Flavius Jovinus (c. 310 - 370 AD) was aRoman general and consul of theWestern Roman Empire. He was of Gallic or Germanic origin and was both born and buried inDurocortorum, modern dayReims.^[1]

Jovinus
Portrait assumed to be of Jovinus, on his sarcophagus Reims, musée Saint-Remi.

Jovinus first appears in the historical record as an officer of unspecified rank in emperorJulian's army.^[2] He, along with one other officer, commanded the one-third of Julian's army sent into Italy from Gaul.^[3] Later during the same campaign he was promoted to the rank ofmagister equitum and besiegedAquileia until the war's end.^[4] After the war, he was one of the judges at theTrials of Chalcedon.^[5]

When emperor Julianinvaded the Persian Empire, he left Jovinus in Gaul. Julian died on the Persian campaign, and his successor,Jovian, tried to oust Jovinus because he feared his popularity with the troops could allow him to usurp imperial power. However, Jovian's appointee declined the promotion, and thenLucillianus, another officer, decided to go to Gaul and take up the position.^[6] Contemporary historianAmmianus Marcellinus criticizes Lucillianus for immediately putting a civil official on trial for corruption, without first securing the safety of the province or the loyalty of the soldiers.^[7] This official fled to the army and claimed that Julian was still alive and Jovian was trying to usurp his power, so the soldiers rioted and killed Lucillianus. After all this effort and chaos to dismiss him, Jovinus took charge, calmed the soldiers, and convinced them to support Jovian. As thanks, Jovian finally reconfirmed Jovinus asmagister equitum in Gaul.^[8]

Jovian soon died, and his successors,Valentinian I andValens, divided the empire between them, with Valentinian ruling in the west. Jovinus was made amagister militum in Valentinian's army, and led a campaign against theAlemanni in 365-66. He engaged the Alemanni, who had crossed theRhine, in three notable battles: one atScarponna (Dieulouard), another along a river^[9] (probably theMoselle), and a final encounter atChâlons-en-Champagne. He was elected to the prestigiousconsulship in 367, together with anothermagister,Lupicinus.

After converting toChristianity, Jovinus sponsored the construction of the church of Saint-Agricole and Saint-Vital on the site of the present abbey church of Saint-Nicaise de Reims. He was buried in this church in 370 in a whiteMarmara marble sarcophagus imported from Italy. This sarcophagus measures 1.48m x 2.85m x 1.33m and weighs approximately 2 metric tons. On its front is a relief of a hunting scene, with Jovinus shown on horseback, spearing a lion. It has been in the Musée d'Archéologie de Saint-Rémi in Reims since 1958. However, its attribution to Jovinus has been disputed since 1880.^{[citation needed]}

Jovinus is also credited with the founding ofJoigny (Joviniacum).

• Sarcophagus of Jovinus,Reims, musée Saint-Remi.
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  View of the whole sarcophagus.
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  Detail of a lion.
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  Detail of one of the horsemen.
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  The tomb of Jovinus as it was presented in the old church of Saint-Nicaise in Reims, gravure (1878),Reims, Carnegie library (Reims)

• Durocortorum
• Reims
• Roman Gaul

• Bendle, Christopher. 2024. The Office of "Magister Militum" in the 4th Century CE: a Study into the Impact of Political and Military Leadership on the Later Roman Empire. Studies in Ancient Monarchies. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag. ISBN 978-3-515-13614-3.
• Bagnall, Roger S.;Alan Cameron;Seth R. Schwartz &Klaas A. Worp (1987).Consuls of the Later Roman Empire. Oxford University Press.ISBN 1-55540-099-X.
• Jones, A.H.M.;J.R. Martindale &J. Morris (1971).The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire Volume 1: A.D. 260–395. Cambridge University Press.ISBN 0-521-07233-6.