Constantine the Great (272 to 337)

On 25 July 306 Constantine the Great's father, Constantine Chlorus, died in York. This is where Constantine's struggle in politics began. After his father died, British troops then appointed Constantine the Great as Augustus in the West to replace his father. However, Galerius, Augustus in the Eastern empire did not approve of it. He only recognized Constantine as Caesar in the Western empire.

Thus, Severus who was a former West Caesar was appointed West Augustus in place of Constantine's father. At the same time, Maxentius was appointed by the palace guards as their leader. Galerius also ordered Saverius to attack Maxentius. However, Saverius defected, so that eventually Maxentinus rose to become Augustus and controlled the territory of Italy, Africa, and Gaul. Meanwhile, Galerius helped make Licinius, his best friend, Augustus.

The elements of the Empire underneath Constantine's management enclosed United Kingdom, Gaul, and Spain. Thus, he commanded one amongst the most important Roman armies, occupying the necessary borders of the Rhine. Once his promotion to the emperor, Constantine remained in the United Kingdom, body process the Picts and securing management of the northwestern civilian dioceses.

Constantine completed the reconstruction of military bases that began together with his father's reign and ordered the repair of the region's roads. He now departed for Augusta Treverorum (Trier) in Gaul, the capital of the Tetrarchy within the northwestern empire. The Franks, learning of Constantine's acclaim, invaded Gaul downstream of the Rhine throughout the winter. Constantine drove them back outside the Rhine and captured their 2 kings, genus Ascaris and Merogaisus. The 2 kings and their armies have created prey to the beasts of the Trier amphitheater within the arrival celebrations that followed. Constantine begins the enlargement of Trier.

Constantine reinforced the walls encompassing the town with military towers and fortified gates and commenced building a palace complicated within the northeastern part of the town. On the southern facet of his palace, he ordered the development of an oversized formal hall and an oversized imperial tub.

Constantine initiated some buildings comes throughout Gaul throughout his tenure as emperor of the West, significantly in Augustodunum (Autun) and Arelate (Arles). consistent with Lactantius, Konstantin followed in his father's footsteps within the policy of tolerance towards Christianity. though he wasn't nevertheless a Christian, he most likely saw it at the time as a wiser policy than open abuse, and as some way to tell apart himself from the "great persecutor", Galerius. Constantine formally set to finish the abuse and come to all Christian property that had been lost throughout the abuse. 

Maxentius organized his army — doubly the scale of Constantine's — in long lines facing the battleground, during a position against the watercourse. Constantine's troops received the battleground carrying shields with symbols that were neither customary to them nor custom at the time. Consistent with Lactantius, Constantine had a dream on the night before the battle that tacit that he "put the heavenly sign of God on the shields of his troopers with Associate in Nursing X italicized the highest of his head bent downward, he marked Christ on their shields. " historian describes another version: whereas doing mars at high noon, "he saw together with his own eyes within the sky a crucifix rose from the sun, carrying the message, In Hoc Signo Vinces (with this sign you may win)" within the report. Eusebius, Constantine had a dream the subsequent night during which Christ appeared with an equivalent heavenly sign, and told him to ascertain a customary, the labarum, for his army in this type.

Historian was unsure of once and wherever these events occurred., however he enclosed his story before the war against Maxentius began. historian represented the sign as Chi (X) that is crossed by letter of the alphabet (Ρ): letter of the alphabet, a logo representing the primary 2 letters of the Greek orthography of the word Christos (Christ). In 315 AD, a award was issued in Ticinum showing Constantine sporting a helmet inscribed with Chi letter of the alphabet, and coins issued in Siscia in 317/318 AD once more bearing the image. However, such figures square measure rare and uncommon in info or imperial ikon before the 320s.

Constantine mustered his own strength alongside Maxentius' ranks. He ordered his cavalry to launch Associate in Nursing attack, and that they defeated Maxentius' cavalry. He then sent his cavalry to confront Maxentius' army unit and force them into the river watercourse, wherever several of them were either killed or submerged. The battle was temporary, Maxentius's troops were defeated before his 1st attack. Maxentius' cavalry and praetorian guards were at first able to defend their positions, however their defenses were torn apart by the force of Constantine's cavalry attack; Their ranks additionally split, and that they fled to the watercourse. Maxentius fled together with his horse with them and tried to cross the bridge, however he was pushed into the river by the fledgling lots of troopers, and he submerged. 

He organized a grand journey ceremony within the town and was greeted by cheers. Maxentius' body was far from the river watercourse and headless. His head was paraded through the streets for all to check. once these ceremonies, Maxentius' head was sent to Carthage; since then, the city-state has to command no resistance. in contrast to his predecessors, Constantine neglected the custom of visiting the Capitolinus Hill or creating sacrifices consistent with custom at the Temple of Jupiter. However, he selected to honor the legislator organization with a visit. There he secures to revive hereditary senate privileges and provides him a secure role in Constantine's reformed government: there would be no return against Maxentius' supporters.

