Emperor Constantine

Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus or popularly known as Constantine the Great, ruled the Roman Empire from 306 CE to 337 CE. He was the son of a Roman army officer, Constantius and a very lovely lady, Helena. Later on, both Constantine and his mother were listed as saints by the Byzantine and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The Early Years

A few years after the birth of Constantine, his father was elevated to the rank of Caesar. Constantine spent most of his childhood in the court of the then Roman Emperor, Diocletian. He was raised among a host of intellectuals in a culture which was flexible, open, constantly enriching and socially generous. Both the Pagan and Christian scholars had an influence on Constantine's mind. He received an excellent and impressive education in Greek and Latin literature, philosophy, warfare and administration.

The Emergence of Constantine the Emperor

Diocletian administered the empire from the eastern stronghold with the assistance of two of his Caesar's: Constantius and Galerius. Constantius was in charge of the western Roman Empire and Galerius looked after the eastern front. Constantine was in the court serving as an able soldier. Constantius requested the services of his son to help him in his campaign. It was a cleverly disguised plan to get Constantine out of the control of Galerius. As soon as the emperor consented, Constantine joined his father to win over Britain. Under the growing popularity of his conquests, Constantine was promoted to the rank of a Caesar and his father made the Augustus. With the success of the Roman fleet, Constantine acclaimed a heroic status. On the death of his father, he was made the Augustus, much to the dislike of his counterparts in the east.

He ruled Gaul, Britain, Spain by 307 CE and then set his sight on Italy. The Battle of the Milvian Bridge in which he defeated Maxantius, his most powerful rival, was a landmark event in his life. Legend goes that it was here that he had a dream in which Jesus had conferred him with a holy symbol 'chi ro' with a message, 'In this sign you shall conquer'. This symbol was drawn on every soldier's shield in his army. He won the battle even though he had a numerically small army. By 312 CE, Constantine was the only Augustus of the west. In 323 CE, he defeated Licinius, the last remaining Augustus other than himself. He was now the sole ruler of the Great Roman Empire.

Constantine: A Great Ruler

He chose the Greek city of Byzantium as his capital and renamed it as Constantinople, which is known as Istanbul today. He not only expanded the city, but also strengthened and beautified the entire place. The new capital is still considered the meeting point of the western and eastern world! History is full of examples how Constantinople influenced the world, both politically and culturally. Due to his endeavor, Rome became the center of wealth and the most prominent city in those times.

Christianity was the state religion and flourished in his time. The Arch of Constantine is the most famous architecture of Constantine till date. This arch was built to commemorate his famous victory in the Battle of Milvian Bridge. He was a patron of religion and art, which is evident from the large number of churches, sculptures, monuments and holy sites that he built in his empire.

Roman economy, politics, culture and traditions grew in popularity under his regime. The policies of Constantine laid the foundation of the modern western civilization. Although he religiously followed the old customs and traditions, the laws were tolerant to every other faith. However, he did this because of his personal interest and not due to his feelings for the contemporary society. Whatever the reason, he was respected and liked by the army, clergy and the masses equally.

It was on May 27, 337 CE Constantine breathed his last. He was buried in the Church of the Apostles in Constantinople. He considered himself an apostle, because all his life he had spread the Christian faith. There are statues of the twelve apostles, six on either side of his tomb. His greatness is revealed by the fact that the next 10 Roman emperors assumed the name Constantine in his honor!

He has gone down in history as one of the greatest emperors who had a lasting impact on the civilized world!