| Constantine the Great | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head of the Colossus of Constantine, Capitoline&#;Museums | |||||
| Reign | 25 July – 22 May (alone from 19 September ) | ||||
| Predecessor | Constantius I (in the West) | ||||
| Successor | |||||
| Co-rulers | |||||
| Born | Flavius Constantinus 27 February c.&#;[1] Naissus, Moesia, Roman&#;Empire[2] | ||||
| Died | 22 May (aged 65) Achyron, Nicomedia, Bithynia, Roman&#;Empire | ||||
| Burial | Originally the Church of the Holy Apostles, Constantinople, but Constantius II had the body moved | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue Detail | |||||
| |||||
| Greek | Κωνσταντῖνος | ||||
| Dynasty | Constantinian | ||||
| Father | Constantius Chlorus | ||||
| Mother | Helena | ||||
| Religion | |||||
Constantine I (27 February – 22 May AD) was a Roman emperor from until he died. He was emperor for longer than any other emperor since Augustus, the first emperor. He was the first ruler of the Roman Empire to be a Christian. He made the old city Byzantium into a new, larger city: Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). The city's name means "City of Constantine" in Greek. He was the son of the emperor Constantius I, and members of their Constantinian dynasty controlled the empire until
Six years after Constantine became Emperor, he had to fight a civil war with his rival Maxentius. A major battle of this war was was the Battle of Milvian Bridge, (which is a bridge over the Tiber River.) It is believed that before the battle, Constantine saw a cross in the sky with the words Latin: in hoc signo vinces, lit.&#;'in this sign you shall conquer'. Because of this, he ordered his soldiers to draw Christian symbols on their shields. Constantine went on to win the battle and later on won the war.
Constantine (Latin: Gaius Flavius Valerius Constantinus; Ancient Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος, romanized:&#;Kōnstantînos) was born in Naissus (Niš, Serbia). He was born on 27 February.[3] The Calendar of Philocalus and the works of the Latin writer Polemius Silvius both say Constantine was born in or The Latin historianEutropius wrote the same information. However, the Greek historian and bishopEusebius of Caesarea wrote that Constantine was born around the year [3]
Constantine's father was Constantius, who later became Roman emperor. Constantine's mother was Helena. She was not from the nobility. The Greek historian Procopius wrote that Helena had come from Drepanon, a city in Bithynia. The Latin theologianAmbrose wrote that Helena was a stabularia, 'stable-girl'.[3] Helena and Constantius may not have married, and Helena may have been Constantius's concubine.[3]
Constantine was a military tribune in the Roman army by ,[3] the year his father became caesar (a junior Roman emperor) on 23 March.[4]
Constantius and the other caesarGalerius each became augustus (a more senior Roman emperor) on 1 May [5][4] On that day, the emperors Diocletian and Maximian retired.[6][7]Maximinus Daza and Valerius Severus each became caesar.[8][9]
The Consularia Constantinopolitana says that Constantius I died on 25 July in Eboracum (York, England).[4] There, on the same day, the army of Constantius made Constantine augustus. (Later, around August , the augustus Galerius agreed that Constantine was caesar, but not that he was augustus.)[3]Roman Egypt accepted Constantine was an emperor.[3]
In autumn or early the next year, Constantine made a military campaign against the Franks. Constantine said that he was Roman consul for the first time in However, the Roman provinces that other emperors controlled did not accept that Constantine was consul.[3] Constantine may have been in Roman Britain again in [3]
Maximian and Constantine may have met at Augusta Treverorum (Trier, Germany) in , possibly in late summer.[3]Maximian made Constantine augustus. Constantine married Maximian's daughter Fausta. (This could have been in late summer, September, or as late as 25 December. Historians are not in agreement about the date.)[3] At the start of his reign, only the lands that Constantine controlled accepted Constantine as augustus. Then, the lands that Maximian's son Maxentius controlled also accepted that Constantine was an augustus.[3]
In Constantine fought a war against the Bructeri. In November , the emperors Diocletian, Maximian, and Galerius met at Carnutum (Petronell-Carnuntum, Austria) and agreed that Constantine was a caesar. Constantine himself continued to say that he was an augustus.[3] The Latin writer Lactantius wrote that in , Constantine got the title in Latin: filius augustorum, lit.&#;'son of the augusti'.[3] The Roman provinces that Galerius controlled said that Constantine was Roman consul for the first time in , but the provinces Constantine and Maxentius controlled did not accept this.[3]
