Constantine the Great

Lore & Background

Constantine was born in Naissus, the son of Flavius Constantius, a Roman army officer who became one of the four emperors of the Tetrarchy, and Helena, a Greek woman of low birth. He served under emperors Diocletian and Galerius, campaigning in the eastern provinces against the Persians before being recalled west to fight with his father in Britannia. After his father's death in 306, Constantine was proclaimed augustus by his army at Eboracum (York, England). He emerged victorious in the civil wars of the Tetrarchy against Maxentius and Licinius, becoming sole ruler of the Roman Empire by 324.

Upon his accession, Constantine enacted many reforms: he restructured government, separating civil and military authorities; introduced the solidus gold coin to combat inflation; disbanded the Praetorian Guard; and reorganised the army into mobile units and frontier-garrison troops. He campaigned against the Franks, Alemanni, Goths, and Sarmatians, and resettled abandoned territories. Although he lived much of his life as a pagan, he later became a catechumen, favouring Christianity from 312 and being baptised by Eusebius of Nicomedia, an Arian bishop. He convoked the First Council of Nicaea in 325, which produced the Nicene Creed, and ordered the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Reader's Guide

Constantine's reign marked a distinct epoch in Roman history and a pivotal moment in the evolution from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages. By legalising Christianity through the Edict of Milan in 313 and convoking the First Council of Nicaea, he pushed Christianity towards the mainstream of Roman culture. His foundation of Constantinople as a new imperial residence created a capital that served the empire for over a thousand years, with the Eastern Roman Empire later referred to as the Byzantine Empire. His political legacy replaced Diocletian's Tetrarchy with dynastic succession, leaving the empire to his sons and the Constantinian dynasty. His memory was held in high regard for centuries, with the medieval church viewing him as a paragon of virtue and secular rulers invoking him as a symbol of imperial legitimacy. Modern scholarship often seeks to balance the extremes of earlier accounts, noting debates over his personal beliefs and comprehension of Christianity.

Did You Know?

• Constantine was proclaimed emperor by his army at Eboracum (York, England) after his father's death in 306.
• He introduced the solidus, a gold coin that became the standard for Byzantine and European currencies for over a thousand years.
• He disbanded the Praetorian Guard, which had supported his rival Maxentius.
• He is venerated as a saint in Eastern Christianity and parts of Western Christianity.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Akiva Goldsman, in the screenplay for The Da Vinci Code." — Constantine the Great "When Constantine assumed the throne in 306, Christianity was little more than an esoteric Eastern sect." — Constantine the Great "Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011), Chapter 13: "The Secret of Success" — Constantine the Great "Upton Sinclair, in The Profits of Religion : An Essay in Economic Interpretation (1918), Book Seven : The Church of the Social Revolution, "Christ and Caesar" — Constantine the Great