Constantius was the second son of Constantine I and his second wife Fausta. After Constantine defeated Licinius in 324, Constantius and his brothers were raised to the rank of Caesar. Constantius was given command in the East, the portion of the Empire he governed following Constantine's death in 337, while his brother Constantine II ruled the far West, and Constans I the Central Empire. Constantius was complicit in, if not the instigator of, the massacre of all of his aunts and uncles and most of his cousins later that year. He was left as sole emperor after a fratricidal war between Constantine and Constans left the former dead and the latter as ruler of the entire Western Empire in 340. Constans was killed in turn by the usurper Magnentius in 350, who was in turn killed by Constantius. With no children of his own, Constantius raised his remaining cousins, first Constantius Gallus, then Julian to be co-emperors. When Julian rose up in revolt against his cousin, Constantius rode out to meet him, but died of an illness before the two could meet in battle, leaving Julian as sole emperor and the sole male survivor of the Constantinian family.

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