In , probably on the 1 May, Galerius made Maximinus Daza augustus. From this time, the whole empire started to agree that Constantine was an augustus as well.[3] In summer , Constantine again fought a military campaign against the Franks.[3] A war between Constantine and Maximian began. Maximian was at Massilia (Marseille, France) when Constantine took control of the city, probably in around July Then Maximian died, probably by suicide.[3]
On 25 July , it was Constantine's fifth anniversary festival as emperor (his quinquennalia).[3] At that time, Constantine gave himself the name in Latin: divi Claudi nepos, lit.&#;'descendant of the god Claudius'. Constantine said that his father Constantius had been part of the family of the emperor Claudius Gothicus.[3] This was fiction.[4]
On 30 April , the augustus Galerius made a edict. The Edict of Serdica mostly ended the persecution of Christianity in the Roman Empire. At the start of May, Galerius died.[5][3] Constantine was Roman consul for the second time in [3]
Constantine was consul for the third time in [3] Constantine fought a civil war with Maxentius. The Calendar of Philocalus says that the Battle of the Milvian Bridge happened on the 28 October In this battle, Constantine's army overcame the army of Maxentius. Maxentius died in the battle. The Latin writer Lactantius wrote about these events.[3] After the battle, Constantine went across the Tiber River and took control of Rome itself. The Calendar of Philocalus says that Constantine went into the city on 29 October, and that there was a festival for two days.[3]
After 18 January , Constantine was in Mediolanum (Milan, Italy). There Constantine met his co-emperor, Licinius, in January or February. Either in autumn or during the first half of , Constantine travelled to Britain. On 1 August in the city of Arelate (Arles, France), the Council of Arles started (a meeting of bishops.[3] Constantine was consul for the fourth time in [3] In the first half of , Constantine probably had success in a military campaign he fought against the Goths and Sarmatians.[3]
The Calendar of Philocalus says that Constantine came again to Rome in July There was a ceremony (an adventus) when Constantine came to the city. The Calendar says that there was a festival for two days. Constantine got the Latin titles: maximus Augustus, triumphator ominum gentium, resitutor libertas, restitutor totius orbis, lit.&#;'Greatest augustus, triumphator over all peoples, repairer of freedom, repairer of the whole Earth'. On 25 July , it was Constantine's tenth anniversary as emperor (his decennalia).[3]
On 27 September Constantine went away from Rome. There was another ceremony (a profectio) when Constantine went out of the city.[3] At some time, Constantine fought a civil war with his co-emperor Licinius. The Calendar of Philocalus says that Constantine's army overcame Licinius's army at the Battle of Cibalae on 8 October , but historians are not in agreement about the date. It may have been in After this civil war, Constantine and Licinius made peace. This was either at the end of or in January As part of the agreement, Constantine got from Licinius the Roman provinces next to the Danube. (Licinius kept Thracia however.)[3]
The Consularia Constantinopolitana and the Chronicon Paschale both say Constantine and Licinius chose co-emperors on 1 March Constantine and his co-emperor made their three sons their junior co-emperors (their caesares). Crispus and Constantine II (Constantine's sons) and Licinius II (Licinius's son) were each made caesar at Serdica (Sofia, Bulgaria).[3] Constantine was Roman consul for the fifth time in [3] He was consul for the sixth time in [3] On the 25 July , it was Constantine's fifteenth anniversary as emperor (his quindecennalia).[3]
In , it was the fifth anniversary of Crispus, Constantine II, and Licinius II as emperors (each caesar's quinquennalia). In summer , Constantine won a military victory against the Sarmatians. At the start of , Constantine fought a war against the Goths.[3]
In , Constantine and Crispus fought another war against their co-emperor Licinius. The Consularia Constantinopolitana says that Constantine's army overcame the army of Licinius in a battle near Hadrianopolis (Edirne, European Turkey) on 3 July Constantine's armies again overcame Licinius's soldiers at the Battle of Chrysopolis. The Consularia Constantinopolitana says that this battle was on the 18 September Licinius and Licinius II both retired from being emperors. On 8 November that year, Constantine made his son Constantius II caesar. At that time, all Constantine's co-emperors were Constantine's own children (the caesares Crispus, Constantine II, and Constantius II).[3]
