#it’s personally funny to me if gratian is the same height as valens @ age 16. we have a million grievances and his nephew ending up taller

[theodosiana]

Upon the decease of Valentinian, six days after his death the army in Italy proclaimed his son Valentinian, then a young child, emperor, at Acincum, a city of Italy. When this was announced to the other two emperors, they were displeased, not because the brother of the one and the nephew of the other had been declared emperor, but because the military presumed to proclaim him without consulting them, whom they themselves wished to have proclaimed.

Soc. 4.31

so valentinian ii was four years old, and ngl, I’d be annoyed as hell too lmao

(we’re doing a little bit of hollywood casting (so to speak) with the designs for the moment, it was subleyras’ painting of saint basil celebrating mass that caught my attention first, and while it vexes me, it also occupies my thoughts 24/7)