"Born in Constantinople, the son of Julius Constance, brother of Constantine the Great, and his second wife Vasilina. The father died shortly after the death of Constantine the Great, in the year 337, during a military riot. Julian was left an orphan at the age of 6 after the death of his father, while his mother lost in the first year of his life. Where he was with his brother Gall during the disaster of 337 remains unknown, but it is certain that he retained a clear memory of her. After the death of Constantine the Great, when his sons divided the administration of the Roman Empire among themselves, during the bloody massacre perpetrated by the soldiers, perhaps by order of Constantius II (son of Constantine the Great) all immediate relatives of the imperial family were killed. Julian escaped from the hands of the murderers due to his childhood (6 years), and his elder brother Gall escaped death due to a serious illness, which already had to bring him to the grave. Thus, in the very early childhood Julian and his elder brother remained orphans under the tutelage of the emperor Constantius.
After the death of his father, Julian was brought up by Eusebius, the Arian bishop of Nicomedia, and then Constantinople. From 339, he studied Greek philosophy and literature under the guidance of the eunuch Mardonius, who aroused in him a love for the Hellenic world. In 344-345 lived in Nicomedia, where he met Libanius (he could not hear the lectures of this pagan orator, but he was secretly given records of speeches), and in 351-352. – in Pergamum and Ephesus, where he encountered several Neo-Platonist philosophers, among them Maxim of Ephesus, who was a supporter of the Iamblich theurgic neo-Platonism and had the greatest influence on Julian, subsequently causing him to break with Christianity. 352—354 Julian again spent in Nicomedia, studying the works of Neo-Platonists. In 355 he went to study in Athens and there he met Gregory the Theologian and Basil of Caesarea.
In 344, Julian and his brother Gallou were told to live in the castle of Macellum near Caesarea Cappadocia. Although living conditions corresponded to the high status of young people, Julian complained about the lack of society, the constant constraints on freedom and the secret supervision. Probably, Julian's enmity to the Christian faith should be attributed to this period. In this position, the brothers remained about 6 years. Meanwhile, the childless Constantia was very concerned about the idea of a successor, because of the direct descendants of Constancia Chlorus, only two cousins Constantia, Gall and Julian remained alive after the persecution. The emperor in 350, decided to call for power Gall. Summoning him from the castle of Macellum, Constantius gave him the title of Caesar and appointed him viceroy in Antioch. But Gall was unable to cope with the new situation and made many mistakes, arousing suspicions of infidelity against the emperor against himself. Gall was summoned by Constantius to justify, and on the way he was killed in 354. Again, the question of the succession of power was raised. At the insistence of the Empress Eusebius, who acted in this regard contrary to the plans of the court party, Constantius decided to return to Julian the position to which he had birth rights…"
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