Valentinian I: The last of the triumphant Roman emperors in the west.

Originally posted on The History of the Byzantine Empire:

Valentinian is sometimes described as a brooding and violent man. Ammianus Marcellinus, in particular, does not mince his words describing Valentinian’s famous anger, ‘His very voice and expression, his gait and his complexion changed when he was in a rage.’ Ammianus doesn’t stop there finding other significant faults in his character particularly his strictness and cruelty. For instance, Valentinian dealt harshly with members of the...