Marina Severa
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Marina Severa (died before 382) was a Roman empress as the first wife of Valentinian I, and the mother of Gratian. The primary sources give two different names for her. John Malalas, the Chronicon Paschale and John of Nikiû name her "Marina" while all other sources call her "Severa".Template:Efn
Life
Marina Severa was married to Valentinian before he ascended to the throne. Their son Gratian was born in 359 at Sirmium in Pannonia. Valentinian was chosen as emperor in 364, and Gratian was elevated to the position of co-emperor in 367. He divorced his wife around 370 to marry Justina, widow of the usurper Magnentius.[1]
According to Socrates of Constantinople: Template:Quote
This account was dismissed by later historians whose interpretation of it was an unlikely legalization of bigamy. However Timothy Barnes and others consider this decision to only allow various Romans to divorce and then remarry. The controversy being that Christianity had yet to accept the concept of a divorce. Barnes considers that Valentinian was willing to go forth with the legal reformation in pursuit of dynastic legitimacy that would secure his presence on the throne.[2]
Theodorus Lector and Jordanes also agreed that Severa introduced Justina to Valentinian and told him about her beauty.[3][4]
John Malalas, the Chronicon Paschale and John of Nikiû report Marina to have been banished because of involvement in an illegal transaction. Barnes considers this story to be an attempt to justify the divorce of Valentinian I without blaming the emperor.[2] According to John of Nikiû, Marina tricked a woman of lesser rank into selling her a garden for a fraction of its value. Template:Quote
Ammianus mentioned Gratian being influenced by his mother, indicating that he kept her close as an advisor when he became senior emperor.[5][6]
Although Valentinian died in 375, his burial in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople did not take place until years later, on 21 February 382. His first wife was already dead by that point, as she was buried next to him.[7]Template:Sfn
References
- ↑ Walter E. Roberts, "Valentinian I (364-375 A.D)"
- ↑ a b Timothy Barnes, Ammianus Marcellinus and the Representation of Historical Reality (1998), pages 123-125
- ↑ Theodorus Lector, Epitome 212, p. 74.9-17
- ↑ Jordanes, Romana 310
- ↑ Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae XXVIII.1.57
- ↑ McLynn, Neil B. (1994). Ambrose of Milan: Church and Court in a Christian Capital. Berkeley: University of California Press. p.85
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Sources
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