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CONSTANTINUS, FLAVIUS VALERIUS. 



CONSTANTINUS, FLAVIUS VALERIUS. 



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Angasti equal to himself. Maxentius continuing to maintain himself 

 at Home, Maximianus visited his eon-in-law Constantine, whom he 

 attempted to dispossess of his authority by exciting Ms soldiers to 

 revolt, but he was defeated and taken at Macsilia by Coustantine, who 

 treated him with great indulgence, rnd allowed him to remain in his 

 palace. Mnximianus having next attempted to murder him in his 

 bed, was seized and put to death. In the year 311 Galerius published 

 an edict to s-top the persecution against the Christians; this document 

 bears the name of three emperors, Galerius, Constantine, and Liciuius : 

 Maximinu!', who was in Asia, is not mentioned in it. Galerius soon 

 after dying at Sardica in Dacia, Licinius took possession of his 

 dominions as far as the Hellespont, and Maximinus had the whole of 

 Asia, Maxentius continued to govern Italy, and was making warlike 

 preparations against the other emperors, when Constantine, in 312, 

 moved with an army from Gaul to attack him. He took Susa, defeated 

 several bodies of troops sent against him by Maxeutius, entered Medio- 

 lunum (Milan), and then attacked Verona, where Pompeiauus, a general 

 of Maxentius, had stationed himself. After an obstinate fight, Pom- 

 peiauus was defeated and killed, and Constantine marched upon Home, 

 where he defeated Maxentius in person, a few miles from the capital, 

 on the right bank of the Tiber, near the present Ponte Milvio, where 

 Maxentius had constructed a bridge of boats. In recrossing the bridge 

 in his flight, Maxentius was drowned, with many of the fugitives. 

 Constantine entered Rome on the 29th of October, and was acknow- 

 ledged emperor by the senate, who ordered the Triumphal Arch which 

 still exists to be raised to him as the liberator of Rome. He is said 

 to have behaved with moderation after his victory, having put to 

 death only a few of the worst mini.-ters of Maxentius, who is repre- 

 sented as a criifl tyrant both by heathen and Christian historians. 



It waa on this occasion that Constantine adopted a new ensign for 

 his army, which was called Labarum or Laborum ; it had the figure 

 of a crom, with the Greek letter P above it, and the Greek words in 

 rovrtf vita, ' conquer in this ' Eusebius, who gives a description of it, 

 asserts with other Christian historians, that it was assumed in conse- 

 quence of a vision which Constantine had before his battle with 

 Maxentius. Gregoriug Nazianzenus says, that the name of Laborum 

 was used as indicating that by the assistance of this new sign all 

 ' labours ' and tribulation* of the empire should cease. Zosimus, 

 Aurelius Victor, and Eutropius, say nothing of it. Much has been 

 written on this subject. (See Gretser, ' De Cruce ; ' and ' Dissertation 

 sur la Vision de Constantin,' par J. B. Devoisier, bishop of Mantes.) 



In the year 313 Licinius came to Rome, when both he and Con- 

 stantine were named consuls, and he married Constantia, the sister of 

 Constantine. The old emperor Diocletian died in July of that year 

 at Salona. 



A war having broken out in the East between Licinius and Maxi- 

 ininiH, the latter was defeated, and died of poison at Tarsus : all his 

 family were put to death by Licinius. The whole empire was now 

 divided between Constantine, who ruled over the West, including Italy 

 and Africa; and Licinius, who had the eastern provinces, with Egypt. 



Constantine now openly favoured the Christian communion, and 

 discountenanced and ridiculed the practices of the old religion of 

 Rome. He exempted the Christian clergy from personal taxes and 

 from civil duties, and granted donations and privileges to the churches. 

 He ordered a council of the bishops of the West to assemble at Aries 

 to fettle the schism of the Donatists, and went himself to Aries; but 

 while there he received news of the hostile intentions of Licinius, 

 which made him march in haste at the head of an army into Illyricum. 

