Constantine I, the Great

Constantine I, the Great (about 274-337 AD)» Roman emperor, b. Nish, in present-day Serbia (former Yugoslavia).

Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constaninus was the son of Constantius Chlorus who ruled Britain, Gaul (France) and Spain for the emperor Diocletian.

His mother was St Helen who is said to have found the cross upon which Jesus Christ died.

Constantine fought in wars in Egypt and Persia and later against the Picts in Scotland. Upon his father's death, in 306 AD, he became ruler of Britain, Gaul and Spain.

At this time, several different people laid claim to the title of emperor of the western half of the Roman Empire and Constantine became one of them.

He fought many battles against rivals. The last of them was against Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge near Rome in 312. Before this battle, Constantine is said to have seen a cross in the sky and with it the words, 'In this sign conquer.' Constantine won the battle and afterwards allowed Romans to become Christians.

From 312-324 Constantine ruled as emperor of the West. Then he defeated Licinius, the emperor in the East, and so ruled the whole Roman Empire.

He made Christianity the official religion and he moved his capital from Rome to Byzantium in present-day Turkey, renaming the city Constantinople (It is now called Istanbul.).

Constantine tried to run the empire efficiently and see that it was protected against the Barbarians. He became a Christian himself shortly before he died.

See H. Pohlsander Emperor Constantine