Sextus Claudius Petronius Probus

Sextus Claudius Petronius Probus was a leading Roman arisocrat of the later 4th century a.d., renowned for his wealth, power and social connexions. A scion of the powerful Anician family from Verona, he was consul with the Emperor Gratian in 371. He also held the posts of Prefect of Illyricum in 364, Prefect of Gaul in 366, Prefect of Italy in 368-375 and again in 383. Ammianus Marcellinus, in his History (Book 27, ch.11) portrays him as a man who 'owned estates in every part of the empire, but whether they were honestly come by or not is not for a man like me to say' (Ammianus Marcellinus, The Later Roman Empire selected and translated by Walter Hamilton (Penguin, 1986), p.345). He was one who was benevolent to his friends and a pernicious schemer against his enemies, who craved office and exercised enormous influence through his wealth, always insecure and petty even at the height of his power. In 372 he defended Sirmium against barbarian attack and in 375 as accused of corruption and repression in extorting taxes for Valentinian I.