Within the Church of the Holy Apostles, Constantine had secretly prepared a final resting-place for himself. It subsequently became the capital of the Empire for more than a thousand years, the later Eastern Roman Empire being referred to as the Byzantine Empire by modern historians. Victory over Maxentius gave Constantine undisputed control over the western half of the Roman Empire with the eastern half ruled by Licinius, who became Constantine’s brother in law in 313 AD. [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". The city of Constantinople was the largest and richest city of the Byzantine Empire during the Middle Ages. As emperor, Constantine enacted administrative, financial, social and military reforms to strengthen the empire. After his father's death, Constantine fought to take power. Constantine considered it his capital and made it his permanent residence. [200] After this arrangement, Constantine ruled the dioceses of Pannonia and Macedonia and took residence at Sirmium, whence he could wage war on the Goths and Sarmatians in 322, and on the Goths in 323, defeating and killing their leader Rausimod. 156–162. Drake, "Impact of Constantine on Christianity" (CC), 113. [286], The Niš Constantine the Great Airport is named in honor of him. [241], The Senate as a body remained devoid of any significant power; nevertheless, the senators had been marginalized as potential holders of imperial functions during the 3rd century but could now dispute such positions alongside more upstart bureaucrats. The Great Leiden Constantine Cameo 313 Council of Rome condemns Donatism; 314 Council of Arles; 320 Death of Lactantius; 325 Council of Nicea condemns Arianism; 328 Athanasius bishop of Alexandria; 332 Death of Gregory the Illuminator; 335 Athanasius bannished to Trier; 335, 31 December Death of pope Sylvester ; 336 Death of Arius; Succeeded by: Constantinus II, Constantius II, … Diocletian's first appointee for the office of Caesar was Constantius; his second was Galerius, a native of Felix Romuliana. [162] In Eusebius's account, Constantine had a dream the following night in which Christ appeared with the same heavenly sign and told him to make an army standard in the form of the labarum. 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. [255], Although Constantine created his apparent heirs "Caesars", following a pattern established by Diocletian, he gave his creations a hereditary character, alien to the tetrarchic system: Constantine's Caesars were to be kept in the hope of ascending to Empire, and entirely subordinated to their Augustus, as long as he was alive. [137] The first town his army encountered was Segusium (Susa, Italy), a heavily fortified town that shut its gates to him. [153] Constantine progressed slowly[154] along the Via Flaminia,[155] allowing the weakness of Maxentius to draw his regime further into turmoil. In return, Constantine would reaffirm the old family alliance between Maximian and Constantius and offer support to Maxentius' cause in Italy. [106] He began minting coins with his father's deified image, proclaiming his desire to avenge Maximian's death. Here are some interesting facts about this great leader in human history. The conference was cut short, however, when news reached Licinius that his rival Maximinus had crossed the Bosporus and invaded European territory. [60] It was not to be: Constantius and Galerius were promoted to augusti, while Severus and Maximinus Daia, Galerius' nephew, were appointed their caesars respectively. [276] From these and other accounts, some have concluded that Eusebius's Vita was edited to defend Constantine's reputation against what Eusebius saw as a less congenial version of the campaign. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterranea (now Niš, Serbia), he was the son of Flavius Constantius, an Illyrian army officer who became one of the four emperors of the Tetrarchy. Constantine the Great. 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. In spite of a large donative pledge to any who would support him as emperor, most of Constantine's army remained loyal to their emperor, and Maximian was soon compelled to leave. [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. The son of Constantius I Chlorus, junior emperor and St. Helena, Constantine was raised on the court of co-Emperor Diocletian. Maximian had been sent south to Arles with a contingent of Constantine's army, in preparation for any attacks by Maxentius in southern Gaul. [246], The third century saw runaway inflation associated with the production of fiat money to pay for public expenses, and Diocletian tried unsuccessfully to re-establish trustworthy minting of silver and billon coins. "[93], Following Galerius' recognition of Constantine as caesar, Constantine's portrait was brought to Rome, as was customary. [51] In late 302, Diocletian and Galerius sent a messenger to the oracle of Apollo at Didyma with an inquiry about Christians. Its inscription bore the message which the statue illustrated: By this sign, Constantine had freed Rome from the yoke of the tyrant. The medieval church held him up as a paragon of virtue, while secular rulers invoked him as a prototype, a point of reference and the symbol of imperial legitimacy and identity. Know more about the life, reign, accomplishments, death and contribution to Christianity of Constantine the Great through these 10 interesting facts. Constantine’s first wife was Minervina, whom he married in 303 AD. [310], Latin Rite Catholics considered it inappropriate that Constantine was baptized only on his death bed by an unorthodox bishop, as it undermined the authority of the Papacy, and a legend emerged by the early fourth century that Pope Sylvester I (314–335) had cured the pagan emperor from leprosy. In 326 AD, Constantine had his eldest son Crispus, seized and put to death by “cold poison”. [317] According to Geoffrey, Cole was King of the Britons when Constantius, here a senator, came to Britain. Breaking away from tetrarchic models, the speech emphasizes Constantine's ancestral prerogative to rule, rather than principles of imperial equality. Seeking purification, he became a catechumen, and attempted a return to Constantinople, making it only as far as a suburb of Nicomedia. Constantine granted some clemency, but strongly encouraged his suicide. Constantine the Great Wikipedia. [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. [248] Later emperors such