Constantine I (27 February 272 – 22 May 337 AD) was aRoman emperor from 306 until hedied. He was emperor for longer than any other emperor sinceAugustus, the first emperor. He was the first ruler of theRoman Empire to be aChristian. He made the old cityByzantium into a new, larger city:Constantinople (nowIstanbul,Turkey). The city's name means "City of Constantine" inGreek. He was the son of the emperorConstantius I, and members of theirConstantinian dynasty controlled the empire until 364.
Six years after Constantine became Emperor, he had to fight a civil war with his rivalMaxentius. A major battle of this war was the Battle ofMilvian Bridge, (which is a bridge over theTiber River.) It is believed that before the battle, Constantine saw across in the sky with the wordsLatin: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.
TheConsularia Constantinopolitana says that Constantius I died on 25 July 306 inEboracum (York,England).[4] There, on the same day, the army of Constantius made Constantineaugustus. (Later, around August 306, theaugustus Galerius agreed that Constantine wascaesar, but not that he wasaugustus.)[3]Roman Egypt accepted Constantine was an emperor.[3]
In autumn 306 or early the next year, Constantine made a militarycampaign against theFranks. Constantine said that he wasRoman consul for the first time in 307. However, theRoman provinces that other emperors controlled did not accept that Constantine was consul.[3] Constantine may have been inRoman Britain again in 307.[3]
Maximian and Constantine may have met at Augusta Treverorum (Trier,Germany) in 307, possibly in late summer.[3]Maximian made Constantineaugustus. Constantine married Maximian's daughterFausta. (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 hisreign, only the lands that Constantine controlled accepted Constantine asaugustus. Then, the lands that Maximian's sonMaxentius controlled also accepted that Constantine was anaugustus.[3]
In 308 Constantine fought a war against theBructeri. In November 308, the emperors Diocletian, Maximian, and Galerius met atCarnutum (Petronell-Carnuntum,Austria) and agreed that Constantine was acaesar. Constantine himself continued to say that he was anaugustus.[3] The Latin writerLactantius wrote that in 309, Constantine got thetitle inLatin:filius augustorum,lit.'son of theaugusti'.[3] The Roman provinces that Galerius controlled said that Constantine was Roman consul for the first time in 309, but the provinces Constantine and Maxentius controlled did not accept this.[3]
In 310, probably on the 1 May, Galerius made Maximinus Dazaaugustus. From this time, the whole empire started to agree that Constantine was anaugustus as well.[3] In summer 310, Constantine again fought a military campaign against the Franks.[3] A war between Constantine and Maximian began. Maximian was atMassilia (Marseille,France) when Constantine took control of the city, probably in around July 310. Then Maximian died, probably bysuicide.[3]
On 25 July 310, it was Constantine's fifthanniversary festival as emperor (hisquinquennalia).[3] At that time, Constantine gave himself the name inLatin:divi Claudi nepos,lit.'descendant of thegod Claudius'. Constantine said that his father Constantius had been part of the family of the emperorClaudius Gothicus.[3] This wasfiction.[4]
On 30 April 311, theaugustus Galerius made aedict. TheEdict of Serdica mostly ended thepersecution of Christianity in the Roman Empire. At the start of May, Galerius died.[5][3] Constantine was Roman consul for the second time in 312.[3]
Constantine was consul for the third time in 313.[3] Constantine fought a civil war with Maxentius. TheCalendar of Philocalus says that theBattle of the Milvian Bridge happened on the 28 October 313. In this battle, Constantine's army overcame the army ofMaxentius. Maxentius died in the battle. The Latin writerLactantius wrote about these events.[3] After the battle, Constantine went across theTiber River and took control of Rome itself. TheCalendar of Philocalus says that Constantine went into the city on 29 October, and that there was afestival for two days.[3]
After 18 January 313, Constantine was inMediolanum (Milan,Italy). There Constantine met his co-emperor,Licinius, in January or February. Either in autumn 313 or during the first half of 314, Constantine travelled to Britain. On 1 August 314 in the city ofArelate (Arles,France), theCouncil of Arles started (a meeting ofbishops.[3] Constantine was consul for the fourth time in 315.[3] In the first half of 315, Constantine probably had success in a military campaign he fought against theGoths andSarmatians.[3]
TheCalendar of Philocalus says that Constantine came again to Rome in July 315. There was aceremony (anadventus) when Constantine came to the city. TheCalendar says that there was a festival for two days. Constantine got theLatin titles:maximus Augustus, triumphator ominum gentium, resitutor libertas, restitutor totius orbis,lit.'Greatestaugustus,triumphator over all peoples, repairer of freedom, repairer of the wholeEarth'. On 25 July 315, it was Constantine's tenth anniversary as emperor (hisdecennalia).[3]
On 27 September 315 Constantine went away from Rome. There was another ceremony (aprofectio) when Constantine went out of the city.[3] At some time, Constantine fought a civil war with his co-emperor Licinius. TheCalendar of Philocalus says that Constantine's army overcame Licinius's army at theBattle of Cibalae on 8 October 314, but historians are not in agreement about the date. It may have been in 316. After this civil war, Constantine and Licinius madepeace. This was either at the end of 314 or in January 317. As part of the agreement, Constantine got from Licinius theRoman provinces next to theDanube. (Licinius keptThracia however.)[3]
