Constantine I The Great Emperor - Essay Example

? of the of the Constantine The Great – Emperor Constantine I Constantine is considered one of the most influential emperors in the roman history. He was the first Roman emperor to adopt Christianity and empower it throughout his empire. He was a great general who led many battles against numerous settlements and formed an empire that extended across vast borders. Constantine the Great was born on 27th February in the city of Serbia which was known as Moesia at that time. The year of his birth is not exactly known but it is believed by the historians to be near 272 (Biographiq). Constantine was the son of Flavius and Helena but it is unsure if they were truly married or Helena was a concubine. Constantine spent his early years in Nicomedia where the environment was open and cultural tolerance prevailed. As a result, Constantine had a good learning experience as he could interact with intellectuals following pagans as well as Christian beliefs. He obtained formal education at Diocletian’s court where he studied a wide range of subjects, ranging from Greek to Latin literature to philosophy (Kousoulas). While Constantine was away learning, there was a great pressure building up in the empire which ultimately resulted in the persecution of the Christians. Constantine came back to Nicomedia in time to see the Great persecution in which multitudes of Christians were mercilessly victimized for following their religion. During late 302s, The Diocletian issued orders for brutal persecutions of Christians across the empire. The newly built church at Nicomedia was destroyed, with its Holy Scriptures set to fire. All the Christians holding high ranks in the empire were stripped of their authorities while the clergymen and priests were taken as prisoners. Constantine’s writings have shown that he was not a participant in these abhorrent activities, however neither did he make any attempt to stop it (James and Stephen). Although no Christian blamed him for this cruelty, the episode was a major liability on his role as an emperor working for the Christians. Constantine restored the status of Christianity during his rule. The practice of religion which had been banned by his predecessors was allowed and Christianity was declared a permitted religion. The right of choosing one’s religion earned him a place in people’s hearts and his actions earned him great public support. Not only did he ‘legalize’ Christianity, he took deep interest in their matters and formed the Ecumenical Council of Catholic church which was the first of its kind (Odahl). To make worship easy for the public, he constructed a lot of Churches in his empire which was previously only filled with Roman temples. The property that was seized during the great persecution was returned to the rightful owners and the Christian officials were restored to their ranks (Kousoulas). All the wrongs done by his predecessors were corrected and a new era started which offered a promising future for the Christians. All of his actions not only allowed the Christians to practice their religion freely and proudly but it also created a scenario in which it was advantageous to be a Christian. The political image of Constantine improved after Galerius recognized Constantine as an emperor. As a customary act, a portrait of Constantine was brought to Rome as recognition of his emperorship. Maxentius was the son of Maximan, the former emperor and also the son-in-law of the emperor Galerius. He had an arch rivalry with Constantine and wanted to take over the empire as his own. Maxentius was full of hatred and jealousy and he could not bear his powerlessness while Constantine having so much authority. The empire faced serious threats from the side of Maxentius when he seized the title in 306. Galerius did not recognize Maxentius as an emperor but he was not strong enough to depower him. Galerius sent a military force against Maxentius under the leadership of Severus but they were defeated and Severus was taken prisoner. Constantine tried to reestablish old ties so that empire does not suffer from bloodshed and chaos. Maximan offered Fausta, his daughter to Constantine which would promote him to the rank of an Augustan. In return, Constantine offered his support for Maxentius and the family ties were reformed. During his rule, Licenius also had to suffer defeat. Licenius’ defeat symbolized the defeat of the pagan practices prevalent in the East. In order to integrate the East into the Roman Empire, it was suggested that a new capital of the empire should be formed. To express the East as a part of the empire, Byzantium was name the capital of the Roman Empire after being renamed to Constantinople. The capital was formed with an aim to make it a center of excellence for the entire empire a place where learning, culture and traditional values would be upheld. Constantinople had important position in the life of Constantine. It was not only the capital of his empire but most of the years of his later life were spent there. He did a lot of work to make Constantinople an exemplary city. The Trajan’s bridge or more commonly known as the Constantine’s bridge across the Danube was reconstructed with the hope of conquering the province of Dacia (Kousoulas). Constantine planned a strategic campaign in companionship with the Sarmatians against the Goths. Nature was helpful for the Constantine’s campaign and the harsh weather coupled with the scarcity of food compelled the Goths to surrender. More than one thousand people lost their lives before the Goths decided to accept the Roman emperorship (Odahl). The war was won and the area came under