Procopius seized power in Constantinople in September 365, exploiting the absence of both emperors — Valentinian was on the Rhine, Valens was in Anatolia — and his own tenuous claim as a relative of Julian. His revolt lasted less than eight months. Valens crushed him in May 366 after two of Procopius's generals defected mid-battle; he was captured and beheaded within hours. The Nicomedia mint struck for him throughout the usurpation, making any solidus from this issue a product of a regime that existed for under a year.
Procopius seized power in Constantinople in September 365, exploiting the absence of both emperors — Valentinian was on the Rhine, Valens was in Anatolia — and his own tenuous claim as a relative of Julian. His revolt lasted less than eight months. Valens crushed him in May 366 after two of Procopius's generals defected mid-battle; he was captured and beheaded within hours. The Nicomedia mint struck for him throughout the usurpation, making any solidus from this issue a product of a regime that existed for under a year.