On 20 May at Nicaea (İznik, Turkey) the Council of Nicaea started. This meeting of bishops ended on 19 July The Greek historian Socrates Scholasticus wrote about these events. The Chronicle of the Latin theologian Jerome and the Chronicon Paschale both say that on 25 July , it was Constantine's twentieth anniversary festival as emperor (his vicennalia) at Nicomedia (İzmit, Turkey).[3]
Constantine was Roman consul for the seventh time in [3] The Consularia Constantinopolitana says that in around March , Constantine executed his oldest son, the caesar Crispus. The Calendar of Philocalus says that on 18 July (or the 21 July) Constantine again came to Rome. When he came to the city there was another adventus ceremony.[3] Jerome wrote that on 25 July , it was Constantine's twentieth anniversary festival as emperor (his vicennalia) in Rome. ( was the second year in which Constantine had a festival for the same twentieth anniversary.)[3] Jerome's Chronicle and the Chronicon Paschale both say that Constantine set up the city of Helenopolis on 7 January Constantine was consul for the eighth time in The year was the last time Constantine was consul.[3] The Consularia Constantinopolitana says that on 11 May , Constantine was in Byzantium. On that day, Constantine dedicated again the city.[3] After that, Byzantium had the name Constantinople (Latin: Constantinopolis; Ancient Greek: Κωνσταντινούπολις, romanized:&#;Kōnstantinoúpolis, lit.&#;'Constantine's city').
The Consularia Constantinopolitana says that on 25 December , Constantine made his youngest son, Constans, his caesar. They were probably at Constantinople then.[3] In or , Calocaerus started a rebellion in Cyprus.[3] The Consularia Constantinopolitana says that the Romans forced the Sarmatians out of the Banat area around the Danube in [3]
Around , Shapur II's armies attacked Armenia, as part of the Roman–Persian Wars. Shapur's Sasanian Empire sent Narses to invade Armenia, but the attack did not have success and Narses died.[3] The Consularia Constantinopolitana and the Chronicon Paschale both say that on 25 July , it was Constantine's thirtieth anniversary festival as emperor (his tricennalia) at Constantinople. Eusebius of Caesarea gave a speech at the festival.[3]
On the 18 September , Constantine made Dalmatiuscaesar. Constantine probably made Hannibalianus "King of Kings and of the Pontic people" (Latin: rex regum et Ponticarum gentium) on the same day.[3] Eusebius of Caesarea's Life of Constantine says that a Persian embassy from the Sasanian Empire came to Constantine at Constantinople not long after the festival of Easter. Constantine had been at Constantinople on Easter (3 April ).[3]
Eusebius of Caesarea's Life of Constantine says that Constantine died at Ancyrona, near Nicomedia (İzmit, Turkey). He died on 22 May [3]
Constantine was the first Christian Roman emperor. His rule changed the Christian Church greatly. In March , Constantine met with Licinius in Milan where they made the Edict of Milan. The edict said that Christians could believe what they wanted.[10] This stopped people from punishing Christians, who had often been martyred, or killed for their faith. It also returned the property which had been taken away from them. In , Galerius had made a similar edict, though it did not return any property to them.[11] In pagan Rome before this, it had been against the law to practise Christianity, and Christians had often been tortured or killed. Constantine protected them. He went on to organize the whole Christian Church at the First Council of Nicea, even though he himself did not get baptized until near the end of his life.
Constantine did not support Christianity alone. After winning the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, he built the Arch of Constantine to celebrate, but the arch was decorated with pictures of sacrifices to gods like Apollo, Diana, or Hercules. It had no Christian symbolism. In , Constantine said that Christians and non-Christians should all join the "day of the sun" (the eastern sun-worship which Aurelian had helped him introduce). His coins also had symbols of the sun-cult until Even after pagan gods disappeared from the coins, Christians symbols never appeared on the coin, either.[12] Even when Constantine dedicated the new city of Constantinople, he was wearing the Apollonian sun-rayed Diadem.