Published : 2025-11-20

The Path of Julian the Apostate to Independent Imperial Power

Anna Pająkowska-Bouallegui

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0383-8098

Abstract

Emperor Flavius Claudius Julianus (Flavius Claudius Iulianus), called the Apostate by posterity, is an extraordinary figure in the history of the Roman Empire. And although he held the office of Caesar for only five years (355–360), and the emperor for less than two years (361–363), he became famous as a wise and just ruler, a good commander, a brave soldier and an efficient administrator. He was also a great lover of ancient culture and a talented writer.

          The life of Emperor Julian the Apostate was full of difficult moments, such as the death of his mother during his birth, the slaughter of his closest family members during the struggle for the throne, several years of seclusion in the Macellum estate in Cappadocia, the murder of his half-brother Gallus, being appointed Caesar and sent to Gaul plagued by invasions barbarians, gaining imperial power by usurpation, rejecting the Christian faith and returning to the ancient Roman religion, as well as undertaking an expedition to Persia and his death on the battlefield.

          A clear mark in the biography of Julian the Apostate was also left by his education, which was both a form of pursuing his own passions and an escape from the dangers of life, as well as his rich and interesting literary output.

          In my article, I present selected breakthrough moments in the biography of Julian the Apostate and show that they influenced not only his life, but also his personality. Those that were imposed on him by others as well as those caused by himself had an immense influence. I present the turning points in Julian’s biography, starting from his childhood and ending with the acquisition of independent imperial power.

Keywords:

Julian the Apostate, Constantius II, Roman Empire in the 4th century, Roman-Byzantine historiography, Christian-pagan relations



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Pająkowska-Bouallegui, A. (2025). The Path of Julian the Apostate to Independent Imperial Power . Biografistyka Pedagogiczna [Biographical Studies in Education], 10(2), 429–456. https://doi.org/10.36578/BP.2025.10.35

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"Biografistyka Pedagogiczna" received funding for the years 2022-2024 from the funds of the Minister of Education and Science under the programme „Rozwój Czasopism Naukowych”.

Project duration: 2023-2024.

The amount of co-financing is 65 992,00 PLN

Contract number: RCN/SP/0434/2021/1