candidianus

Updated: May 21, 2025

His behavior, in the first days of his reign, and the honorable reception which he gave to young Candidianus, inspired Valeria with a secret satisfaction, both on her own account and on that of her adopted son.

Edward Gibbon - History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 1

The conqueror had never received any injury from the father of that unhappy youth, and the short and obscure reign of Severus, in a distant part of the empire, was already forgotten. But the execution of Candidianus was an act of the blackest cruelty and ingratitude. He was the natural son of Galerius, the friend and benefactor of Licinius.

Edward Gibbon - History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 1

As she had not any children herself, she condescended to adopt the illegitimate son of her husband, and invariably displayed towards the unhappy Candidianus the tenderness and anxiety of a real mother. After the death of Galerius, her ample possessions provoked the avarice, and her personal attractions excited the desires, of his successor, Maximin.

Edward Gibbon - History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 1

The prudent father had judged him too young to sustain the weight of a diadem; but he hoped that, under the protection of princes who were indebted to his favor for the Imperial purple, Candidianus might pass a secure and honorable life.

Edward Gibbon - History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 1