the control of Constantine who gave some of the lands to the sarmatian exiles who settled there as farmers. In 336, Constantine gave himself the title of Dacicus Maximus. Constantine was reckoned as the most influential personality in the Byzantine Empire and was considered the most its founder by the Byzantines. In the later years, his name began to be used as an honorific for the emperors and it was a huge thing for an emperor to be labeled as the ‘new Constantine’. There were ten emperors after him including the last rulers who were named Constantine. During the later years of his life, he wanted to make Persia as the target for his campaigns. The reason behind this was that the Christians were ill treated and their freedom to practice Christianity was threatened. Constantine wanted Shahpur, the ruler at that time to treat the Christians with equality and fairness. The exact date of the letter is not known. The tensions between the Roman Empire and the Persia were not relieved and border raids between the two were frequent. Prince Narseh invaded Armenia which was Christian dwelling and annexed it into the rule of Persia. Constantine then decided to put an end to the Persian power and resolved to lead the campaign himself. Seeing the might of the Roman Empire, the Persians sent to envoys to advocate piece but they were sent back by Constantine. However Constantine fell sick in 337 and the campaign was delayed. Constantine had to struggle during initial years of his political career. People and even his political colleagues were unsure of his legitimacy and was a subject of mockery amongst them. Therefore during the initial years, it was only his father’s reputation that helped him resist the propaganda against him. However Constantine soon began to show his skills and made his own identity completely unlinked with his father’s deeds. Constantine was skilled in sculpture, oratory and military which helped him control the vast empire in his future (Tracy). He knew how to work in the betterment of the empire and that is why he issued special coins in the memory of his victory over the Alemanni. The coin had the phrase “Romans’ rejoicing” engraved below the despaired and forlorn Alemanni tribesmen. Constantine was aware that death was near and thus he did not want his empire to be suffering from unrest after his death. He had already made arrangements with the Church of the Holy Apostles for his final resting place. His condition worsened after the Easter of 337 and he became confined to his sickbed. In order to seek purification of his soul and forgiveness for his sins, Constantine- the Great visited the Helenopolis which was hometown of his mother. There he prayed in a church constructed by his mother in reverence of Lucian. Struck as if by a divine revelation, it was there that he truly felt he was dying. Seeking salvation, he became a catechumen and prepared for his journey back to Constantinople. However the illness overpowered him and the death neared and during these crucial moments he decided to accept Christianity via baptism. He wanted the rituals to be performed at the same place where the Holy Christ was baptizied that is the River Jordan (James and Stephen). The baptism was performed by the senior most bishop of the city, Eusebius from the city of Nicomedia. Even though Constantine was pro Christianity in his entire political career, he delayed his conversion to Christianity. It is speculated that Constantine wanted to be absolved from most of his sins and that is why he did not turn to Christianity until he reached his sickbed. Soon after his conversion to Christianity, Constantine’s health constantly deteriorated and on May 337, he died near the small town of Achyron. Constantine could undoubtedly be called the greatest rules in the history of the Roman Empire. Even though there were many troubles surrounding him during his initial years at the Diocletian’s court, he was able to overcome all the pressures and came up as a bold and daring man. He had the insight to judge between the right and wrong and dared to correct all the wrongs done in the past by his ancestors. His reforms for the Christian community made him a hero among the public and important social values like freedom of choice and religious tolerance started to become an important pillar of the Roman Empire. Not only did he allow freedom of practicing Christianity but was also influenced by its teachings and that is the reason why he ultimately accepted Christianity as his faith. He led many expeditions and waged several wars but despite such a huge Empire under his control, he worked zealously to make the public happy with his rule. The Byzantine Empire flourished under his hold and extended across vast borders. Constantine ‘I’ was truly a great leader and a visionary who took the Empire from the dark ages and ushered it into a new era. Even though a huge time has passed since Constantine’s death, he proves to be one of the greatest leaders of all times. Works Cited Biographiq. Constantine the Great - The First Christian Roman Emperor. Biographiq, 2008. Print. James, Elizabeth and English Stephen. CONSTANTINE THE GREAT GENERAL: A Military Biography. Pen and Sword, 2011. Print. Kousoulas, D. G. The Life and Times of Constantine the Great. BookSurge Publishing; 2nd edition, 2007. Print. Odahl, Charles M. Constantine and the Christian Empire (Roman Imperial Biographies). Routledge; 1st New edition, 2004. Print. Tracy, Kathleen. The Life & Times Of Constantine (Biography from Ancient Civilizations) (Biography from Ancient Civilizations: Legends, Folklore, and Stories of Ancient Worlds). Mitchell Lane Publishers, 2005. Print. Read More