There, his soldiers proclaimed Constantine emperor, but much rivalry for the vacated office ensued. In Italy, Maxentius, supported by the Romans and by his father Maximian, vied with Severus and Galerius. Constantine, accepting the lesser title of Caesar from Galerius, remained aloof while Maxentius and Maximian defeated Severus and Galerius. Constantine made an alliance with Maximian, marrying his daughter Fausta and recognizing Maxentius after a fashion. When Maximian, in dispute with his son, fled to Constantine, Constantine received and sheltered him until Maximian, in an attempt to regain the throne, undertook a revolt against Constantine's rule in Gaul.
Constantine was estimated to be born around AD272 with his father being Constantius, a senior army officer and later Augustus of the Roman Empire. Constantius died in AD306 and Constantine was proclaimed Augustus by his father’s troops. Under Diocletian, there was a divide of East and West with each having a respective leader. When the Battle of the Mivilian Bridge occurred between Maxentius and Constantine in which Constantine was victorious, Licinius, also in AD313 defeated Maximin and Banks informs us that “Licinius was now supreme in the East, as was Constantine in the West”. As Wand believed, “This battle marks an epoch, for it helped to make the first Christian Empire and so affected the history of European civilisation down to the present time”.
Also according to the High Middle Ages Chapter, the fourth crusade also added to the schism that existed between the Eastern and Western Churches. The crusaders sort of sell out to Alexius IV, who arranged to pay for their debts to the Doge in return that they attack Constantinople so that he may gain the throne. Pope Innocent III warned them not to attack Constantinople because they were fellow Christians. The crusaders advance Alexius IV to the throne, but he was later strangled by Alexius Ducas who also wanted the throne. The crusaders with the help of the Venetians rebelled and they sacked Constantinople for three days against the warnings from the pope.
Constantine: The First Converted Emperor A study of the life and character of the emperor Constantine poses a significant challenge to modern scholars and historians of the Christian faith. On one hand, he is seen as a defender of the faith and a powerful ally of Christian liberty, even a man who claims to have received a revelation of the Christian God. On the other hand, some see him as a vain man who was mainly concerned with his own glory and who used the Christian faith to meet his own political ends. Yet, a study of Constantine’s life and actions reveal a faith in God that has had a profound and lasting influence on the Christian Church and the role that Christians play in the world. When examining the life of Constantine, one must first consider his life before he professed any affinity or allegiance to the Christian faith or Church.
His preaching of Christian reform were so powerful that it gave a religious cast on republican reform turning the meeting hall of the Great Council into the Hall of Christ. But his interventions in the state proved to be problematic in the end especially
A major turning point in history is the ‘conversion’ of the emperor Constantine to Christianity in, or about, 312 AD. Historians have wondered at this idea. This occurred when the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. The result was the end of harassment of Christians and the beginning of Christendom. Emperors were not at all glad and felt indifferent to Christianity.
According to Lactantius’s On the Deaths of the Persecutors, in February 303 CE, Diocletian launched the last persecution of Christians which denied Christians of all legal rights. The persecution continued until 311 CE when Galerius, who was the Caesar of the Eastern Empire and was deathly ill, struck a deal with the Christian God. Galerius instituted an edict which granted Christians freedom of worship in exchange for their prayers for him. This was a major transformation of the Roman world
CONSTANTINE’S RELIGIOUS POLICY Constantine’s religious policy under his reign was to keep peace throughout the whole of the Roman Empire by stopping the persecution of Christians and allowing paganism to be practised together with Christianity, as well as being a follower of Christianity and using his own power to help it spread across his empire. Constantine’s religious policy also evolved greatly throughout his reign, from being a follower of paganism to finally the emperor that was largely responsible for the spread of Christianity which is still the dominating religion in society today. Constantine’s major aspect of his religious policy was his attitude towards Christians. Constantine himself was a Christian, the first Christian Roman Emperor, and was the one that formally ended what is known as the “Great Persecution of Christians”, which happened (approximately) around AD 303. However, he did not just stop the persecution, but went far further and gave the Catholic Church finances it needed in order to spread around the Roman Empire.
Finally, I will examine what these empires have taught us today. Rome came to completely dominate politics in Europe, North Africa and the East from the 1st century BC until the 4th century AD. The rise of Rome is greatly analyzed by historians, military strategists, political scientists and even some economists. This is because of the factors involving the rise and the fascination surrounding Rome’s rise to power. In 509 BCE, a group of Roman nobles drove the Etruscan king, Tarquin, from power[1].
Describe the principle beliefs of Christianity Over the years, Christianity has organised its principle beliefs into a systematic theology. These principle beliefs have been discovered through scared text and writings and traditions of the Church. The principle beliefs include; Jesus as human and divine, Death and resurrection of Jesus, The nature of God and the Trinity, Revelation and Salvation. The divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ was easily understood in the time of the Roman Empire, as those could understand that a man could become a God. Athanasius suggested that Jesus was a God and also fully human at the same time and this theory was adopted as the correct teaching of the Church by the Roman Emperor Constantine.