Constantine the Great

Lore & Background

Constantine began his career campaigning in the eastern provinces against the Persians before being recalled west in AD 305 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 eventually defeated Maxentius and Licinius in the civil wars of the Tetrarchy, becoming sole ruler by 324. Upon his accession, he 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 (comitatenses) and frontier troops (limitanei). He pursued campaigns 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 was 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 Church of the Holy Sepulchre built at the site claimed to be Jesus's tomb in Jerusalem.

In Their Own Story

Constantine was born on 27 February 272 in Naissus, during a time when the unity of the Empire was threatened by the breakaway wars of the Palmyrene Empire. His father Flavius Constantius was an Illyrian or Thracian officer who advanced through the ranks to become governor of Dalmatia and later praetorian prefect in Gaul. His mother Helena was a Greek woman of low social standing, possibly from Drepanum in Bithynia. Constantine's own language was Latin, and during public speeches in church councils held in Greek, he needed translators. In 288 or 289, Constantius left Helena to marry Maximian's stepdaughter Theodora. Diocletian divided the empire in 293, appointing two caesars under the Tetrarchy system. Constantine served with distinction under Diocletian and Galerius before being recalled west. After his father's death in 306, his army proclaimed him emperor at Eboracum. He eventually defeated Maxentius and Licinius to become sole ruler by 324. He built a new imperial residence in Byzantium, officially renamed New Rome and later Constantinople, which served as the empire's capital for over a thousand years.

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. His primary achievements include: first, the Edict of Milan in 313, which legalised Christianity and ceased persecution; second, the founding of Constantinople as a new capital that remained the empire's centre for over a millennium; third, the convocation of the First Council of Nicaea in 325, which produced the Nicene Creed; fourth, military campaigns that secured the frontiers against the Franks, Alemanni, Goths, and Sarmatians; and fifth, economic reforms including the introduction of the solidus gold coin, which became the standard for Byzantine and European currencies for over a thousand years. He disbanded the Praetorian Guard and reorganised the army into mobile and frontier units. His immediate political legacy was replacing Diocletian's Tetrarchy with dynastic succession, leaving the empire to his sons and the Constantinian dynasty. He is venerated as a saint in Eastern Christianity and parts of Western Christianity, though some modern scholars debate his beliefs and comprehension of Christianity.

Did You Know?

• Constantine was born on 27 February 272 in Naissus (now Niš, Serbia), though his year of birth is debated among scholars with estimates between 271 and 280.
• He introduced the solidus, a new gold coin that became the standard for Byzantine and European currencies for more than a thousand years.
• He disbanded the Praetorian Guard, which had supported his rival Maxentius.
• He was baptised by Eusebius of Nicomedia, an Arian bishop, late in life.
• The city of Constantinople was officially renamed New Rome before taking on the name Constantinople in his honour.