Licinius, one of Galerius' old military companions, was appointed augustus in the western regions. His coins give his name as M., or more frequently as C., Flavius Valerius Constantinus. [notes 1] Although he lived much of his life as a pagan, and later as a catechumen, he joined the Christian religion on his deathbed, being baptised by Eusebius of Nicomedia. Though Constantine initially spared the life of his brother in law, Licinius was later executed on suspicion of treasonable actions. [64] In the late spring or early summer of AD 305, Constantius requested leave for his son to help him campaign in Britain. There, in a church his mother built in honor of Lucian the Apostle, he prayed, and there he realized that he was dying. In 310 AD, he marched to the northern Rhine and fought the Franks. They had their son Constantine, who succeeded his father as King of Britain before becoming Roman Emperor. Constantine's later propaganda describes how he fled the court in the night, before Galerius could change his mind. She is revered as a saint. Persian diplomats came to Constantinople over the winter of 336–337, seeking peace, but Constantine turned them away. Seeking purification, he became a catechumen, and attempted a return to Constantinople, making it only as far as a suburb of Nicomedia. Maximian was apprehended when he killed the eunuch and was offered suicide, which he accepted. [26] Contemporary architecture, such as the Arch of Constantine in Rome and palaces in Gamzigrad and Córdoba,[27] epigraphic remains, and the coinage of the era complement the literary sources. [23] The contemporary writings of the orthodox Christian Athanasius, and the ecclesiastical history of the Arian Philostorgius also survive, though their biases are no less firm. In his early reign, the coinage of Constantine advertised Mars as his patron. He enforced the council's prohibition against celebrating the Lord's Supper on the day before the Jewish Passover, which marked a definite break of Christianity from the Judaic tradition. He was written up as a "tyrant" and set against an idealized image of Constantine the "liberator". He suspended the Praetorian Guard, the famous bodyguards of the emperors. Grégoire was skeptical of the authenticity of Eusebius' Vita, and postulated a pseudo-Eusebius to assume responsibility for the vision and conversion narratives of that work. In a letter written to the king of Persia, Shapur, Constantine had asserted his patronage over Persia's Christian subjects and urged Shapur to treat them well. 1880). The story of Roman Emperor Constantine The Great, who united the Roman Empire in 324 A.D. during the great civil war, and granted religious freedom to all. This book is your ultimate resource for Constantine the Great. [159] The battle was brief,[171] and Maxentius' troops were broken before the first charge. Cetatea de Scaun. He disembarked at Lugdunum (Lyon). [169] The figure was otherwise rare and is uncommon in imperial iconography and propaganda before the 320s. Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. Cameron and Hall, 206–7; Drake, "Impact of Constantine on Christianity" (CC), 114; Nicholson, 311. Great job, Conni! [72] The portrait was wreathed in bay. He is frequently called "the Great" because of his successes as a general, administrator, and legislator and because of his support of the Christian Church and efforts to maintain Christian unity. His more immediate political legacy was that he replaced Diocletian's Tetrarchy with the de facto principle of dynastic succession, by leaving the empire to his sons and other members of the Constantinian dynasty. [316] Geoffrey of Monmouth expanded this story in his highly fictionalized Historia Regum Britanniae, an account of the supposed Kings of Britain from their Trojan origins to the Anglo-Saxon invasion. The northern and eastern frontiers of the Roman Empire in the time of Constantine, with the territories acquired in the course of the thirty years of military campaigns between 306 and 337. [231] More significantly, in 325 he summoned the First Council of Nicaea, most known for its dealing with Arianism and for instituting the Nicene Creed. One of the most well-known emperors was Constantine I, known also as Constantine the Great. In the cultural sphere, Constantine revived the clean-shaven face fashion of the Roman emperors from Augustus to Trajan, which was originally introduced among the Romans by Scipio Africanus. Potter is generally thoughtful and circumspect in his sifting of the material. Maxentius accepted. Two imperial commissioners for each province had the task of getting the statues and melting them for immediate minting, with the exception of a number of bronze statues that were used as public monuments in Constantinople. Due to her influence over her son, Helena played an important part in placing Christianity at the heart of Western Civilization. An inscription in honor of city prefect (336–337) Ceionius Rufus Albinus states that Constantine had restored the Senate "the auctoritas it had lost at Caesar's time". [209] Sirmium and Thessalonica were also