Gratian

Gratian is a Latin name associated with several historical figures, most notably Gratian, emperor of the Western Roman Empire (c. 359–383), and Gratian, a 12th-century canon lawyer who compiled the Decretum Gratianum.

Gratian, the emperor, was born about 359, the son of Valentinian I and Justina, and the brother of Valentinian II. He was raised to power as Caesar in 367 and became Augustus of the West in 375 after his father’s death, ruling jointly with his younger brother Valentinian II. A supporter of Christian orthodoxy, Gratian continued the imperial policy of promoting Nicene Christianity and diminishing pagan practices. His reign faced external pressure from barbarian groups and internal challenges, culminating in the usurpation of Magnus Maximus in 383. Gratian was killed in 383 during the crisis, and Valentinian II was left as the junior or sole western emperor; Theodosius I in the East later intervened to reassert imperial authority and to confront Magnuses Maximus’s successors.

Gratian, the jurist, was a medieval scholar active in the 12th century who compiled the Decretum Gratianum, a comprehensive collection of canon law. Completed in the mid-12th century, the Decretum organized and harmonized the varied church decretals, papal letters, and other authorities, providing a systematic resource for canon lawyers. The work became the standard textbook in cathedral schools and later medieval universities and served as a foundation for the growth of canon law in Western Europe.