CONSTANTINE II  . (317—340), son of Constantine the Great, Roman emperor (337—340), was born at Arelate (Arles) in February 317 . On the 1st of March in the same year he was created Caesar, and was consul in 320, 321, 324 and 329 . The fifth anniversary of his Caesarship was celebrated by the panegyrist Nazarius (q.v.) . He gained the credit of the victories of his generals over the Alamanni (331, for which he received the title Alamannicus), and over the Goths (332) . From 335 he administered the Gallic portion of the empire as Caesar till his father's death (22nd of May 337) . On the 9th of September in the same year he assumed the title of Augustus, together with his brothers Constans and Constantius, and in 338 a meeting was held at Viminiacum, on the borders of Pannonia, to arrange the distribution of the empire . In accordance with the arrangements made by his father, Constantine received Britain, Spain and the Gauls; Pontus, Asia, the East, and Egypt fell to Constantius; Africa, Pannonia and the Italies to the youngest brother Constans, whose dominions were further increased by the addition of Macedonia, Dalmatia and Thrace, originally intended for Delmatius, a nephew of Constantine I. and one of the victims of the general massacre of that emperor's kinsmen . By virtue of his seniority, Constantine claimed a kind of control over his brothers . Constans, an ambitious youth encouraged by intriguing advisers, declined to submit; and Constantine, jealous of his prerogatives and dissatisfied with his share in the empire, demanded from Constans the cession of Africa and equal authority in Italy . After protracted but unavailing negotiations, Constantine in 340 invaded Italy . He had advanced as far as Aquileia, when he fell into an ambuscade and lost his life .

His

body was thrown into the little river Alsa, but subsequently recovered and buried with royal honours . See Zosimus ii. xii . ; Aurelius Victor, Epit . 41; Eusebius, Vita Constantin, iv.; O . Seeck in Pauly-Wissowa's Realencyclopadie, iv. pt. i (1900); Gibbon, Decline and Fall, ch . 18 .