considered. Build to commemorate Constantine I’s victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, the Arch of Constantine is the largest surviving Roman triumphal arch and the last great monument of Imperial Rome. Constantine I's father became the Western Roman emperor in 305. His father rose to the level of deputy emperor under Emperor Diocletian. The Roman Emperor Constantine (c 280 - 337 A.D.) was one of the most influential personages in ancient history. He made Christianity a lawful religion in Roman society, and he founded the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. Lieu, "Constantine in Legendary Literature" (CC), 305. Constantius was quick to intervene. Although not Christian, the epitomes paint a favourable image of Constantine but omit reference to Constantine's religious policies. In the later Byzantine state, it became a great honor for an emperor to be hailed as a "new Constantine"; ten emperors carried the name, including the last emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. [178] After the ceremonies, the disembodied head was sent to Carthage, and Carthage offered no further resistance. [42] Additionally, no earlier source mentions that Helena was born in Britain, let alone that she was a princess. While some modern scholars debate his beliefs and even his comprehension of Christianity,[notes 2] he is venerated as a saint in Eastern Christianity. Constantine acquired a mythic role as a warrior against heathens. Bleckmann, "Sources for the History of Constantine" (CC), 14; Corcoran. [39] Maximian ruled in the West, from his capitals at Mediolanum (Milan, Italy) or Augusta Treverorum (Trier, Germany), while Diocletian ruled in the East, from Nicomedia (İzmit, Turkey). Two important events marked his reign. The keepers prophesied that, on that very day, "the enemy of the Romans" would die. [97], Constantine remained aloof from the Italian conflict, however. [172] His horse guards and praetorians initially held their position, but they broke under the force of a Constantinian cavalry charge; they also broke ranks and fled to the river. [22] Written during the reign of Theodosius II (AD 408–450), a century after Constantine's reign, these ecclesiastical historians obscure the events and theologies of the Constantinian period through misdirection, misrepresentation, and deliberate obscurity. His mother Helen was the daughter of tavern-inn owner. [257] Therefore, an alternative explanation for the execution of Crispus was, perhaps, Constantine's desire to keep a firm grip on his prospective heirs, this—and Fausta's desire for having her sons inheriting instead of their half-brother—being reason enough for killing Crispus; the subsequent execution of Fausta, however, was probably meant as a reminder to her children that Constantine would not hesitate in "killing his own relatives when he felt this was necessary". [264], Constantine knew death would soon come. Afraid of the Romans, Cole submitted to Roman law so long as he retained his kingship. "The Monetary Systems of the Han and Roman Empires". The Commemoration of the Edict of Milan was held in Niš in 2013. The age of Constantine marked a distinct epoch in the history of the Roman Empire. Interesting Facts about Constantine His birth name was Flavius Valerius Constantinus. [234][235] On the other hand, Jewish clergy were given the same exemptions as Christian clergy.[233][236]. The failure resided in the fact that the silver currency was overvalued in terms of its actual metal content, and therefore could only circulate at much discounted rates. [273] Similar accounts are given in the Origo Constantini, an anonymous document composed while Constantine was still living, and which has Constantine dying in Nicomedia;[274] the Historiae abbreviatae of Sextus Aurelius Victor, written in 361, which has Constantine dying at an estate near Nicomedia called Achyrona while marching against the Persians;[275] and the Breviarium of Eutropius, a handbook compiled in 369 for the Emperor Valens, which has Constantine dying in a nameless state villa in Nicomedia. Eric Nelson. Constantine was nonetheless a prominent member of the court: he fought for Diocletian and Galerius in Asia and served in a variety of tribunates; he campaigned against barbarians on the Danube in AD 296 and fought the Persians under Diocletian in Syria (AD 297), as well as under Galerius in Mesopotamia (AD 298–299). [21] The ecclesiastical histories of Socrates, Sozomen, and Theodoret describe the ecclesiastic disputes of Constantine's later reign. Constantine I, who came to be known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman Emperor at the beginning of the 4th century, who won several important battles to reunite the Roman Empire under one emperor after decades of internal conflict. Constantine became the first Christian Roman Emperor and his founding of the city of Constantinople brought about the beginning of the East Roman Empire which today we call Byzantium. [41] In 288, Maximian appointed Constantius to serve as his praetorian prefect in Gaul. [165] He describes the sign as Chi (Χ) traversed by Rho (Ρ) to form ☧, representing the first two letters of the Greek word ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ (Christos). [51] In late 302, Diocletian and Galerius sent a messenger to the oracle of Apollo at Didyma with an inquiry about Christians. 