The conflict over basilicas in Milan between Bishop Ambrose and the imperial court of Valentinian II was initiated in the spring or summer of 385 by the emperor's request to Ambrose to hand over one of Milanese churches, the extramural Basilica Portiana, for a Homoian service. The bishop refused, and that supposedly launched hostile actions of the Homoian party against him - attempts to force Ambrose to leave, threats of kidnapping, accusations, and the troops around the church in which he celebrated services. On 23 January 386 the emperor issued the law allowing the Homoians to gather for worship and punishing those who would prevented them with death (see Codex Theodosianus 16.1.4). Subsequently, on Easter 386 followed a second demand to surrender basilica to the Homoians. It led to the events described by Ambrose in the present letter 76 addressed to his sister Marcellina. These should not be confused with the events described in Letter 75 (Maur. 21) and 75a. For detailed discussions and different reconstructions of the events see, among others, Palanque 1933: 139-164, Van Haerningen 1937, Lenox-Conyngham 1982, Nauroy 1988, McLynn 1994: 170-219, Williams 1995: 185-232, Barnes 2000, Colish 2002, Chin 2010, Liebeschuetz 2011: 124-136.