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Constantine the Great was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity and to make Christianity the official religion of Rome. This makes him one of the most important figures in Western history, and in fact, world history. Prior to Constantine's conversion, Christians were widely persecuted throughout the Roman Empire (Herbermann and Grupp). Making Christianity the official religion of Rome led to the downfall of the Roman Empire and the birth of the new Holy Roman Empire. Because of Constantine's conversion, Christianity became a dominant religious, political, and economic world power.
Constantine was born in Naissus, a city in the Moesia Superior region of the Roman Empire. Moesia Superior is modern day Serbia, and Naissus is the modern-day town of Nis. Constantine the Great's father was the Emperor Constantius. Constantine's mother Helena was a commoner but was later named as a Christian saint. Immediately after the death of his father in York, England, Constantine was declared the Caesar...
His position in the Roman empire was like that of his father, in the sense that they served during a time when Rome was divided into three separate regions, each with its own Caesar.
As soon as Constantine became Caesar, he embarked on an ambitious political campaign. He fought a rival emperor named Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. Maxentius also happened to be Constantine's brother-in-law, as Constantine had married Maxentius's sister Fausta. The Battle of the Milvian Bridge was a symbolic and practical victory for Constantine. It was a practical victory because the defeat of Maxentius established Constantine as the sole Roman Emperor and not just a regional Caesar. The victory at Milvian Bridge also represented the time that Constantine adopted Christianity as his personal faith. Constantine and his soldiers reportedly "observed in broad daylight a strange phenomenon in the sky: a cross of light and the words 'by this sign you will be victor,'"…
Works Cited
Gill, N.S. "Constantine the Great." About.com. Retrieved online: http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/people/p/constantine.htm
Herbermann, Charles, and Georg Grupp. "Constantine the Great." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 18 Feb. 2013 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04295c.htm>
Pohlsander, Hans A. "Constantine I (306-337 A.D.)." De Imperatoribus Romanus. Retrieved online: http://www.roman-emperors.org/conniei.htm
Constantine and Eusebius There are many great rulers in history, among them men and women of great fortitude, power, allegiance, wealth and intrigue. Yet, there are few who ring more interesting to a modern reader than Constantine I, who is widely held as the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity and spread its favor across the then known world. This work will briefly discuss Constantine I (27 February 272 --
Constantine Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus, born February 27, 272, is commonly known as Constantine I or Constantine the Great. He was proclaimed Augustus by his troops on July 25, 306, and ruled an ever-growing portion of the Roman Empire to his death. Constantine is famous for his rebuilding of Byzantium as "Nova Roma" (New Rome), which was always popularly called "Constantine's City" (Constantinopolis, Constantinople). With the Edict of Milan in 313,
E. The voices who argue that America should and could be an imperial superpower, but lacks sound practical judgment. The thesis of this paper is that the history of the Roman Empire can be matched to that of the United States in terms of economy, political power, as well as aspirations. In this sense, present day America is very similar to fourth of even fifth century Rome; this poses one stringent
Obviously, none of this could have happened if Christianity had not been legalized and if it had not been able to promote its politics to a more efficient manner than it had previously done. The same trend continues throughout the Middle Ages as well, when Christianity is the most important moral entity, but also, in many occasions, the mediating political player as well. It has the power not only to
Under the ruling of their new king, Alaric, the Visigoths decided that they deserved gold in order to live in decency. Since the Roman government refused to support the Germanic tribe, the Visigoths marched on Rome, defeating the numerous forces gathered to defend the city. In spite of the fact that the Romans were better experienced in warfare they did not stand a chance before the more powerful Germanic
Roman Catholicism is the oldest of the Christian faiths. It is a direct descendent of the institutions put in place by the disciples of Jesus. The first leaders of what later became Catholicism were the twelve apostles. Originally, these men set-up organizations in various towns and cities across the Roman Empire to spread the word of their God, and in so doing, became the first bishops and saints. Roman Catholic