Elder to suppress revolts in Africa and Britain during the so called Great Conspiracy. He married twice, first Marina Severa, mother of his sons Gratian and Valentinian II, and then Justina; both sons succeeded him. He died on 17 November 375 at Brigetio, present day Szony in Hungary, of a fatal stroke suffered during a meeting with envoys of the Quadi, reportedly while shouting at them over a territorial dispute.