TheConsularia Constantinopolitana and theChronicon Paschale both say Constantine and Licinius chose co-emperors on 1 March 317. Constantine and his co-emperor made their three sons their junior co-emperors (theircaesares).Crispus andConstantine II (Constantine's sons) andLicinius II (Licinius's son) were each madecaesar atSerdica (Sofia,Bulgaria).[3] Constantine was Roman consul for the fifth time in 319.[3] He was consul for the sixth time in 320.[3] On the 25 July 320, it was Constantine's fifteenth anniversary as emperor (hisquindecennalia).[3]
In 321, it was the fifth anniversary of Crispus, Constantine II, and Licinius II as emperors (eachcaesar'squinquennalia). In summer 322, Constantine won a militaryvictory against the Sarmatians. At the start of 323, Constantine fought a war against the Goths.[3]
In 324, Constantine and Crispus fought another war against their co-emperor Licinius. TheConsularia Constantinopolitana says that Constantine's army overcame the army of Licinius in a battle nearHadrianopolis (Edirne,European Turkey) on 3 July 324. Constantine's armies again overcame Licinius's soldiers at theBattle of Chrysopolis. TheConsularia Constantinopolitana says that this battle was on the 18 September 324. Licinius and Licinius II bothretired from being emperors. On 8 November that year, Constantine made his son Constantius IIcaesar. At that time, all Constantine's co-emperors were Constantine's own children (thecaesares Crispus, Constantine II, and Constantius II).[3]
On 20 May 324 atNicaea (İznik,Turkey) theCouncil of Nicaea started. This meeting of bishops ended on 19 July 325. The Greek historianSocrates Scholasticus wrote about these events. TheChronicle of the Latin theologianJerome and theChronicon Paschale both say that on 25 July 325, it was Constantine's twentieth anniversary festival as emperor (hisvicennalia) atNicomedia (İzmit,Turkey).[3]
Constantine was Roman consul for the seventh time in 326.[3] TheConsularia Constantinopolitana says that in around March 326, Constantineexecuted his oldest son, thecaesar Crispus. TheCalendar of Philocalus says that on 18 July 326 (or the 21 July) Constantine again came to Rome. When he came to the city there was anotheradventus ceremony.[3] Jerome wrote that on 25 July 326, it was Constantine's twentieth anniversary festival as emperor (hisvicennalia) in Rome. (326 was the second year in which Constantine had a festival for the same twentieth anniversary.)[3] Jerome'sChronicle and theChronicon Paschale both say that Constantine set up the city of Helenopolis on 7 January 327. Constantine was consul for the eighth time in 329. The year was the last time Constantine was consul.[3] TheConsularia Constantinopolitana says that on 11 May 330, Constantine was inByzantium. On that day, Constantinededicated again the city.[3] After that, Byzantium had the nameConstantinople (Latin:Constantinopolis;Ancient Greek:Κωνσταντινούπολις,romanized:Kōnstantinoúpolis,lit.'Constantine'scity').
TheConsularia Constantinopolitana says that on 25 December 333, Constantine made his youngest son, Constans, hiscaesar. They were probably at Constantinople then.[3] In 333 or 334,Calocaerus started a rebellion inCyprus.[3] TheConsularia Constantinopolitana says that the Romans forced the Sarmatians out of theBanat area around theDanube in 334.[3]
Around 335,Shapur II's armies attackedArmenia, as part of theRoman–Persian Wars. Shapur'sSasanian Empire sent Narses toinvade Armenia, but the attack did not have success and Narses died.[3] TheConsularia Constantinopolitana and theChronicon Paschale both say that on 25 July 335, it was Constantine's thirtieth anniversary festival as emperor (histricennalia) at Constantinople. Eusebius of Caesarea gave aspeech at the festival.[3]
On the 18 September 335, Constantine madeDalmatiuscaesar. Constantine probably madeHannibalianus "King of Kings and of thePontic people" (Latin:rex regum et Ponticarum gentium) on the same day.[3] Eusebius of Caesarea'sLife of Constantine says that a Persian embassy from the Sasanian Empire came to Constantine at Constantinople not long after the festival ofEaster. Constantine had been at Constantinople on Easter (3 April 337).[3]
Constantine was the first Christian Roman emperor. His rule changed theChristian Church greatly. In March 313, Constantine met with Licinius in Milan where they made theEdict of Milan. The edict said that Christians could believe what they wanted.[10] This stopped people from punishing Christians, who had often beenmartyred, or killed for their faith. It also returned the property which had been taken away from them. In 311,Galerius had made a similar edict, though it did not return any property to them.[11] Inpagan Rome before this, it had been against thelaw to practiseChristianity, and Christians had often beentortured orkilled. Constantine protected them. He went on to organize the wholeChristian Church at theFirst Council of Nicea, even though he himself did not getbaptized until near the end of his life.
Constantine did not support Christianity alone. After winning the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, he built theArch of Constantine to celebrate, but the arch was decorated with pictures of sacrifices to gods likeApollo,Diana, orHercules. It had no Christian symbolism. In 321, Constantine said that Christians and non-Christians should all join the "day of the sun" (theeastern sun-worship whichAurelian had helped him introduce). His coins also had symbols of the sun-cult until 324. 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-rayedDiadem.
Constantine the Great A site about Constantine the Great and his bronze coins emphasizing history using coins, with many resources including reverse types issued and reverse translations.