274-337) was a Roman emperor. Constantine I Constantine I (27 February 272 – 22 May 337 AD) was a powerful general who reigned over the Roman Empire as emperor until his death. [127] In the summer of 311 AD, Maxentius mobilized against Constantine while Licinius was occupied with affairs in the East. [117] His final act survives: a letter to provincials posted in Nicomedia on 30 April 311 AD, proclaiming an end to the persecutions, and the resumption of religious toleration. [277], Following his death, his body was transferred to Constantinople and buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles,[278] in a porphyry sarcophagus that was described in the 10th century by Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in the De Ceremoniis. Drake, "Impact of Constantine on Christianity" (CC), 113. Know more about the life, reign, accomplishments, death and contribution to Christianity of Constantine the Great through these 10 interesting facts. He strengthened the circuit wall around the city with military towers and fortified gates, and he began building a palace complex in the northeastern part of the city. The emperors, however, still needed the talents and the help of the very rich, who were relied on to maintain social order and cohesion by means of a web of powerful influence and contacts at all levels. [47] The cultural environment in Nicomedia was open, fluid, and socially mobile; in it, Constantine could mix with intellectuals both pagan and Christian. [185], An extensive propaganda campaign followed, during which Maxentius' image was purged from all public places. [68] Constantius' campaign, like that of Septimius Severus before it, probably advanced far into the north without achieving great success. In 307 AD, Constantine left Minervina and married Flavia Maxima Fausta, the daughter of Maximian, to strengthen his position politically. [299] He presents a noble war hero who transforms into an Oriental despot in his old age, "degenerating into a cruel and dissolute monarch". [69] Constantius had become severely sick over the course of his reign, and died on 25 July 306 in Eboracum. [145] Ruricius gave Constantine the slip and returned with a larger force to oppose Constantine. The military chiefs had risen from the ranks since the Crisis of the Third Century[245] but remained outside the senate, in which they were included only by Constantine's children. [216][page needed] This removed penalties for professing Christianity, under which many had been martyred previously, and it returned confiscated Church property. Bowman, p. 70; Potter, 283; Williams, 49, 65. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and Old St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome were built on his orders and numerous other churches owed their development directly or indirectly, to Constantine’s interest. [116], By the middle of 310 AD, Galerius had become too ill to involve himself in imperial politics. Constantine the Great and the Beginning of Byzantium. [52] Constantine could recall his presence at the palace when the messenger returned, when Diocletian accepted his court's demands for universal persecution. The same year he had his second wife Fausta killed by leaving her to die in an over-heated bath. Constantine and Maxentius were ignored. Guthrie, 326; Woods, "Death of the Empress," 72. [73] He requested recognition as heir to his father's throne, and passed off responsibility for his unlawful ascension on his army, claiming they had "forced it upon him". [146] Verona surrendered soon afterwards, followed by Aquileia,[147] Mutina (Modena),[148] and Ravenna. Constantius left Helena to marry Maximian's stepdaughter Theodora in 288 or 289. Odahl, 283; Mark Humphries, "Constantine," review of. Lenski, "Reign of Constantine" (CC), 60–61; Odahl, 72–74; Pohlsander, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (. [190] Maxentius' strongest military supporters were neutralized when he disbanded the Praetorian Guard and Imperial Horse Guard. [225] In 323, he issued a decree banning Christians from participating in state sacrifices. [131], Constantine's advisers and generals cautioned against preemptive attack on Maxentius;[132] even his soothsayers recommended against it, stating that the sacrifices had produced unfavourable omens. Being described as a tolerant and politically skilled man,[35] Constantius advanced through the ranks, earning the governorship of Dalmatia from Emperor Diocletian, another of Aurelian's companions from Illyricum, in 284 or 285. [188] At the focal point of the basilica, a stone statue was erected of Constantine holding the Christian labarum in its hand. During the medieval period, Britons regarded Constantine as a king of their own people, particularly associating him with Caernarfon in Gwynedd. While some of this is owed to his