as Julian the Apostate insisted on trustworthy mintings of the bronze currency. They clashed again at the Battle of Mardia in 317, and agreed to a settlement in which Constantine's sons Crispus and Constantine II, and Licinius' son Licinianus were made caesars. Here he witnessed Diocletian’s “Great Persecution”, the most severe persecution of Christians in Roman history. Though it is among the most famous monuments of its era, it also remains highly controversial due to several reasons including the belief of some historians that it was erected during the reign of Maxentius; the arch being heavily decorated with parts of older monuments; and depictions of Pagan gods and goddesses on the arch despite Constantine’s fervour for Christianity. [191] The tombstones of the Imperial Horse Guard were ground up and used in a basilica on the Via Labicana,[192] and their former base was redeveloped into the Lateran Basilica on 9 November 312 AD—barely two weeks after Constantine captured the city. A number of relatives were killed by followers of Constantius, notably Constantine's nephews Dalmatius (who held the rank of Caesar) and Hannibalianus, presumably to eliminate possible contenders to an already complicated succession. [17] The fullest secular life of Constantine is the anonymous Origo Constantini,[18] a work of uncertain date,[19] which focuses on military and political events to the neglect of cultural and religious matters. His mother Helen was the daughter of tavern-inn owner. Constantine I (Latin: Flavius Valerius Constantinus; Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος, translit. The emperors were deposed one after another, and the … Historically, this series of events is extremely improbable. Madgearu, Alexandru(2008). Constantine soon heard of the rebellion, abandoned his campaign against the Franks, and marched his army up the Rhine. Colossal head of Constantine (4th century). [57] Although no contemporary Christian challenged Constantine for his inaction during the persecutions, it remained a political liability throughout his life. The Rise of Western Christendom . [301] Henri Grégoire followed Burckhardt's evaluation of Constantine in the 1930s, suggesting that Constantine developed an interest in Christianity only after witnessing its political usefulness. At the time of his death, he was planning a great expedition to end raids on the eastern provinces from the Persian Empire. #1 He was the son of Constantius Chlorus and St. Helena Constantine adopts the Greek letters Chi Rho for Christ's initials. [156] Maxentius, no longer certain that he would emerge from a siege victorious, built a temporary boat bridge across the Tiber in preparation for a field battle against Constantine. He was later transferred to the east at Nicomedia which is modern Turkey. Odahl, 283; Mark Humphries, "Constantine," review of. [139] Turin refused to give refuge to Maxentius' retreating forces, opening its gates to Constantine instead. Carrié & Rousselle, p.657 citing T.D. Generations later there was the story that a divine vision led Constantine to this spot, and an angel no one else could see led him on a circuit of the new walls. 274-337) was a Roman emperor. Triumphal arches are monumental structures in the shape of an archway which are the most influential type of architecture associated with ancient Rome. [244], Constantine's reforms had to do only with the civilian administration. [288], The Orthodox Church considers Constantine a saint (Άγιος Κωνσταντίνος, Saint Constantine), having a feast day on 21 May,[293] and calls him isapostolos (ισαπόστολος Κωνσταντίνος)—an equal of the Apostles. Constantine was able to spend a year in northern Britain at his father's side, campaigning against the Picts beyond Hadrian's Wall in the summer and autumn. Ruricius sent a large detachment to counter Constantine's expeditionary force, but was defeated. [252] Their names were wiped from the face of many inscriptions, references to their lives were eradicated from the literary record, and the memory of both was condemned. He was born in the Roman province of Mossia (present-day Serbia) sometime between A.D. 271 and 273. The age of Constantine marked a distinct epoch in the history of the Roman Empire. 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. The campaign was called off, however, when Constantine became sick in the spring of 337. [210] Eventually, however, Constantine decided to work on the Greek city of Byzantium, which offered the advantage of having already been extensively rebuilt on Roman patterns of urbanism, during the preceding century, by Septimius Severus and Caracalla, who had already acknowledged its strategic importance. [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". He was a popular emperor, famous for the numerous administrative, financial, social, and military reforms he implemented to strengthen the empire. [260] Constantine resettled some Sarmatian exiles as farmers in Illyrian and Roman districts, and conscripted the rest into the army. Know more about the life, reign, accomplishments, death and contribution to Christianity of Constantine the Great through these 10 interesting facts. Lieu, "Constantine in Legendary Literature" (CC), 305. [223] His most famous building projects include the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Old Saint Peter's Basilica. [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. His head was paraded through the streets. [127] In the summer of 311 AD, Maxentius mobilized against Constantine while Licinius was occupied with affairs in the East. One of the most well-known emperors was Constantine I, known also as Constantine the Great. 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. [242] Some modern historians see in those administrative reforms an attempt by Constantine at reintegrating the senatorial order into the imperial administrative elite to counter the possibility of alienating pagan senators from a Christianized imperial rule;[243] however, such an interpretation remains conjectural, given the fact that we do not have the precise numbers about pre-Constantine conversions to Christianity in the old senatorial milieu. Constantine's exposure to imperial life began early when he was taken to the court of Diocletian. The troops loyal to Constantius' memory followed him in acclamation. Constantine might not have patronized Christianity alone. 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