CONSTANTINE I., FLAVICS VALExtrs REMUS CONSTANTINUS, surnamed 'the Great.' A Roman Emperor (A.D. 306-337). He was born soon after A.D. 270, at Naissus, in Mtesia. He was the eldest son of Constantius Chlorus. and first distinguished himself by his military talents under Diocletian, in that monarch's famous Egyptian expedition (296) ; subsequently he served under Galerius in the Persian War. In 503 the two emperors, Diocletian and Maximian, abdicated, and were succeeded by Constantins Chlo•ns and Galerius. Galerius, who could not endure the brilliant and energetic genius of Con stantine, took every means of exposing him to danger, and it is believed that this was the period when he acquired that mixture of reserve. cunning, and wisdom which was so conspicuous in his conduct in after years. At last Constan tine fled to his father, who ruled in the West, and joined him at Boulogne just as he was set ting out on an expedition against the Picts in North Britain. Constantius died at York, July 25, 306, having proclaimed his son Constantine his successor. The latter now wrote a concilia tory letter to Galerius, and requested to be acknowledged as Augustus. Galerius did not dare to quarrel with Constantine, yet he granted him the title of Cfesar only. Political complica tions now increased. and in a short time no fewer than six emperors were 'in the field'—viz.: Ga lerius. Licinius, and Slaximin in the East, and Maximian, Maxentius (his son), and Constan tine in the West (A.D. 308). Maxentius, having quarreled with his father, forced him to flee from Rome. He took refuge with Constantine, but was ungrateful enough to plot the destruc tion of his benefactor. This being discovered, he fled to Marseilles, the inhabitants of which city gave him up to Constantine, who put him to death (A.D. 309). Maxentins professed great anger at the death of his father, and assembled a large army, with which he threatened Gaul. Crossing the Alps by Mont Constantine thrice defeated Maxentius — first near Turin. then under the walls of Verona. and finally near the Milvian Bridge at home, October 27, 312, Slaxentius himself, in the last of these engage ments, Lein drowned in an attempt to escape across the 'libel. It was during this campaign that lie was said to have had the apparition in the sky of a luminous cross with the words Iloo signo rinccs, "by this sign shalt thou conquer." as the contemporary historians Eusebius and Lactantills record. Constantine now entered the capital, disbanded the prasto•ians, and adopted other judicious measures for allaying the public excitement. He was honored with the title of Pontifex Maximus, or supreme dignitary of the pagan hierarchy.
Constantine was now sole Emperor of the West. Similarly, by the death of Galerius in 311 and of Maximin in 313, Licinius became sole Emperor of the East. In 314 a war broke out between the two rulers, in which Licinius was worsted and was fain to conclude a peace by the cession of Illyricum, Pannonia, and Greece. Con
stantine gave Lieinius his sister Constantin in marriage, and for the next nine years devoted himself vigorously to the correction of abuses in the administration of the laws, to the strengthen ing of the frontiers, and to chastising the bar barians, who learned to fear and respect his power. In 323 war was renewed with Licinius, who was defeated and ultimately put to death. Constantine was now at the summit of his am bitions—the sole governor of the Roman world: but Rome was no longer the political or geo g•aphical centre of this world, and he determined to move the capital to Byzantium. which he sol emnly inaugurated in 330 under the name of Constantinopolis, the City of Constantine. From here he ruled his vast empire until his death, which occurred May 27. 337. From the reign of Constantine, Christianity was not only recog nized and tolerated, but became the religion of the rulers themselves. As to Constantine's per sonal feeling in the question of Christianity and paganism much has been written. By birth and education he was much inclined toward the grow ing faith; his mother was a Christian. and his father though a pagan. was ve-ry tolerant, and would allow no direct acts of vio lence in his part of the Roman domain during the great persecution of 303. Constantine was by nature mild and kind-hearted: his legislation was governed by humane principles. He abol ished the system of branding the faces3 of con victs: ordained that masters who killed their slaves were guilty of homicide. and published an edict of toleration which insured liberty' of con science throughout the Empire. The Christians were as yet but a minority of the whole popula tion, but the Emperor openly sympathized with them and did not hesitate, upon occasion, to in sult the pa-gans. Yet his Christianity was not deep-seated, though doubtless quite sincere as far as it went. He looked upon his overthrow of Maxentins as due to the help of God. instinctu dirinitntis, as the inscription on his arch in Rome (see CONSTANTINE, ARCM OF). built in 315.
shows; but the very form of expression displays a concession to pagan sensibilities that a rigorous Christian of the period would not have made. He retained the traditional pagan title of Pond fox Maximus. as did his Christian suecessors of the fourth century. and his coins still hear the figures and names of the old gods. In the Arian controversy lie sided with the Catholic bishops, and it was he who called the great Council of Niemea (Nice) in Bithynia in 325 (see NICE, COUNCIL Or), and presided at. the first sitting. By this council the doctrine of eonsubstantiality was defined. and the Nieene creed adopted; but Constantine took no active part in the dis cussion. He did not receive baptism until shortly before his death.