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- He was divorced and remarried. His first wife was Minervina, and he divorced her to marry his second wife was Fausta.
- Constantine killed his second wife. In AD 326, he had his first son Crispus (from his first marriage) killed. He also had his second wife Fausta killed.
- During his early life, the Roman Empire was divided into a Tetrarchy of four emperors: two senior emperors with the title “Augustus” and two junior emperors with the title “Caesar.”
- Constantine spent his early life held captive in the East (away from his father in the West) by the senior emperor Augustus Diocletian (a great persecutor of Christians).
- Head from the Colossal Marble Statue of Constantine the Great. Constantine's chief goal was always creating and maintaining unity, be it political, economic or, eventually, religious.
- Statue of the Roman Emperor Constantine, Erected in 1998 at York Minster. Constantine ascended the throne of an empire that was fragmented and in disarray.
- Constantine Sees a Vision of the Cross in the Sky. The night before he was to launch an attack on his rival, Maxentius, just outside of Rome, Constantine received an omen...
- The Cross Banner Used by Constantine as his Vision Instructed Him. Eusebius continues his description of Constantine’s vision of Christianity: At dawn of day he arose, and communicated the marvel to his friends: and then, calling together the workers in gold and precious stones, he sat in the midst of them, and described to them the figure of the sign he had seen, bidding them represent it in gold and precious stones.
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- Overview
- A change of scene
- Constantinople, the new Rome
Constantine made Christianity the main religion of Rome, and created Constantinople, which became the most powerful city in the world.
Emperor Constantine (ca A.D. 280– 337) reigned over a major transition in the Roman Empire—and much more. His acceptance of Christianity and his establishment of an eastern capital city, which would later bear his name, mark his rule as a significant pivot point between ancient history and the Middle Ages.
The Roman Empire that Constantine was born into was one of chaos and anarchy. Civil wars, invasions, and disease were rending the empire so badly that the era is regarded as the Crisis of the Third Century. Emperor Diocletian tried to bring order by distributing power to a four-ruler tetrarchy that would govern the four quarters of the empire. Constantine’s father, Constantius I, was one of the rulers.
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Diocletian’s plan fell apart. After the death of his father in A.D. 306, Constantine was declared emperor by his father’s soldiers. He spent the next 18 years battling the three other Roman rulers—his rivals—to become the sole emperor.
The Battle of Milvian Bridge outside Rome in A.D. 312 was a watershed moment for Constantine. He defeated one rival, his brother-in-law Maxentius, and gained the mantle of western Roman emperor. But of far greater import was a revelation he experienced before the battle.
Constantine assumed sole control over the empire in A.D. 324. Rome, however, was losing its luster for him. Tensions remained high between the city’s pagans and the Christian emperor. Moreover, from a military standpoint, Constantine realized it would be easier to fend off threats from the east and to protect valuable territory—and granaries—in Egypt if he moved his capital to a more defensible eastern location. He left Rome for good to build an imperial city that would glorify both his power and his faith.
Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), his capital, was dedicated in A.D. 330. Previously known as Byzantium, it had been under Roman control for well over a century, but Constantine rebuilt and expanded it on a monumental scale. He tripled the size of the existing city and offered full citizenship and free bread to encourage men of rank to move there with their families. A large palace and imposing legislative halls established the city’s gravitas as the new capital. Churches began to punctuate the skyline; Christians were welcomed, and other faiths were generally tolerated.
By the time Constantine established his new capital in A.D. 330, the city that would be called Constantinople had changed hands multiple times among regional superpowers. Darius I of Persia, the Delian League, the Spartans, and Alexander the Great all had ruled the strategic port known as Byzantium on the Bosporus, a strait between the Black Sea and Sea of Marmara. Roman emperor Septimius Severus destroyed the city in A.D. 196 and rebuilt a grander version, which Constantine expanded upon for his New Rome. The city became a prosperous and important center of faith, power, trade, and architecture. The landmark Hagia Sophia (above) was built by Emperor Justinian during the sixth century, the peak of Constantinople’s glory.
This text is an excerpt from the National Geographic special issue The Most Influential Figures of Ancient History.
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Let's take a look at Constantine the great and how he became the emperor of Rome and what he did for Christians and his role in the church.
May 31, 2017 · The Roman emperor, Constantine the Great (c. 272/280-337), is commonly viewed with a positive light. This perspective is likely deserved—the man achieved a lot of impressive feats in his lifetime. He ended Christian persecution in the Roman Empire and was the only survivor in the civil war between the leaders of the Roman Tetrarchy.
Apr 2, 2014 · (280-337) Who Was Constantine I? Constantine I's father became the Western Roman emperor in 305. After his father's death, Constantine fought to take power. He became the Western emperor...
1. It Started in Serbia. Constantine’s full name was Flavius Valerius Constantinus. He was born in the city of Naissus (now known as the Serbian city of Nis) around 280 AD. Wikimedia Commons. 2. Three Decades of Rule. Constantine would reign as Roman Emperor for an astonishing 31 years.
