Editing Julian (emperor) (section)

===Taxation and administration===
At the end of 357 Julian, with the prestige of his victory over the Alamanni to give him confidence, prevented a tax increase by the Gallic praetorian prefect [[Florentius (prefect)|Florentius]] and personally took charge of the province of ''[[Gallia Belgica|Belgica Secunda]]''. This was Julian's first experience with civil administration, where his views were influenced by his liberal education in Greece. Properly it was a role that belonged to the praetorian prefect. However, Florentius and Julian often clashed over the administration of Gaul. Julian's first priority, as ''[[Caesar (title)|Caesar]]'' and nominal ranking commander in Gaul, was to drive out the barbarians who had breached the [[Rhine]] frontier. He sought to win over the support of the civil population, which was necessary for his operations in Gaul, and also to show his largely Germanic army the benefits of Imperial rule. Julian therefore felt it was necessary to rebuild stable and peaceful conditions in the devastated cities and countryside. For this reason, Julian clashed with Florentius over the latter's support of tax increases, as mentioned above, and Florentius's own corruption in the bureaucracy.

Constantius attempted to maintain some modicum of control over his ''Caesar'', which explains his removal of Julian's close adviser [[Saturninius Secundus Salutius]] from Gaul. His departure stimulated the writing of Julian's oration, "Consolation Upon the Departure of Salutius".<ref name="Athanassiadi, p.69">Athanassiadi, p. 69.</ref>