In response, the Senate selected him "first name predicate", which means that his name would seem 1st altogether official documents, recognizing him as "greatest Gaius Octavianus." He issued decrees relating to the come of property lost throughout Maxentius 'reign, brought back political exiles, and freed Maxentius' unfree opponents.

After this, an intensive info campaign was undertaken, alongside that Maxentius' image was consistently far from all public places. Maxentius was written as a "tyrant” and was set against the best image of the "liberator" Constantine.

In 314 the Donatism was gripped at the synod of Arles. The Donatists were angry and did not accept the decision, and demanded justice from Constantine. Constantine became furious and intended to imprison them, even if necessary pressuring the synod to sentence them to death. But he realized that this should not be done. With various considerations for the attitude of the Donatism, the emperor decided to confiscate the Donatism shrine.

However, the problem of Donatism is getting bigger. A riot broke out in Africa, and the emperor overcame it with military force. Then on May 15, 321 the emperor announced a decision to the governor of Africa, namely about the condemnation of Donatism. He also wrote letters to the orthodox bishops in the form of advice that they together with the pious people in Africa try to convert the Donatism and bring it back on the right path.

In 320, Licinius allegedly denied the freedom of religion promised in the Milan edict of 313 and started another persecution of Christians, generally without bloodshed, but he carried out the confiscation and dismissal of Christian officeholders. Although Licinius' characterization as anti-Christian is somewhat dubious, the fact is that he appears to be much more reserved in favor of Christianity than Constantine. Hence, Licinius tended to view the Church as a force more loyal to Constantine than to the Imperial system in general - according to the Church historian Sozomen.

This dubious arrangement eventually became a challenge for Constantine in the West, culminating in a major civil war in 324. Licinius, assisted by Goth mercenaries, represented ancient Pagan beliefs from the past. Constantine and the Franks on his side marched under the banner of the labarum. Both sides viewed the battle from a religious perspective. Outnumbered, but fueled by their zeal, Constantine's army won the Battle of Adrianopolis. Licinius fled across the Bosphorus and appointed Martinianus, commander of his bodyguards, as Caesar. Constantine then triumphed at the Battle of Hellespont, and finally the Battle of Chrysopolis on 18 September 324. Licinius and Martinianus surrendered to Constantine at Nicomedia with the promise that they would be left alive: each of them was sent to live as ordinary citizens in Thessalonica and Cappadocia.

However, in 325, Constantine charged Licinius with plotting against him and they were both arrested and executed by hanging; the son of Licinius (son of Constantine's sister) was also killed. Thus, Constantine became the only emperor in the Roman Empire.

While the problem of Donatism was still being resolved, there was also conflict in East Africa, to be precise in Alexandria. This dispute was none other than the emergence of a cult in the church spearheaded by Arius, a priest at a parish in Alexandria. As for the teaching, it is the denial of the deity of Christ. This of course gave birth to conflict between Arius and the church. A council in Alexandria was convened to resolve this issue. However, Arius refused to submit to the outcome of the decision and decided to go and get protection from Eusebius, a bishop of Nicomedia, Asia Minor. The teachings of Arianism were also growing and getting more and more opposition from the orthodox churches. This raises the potential for a bloody conflict.

Seeing this, Constantine the Great did not remain silent because he loved Christianity. But it seems that political interests also moved him because he did not want the unity of his kingdom which he had so hard to gain through warfare would fall apart because of the cracks in the church. Constantine also convened a council at Nicea in 325, which was known as the council of Nicea. The result of the council's decision was a rejection of Arius' teachings, as well as an acknowledgment that Jesus Christ is God Himself. The results of the decision of the Nicene council were contained in the Nicene Creed, which has become the creed of believers in all places and ages.

Apart from taking part in solving the problems faced by the church, Constantine the Great was also considering a new capital city for the Eastern empire. Initially, he chose Troy as the capital of the Eastern Empire. But then he chose another place, namely Byzantium, arguing that Jesus himself ordered it. The city of Byzantium was later renamed Constantinople, after the emperor. The emperor wanted to build this city into a Christian city. Sacrifices of disbelief were prohibited from being carried out in cities, construction of chapels and churches, and so on. Although Constantine banned the cults of the emperor, ended offerings at official ceremonies, and gradually despised pagan religion, he never used force to eradicate it.

Sometime between 15 May and 17 June 326, Constantine captured Crispus, his eldest son of Minervina, and killed him using "cold poison" at Pola (Pula, Croatia). In July, Constantine murdered his wife Maharani Fausta by placing her in an excessively hot bath. Their names are erased from the surface of many inscriptions, their references to their lives in literary records are erased, and their memories of both are removed. At the time of the execution, it was generally believed that Maharani Fausta was involved in an illicit relationship with Crispus or spread such rumors.

Constantine the Great finally died on 22 May 337. Towards the end of his life, he had received holy baptism from the hands of Eusebius, bishop of Nicomedia, an Arian who had just been summoned from exile. Such is the story of the first Christian emperor who raised Christianity from oppression to become the venerable religion of the Roman Empire.