ABSTRACT
After defeating Magnus Maximus in 388, Theodosius would remain in the west until 391. It was during this time that he would come into conflict with one of the most celebrated figures of the late Antique church, Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. The dominant Arian group were led by Auxentius, Bishop of Milan, who had maintained his position in the face of the Nicene dominance of the west. After a period during which Ambrose made the appropriate protestations of refusal, he eventually agreed and was ordained as Bishop of Milan. The accession of a new and largely untested emperor proved fortuitous for Ambrose. Gratian was more interested in church matters than his father, who had maintained a studious distance from doctrinal squabbles. In addition, the post-Adrianople military situation meant that by 380/81 the emperor had shifted his court from Gaul to Milan in order to monitor the volatile provinces to the north.