fame and his proclamation as Emperor in Britain, there was also confusion of his family with Magnus Maximus's supposed wife Saint Elen and her son, another Constantine (Welsh: Custennin). [286], The Niš Constantine the Great Airport is named in honor of him. The motif of the Romanesque equestrian, the mounted figure in the posture of a triumphant Roman emperor, became a visual metaphor in statuary in praise of local benefactors. [254] At the time of the executions, it was commonly believed that Empress Fausta was either in an illicit relationship with Crispus or was spreading rumors to that effect. [296], Constantine was presented as an ideal ruler during the Middle Ages, the standard against which any king or emperor could be measured. [206] Thus Constantine became the sole emperor of the Roman Empire. "[161] Eusebius describes a vision that Constantine had while marching at midday in which "he saw with his own eyes the trophy of a cross of light in the heavens, above the sun, and bearing the inscription, In Hoc Signo Vinces" ("In this sign thou shalt conquer"). 2.) Constantine The Great Wikipedia. Special commemorative coins were issued in 330 to honor the event. Madgearu, Alexandru [238] The title of perfectissimus was granted only to mid- or low-level officials by the end of the 4th century. The, #8 He had his son Crispus and his second wife Fausta executed, #9 Constantine was instrumental in the rise of Christianity in Europe, #10 Constantine the Great was the second longest serving Roman Emperor, Constantine fell seriously ill in the spring of 337. But Constantine is most famous for laying the foundation for Christianity to become the dominant religion in Europe. [248] Later emperors such as Julian the Apostate insisted on trustworthy mintings of the bronze currency. [74] Galerius was put into a fury by the message; he almost set the portrait and messenger on fire. He minted a coin issue after his victory over the Alemanni which depicts weeping and begging Alemannic tribesmen, "the Alemanni conquered" beneath the phrase "Romans' rejoicing". [166][167] A medallion was issued at Ticinum in 315 AD which shows Constantine wearing a helmet emblazoned with the Chi Rho,[168] and coins issued at Siscia in 317/318 AD repeat the image. Bleckmann, "Sources for the History of Constantine" (CC), 27–28; Lieu and Montserrat, 2–6; Odahl, 6–7; Warmington, 166–67. While some scholars believe that he adopted his mother Helena’s Christianity in his youth others say that his conversion to Christianity started after his vision of Christ promising him victory at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. He was baptized by Eusebius of Nicomedia on his deathbed. Beginning in the mid-3rd century, the emperors began to favor members of the equestrian order over senators, who had a monopoly on the most important offices of the state. [256] The myth rests on slim evidence as an interpretation of the executions; only late and unreliable sources allude to the relationship between Crispus and Fausta, and there is no evidence for the modern suggestion that Constantine's "godly" edicts of 326 and the irregularities of Crispus are somehow connected. [140] Other cities of the north Italian plain sent Constantine embassies of congratulation for his victory. [317], "Constantine" and "Constantine I" redirect here. Constantine adopts the Greek letters Chi Rho for Christ's initials. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, German and Sarmatian campaigns of Constantine, "Portrait Head of the Emperor Constantine, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 26.229", "The sign in the sky that changed history", Sardonyx cameo depicting constantine the great crowned by Constantinople, 4th century AD, "CHURCH FATHERS: Life of Constantine, Book III (Eusebius)", "Imperial Porphyry Sarcophagi in Constantinople", "Barba – NumisWiki, The Collaborative Numismatics Project", "Edict of Milan celebration to begin in Niš", "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Constantine the Great", "Saint Constantine Ukrainian Catholic Church - Patron Saint", 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199249183.001.0001, On the Question of Constantine's Conversion to Christianity, Complete chronological list of Constantine's extant writings, "Constantine the Great, the Reorganisation of the Empire and the Triumph of the Church", BBC North Yorkshire's site on Constantine the Great, Constantine's time in York on the 'History of York', Dechristianization of France during the French Revolution, Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart, Persecutions of the Catholic Church and Pius XII, Pope Pius XII Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Constantine_the_Great&oldid=999337716, Burials at the Church of the Holy Apostles, Characters in works by Geoffrey of Monmouth, Converts to Christianity from pagan religions, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from July 2020, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 25 July 306 – 22 May 337 (alone from 19 September 324).

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