 The two armies met near Sirmium in Pannonia, and again in the 

 plains of Thrace, after which Licinius sued for and obtained peace, 

 by giving up to Constantine Illyricum, Macedonia, and Greece. On 

 visiting thee new provinces, Constantine promulgated several laws, 

 by which he abolished the punishment of the cross ; ordered that the 

 children of destitute parents should be maintained at the public 

 expense ; and allowed the emancipation of slaves to be effected in the 

 Christian churches in presence of the clergy without any interference 

 of the civil magistrate. By another law, promulgated at Sardica in 

 December 318, be gave to the vicars or governors of the provinces 

 full power to try persons of every rank accused of oppressions and 

 robbery, without any appeal to Rome, by which he put a check on 

 the overbearing insolence of the rich towards the poor. In the year 

 313, Crispin, son of Constantine by his first wife, obtained the con- 

 sulship with the younger Licinius, the son of Licinius. Constantino 

 pent several yean in visiting the provinces of the empire, and pro- 

 mulgating new laws, which were conceived for the most part in a 

 humane and liberal spirit : he abolished the punishment of flagellation 

 formerly inflicted on defaulters in the payment of taxes, introduced 

 * better discipline into the prisons, repealed the old laws against 

 celibacy, and forbade concubinage, which was then allowed by the 

 Roman laws. He also prohibited nocturnal assemblies, and certaiu 

 obncrne rite* of Paganism; but he did not attempt to forbid the 

 exercise of the old religion. 



J'.y an edict of March 321, he ordered the observance of the Sunday, 

 and abstinence from work on that day. In the year 322 he defeated 

 the Snnnatians and the Getac or Goths, and repulsed them beyond the 

 Danube. On returning to Thessalouica, where he was constructing a 

 harbour, the Goths appeared again, and invaded Moasia and Thrace. 

 Constantine again attacked them, and pursued them into the terri- 



tories of Licinius. This was made the pretence of a new war between 

 the two emperors, in which Licinius being defeated near Chalcedon, 

 by sea and by land, escaped to Nicomedia, and there surrendered to 

 Constantine, who, at the intercession of his sister Constantia, promised 

 him his life, and sent him to Thessalonica, where however he was 

 soon after (324) put to death. Liciuius has been spoken very unfa- 

 vourably of by most historians. Constantino, being uow master of the 

 whole empire, extended to the east his laws in favour of the Christian 

 religion. He forbade consulting the haruspices and the oracles ; 

 ordered the churches of the Christiana which had been demolished 

 under Maximinus and Licinius to be rebuilt, and the property of the 

 church to be restored, and more especially the burial-grounds of the 

 Martyrs; and reinstated in their rank and right all those who had 

 been prosecuted or exiled on account of their religion. In writing 

 to the Metropolitans he styled them ' well-beloved brethren.' He 

 published a Latin edict, which was turned into Greek by Eusebius, 

 addressed to all the subjects of the empire, in which he exhorted them 

 to renounce their old superstitions, and to adore ouly one God, the 

 Saviour of the Christians. In 325 he assembled tha first universal 

 council of Nicjea, which he attended in person. [Amus.] On the 

 25th of July of that year, being the anniversary of his accession to 

 the empire, he gave a great entertainment to all the fathers of the 

 council, to whom he gave considerable gifts and sums to distribute to 

 the poor. From Nicomedia, where he resided for some time, he issued 

 an edict inviting all the subjects of the empire to address their com- 

 plaints to him in person against any abuse of authority of the governors 

 and magistrates. By another edict he abolished the fights of gladiators, 

 and ordered that the convicts, who were formerly compelled to fight 

 against them or against the wild beasts, should be employed in working 

 the mines. These facts show a great alteration in Constantino's mind 

 from the time when he himself gave up the Frankish prisoners to the 

 wild beasts in the amphitheatre. 



In the year 326 he repaired to Milan, and then to Rome, being 

 consul, for the seventh time, with his son Constautius ; he remained 

 at Rome but a short time, and left it in disgust, never to return to it. 

 According to Zosimus anil Libauius, the Romans were dissatisfied 

 with him for having forsaken the old religion, and expressed their 

 discontent by biting satires. By the end of the year we find Cou- 

 stantine at Sirmium, in Pannonia. In this same year is recorded the 

 tragical death of Crispus, the eldest son of Constantino, by a former 

 wife or concubine ; a young man who had been educated by Lactan- 

 tius, who had been praised by Eusebius, and who bad given proofs of 

 his courage and abilities on many occasions. He was falsely accused 

 by his step-mother, Fausta, of having endeavoured to seduce her, 

 some say of having aspired to the sovereign power, and upon one or 

 other of these charges his father had him beheaded. At the same 

 time be put to death young Licinius, his sister's sou, who was charged 

 apparently with being concerned with Crispus in his alleged treason. 

 But it was soon after discovered, some say through Helena, the mother 

 of Constantine, that the young prince was innocent, and that Fausta 

 herself had been repeatedly guilty of adultery, upon which she also 

 was put to death, with several of her accomplices. Constantino's 

 suspicious temper added to the number of the victims. 



About the year 328 Constantine began to build his new capital, 

 which was called by his name, and the spot was judiciously chosen. 

 It was a Christian city, chiefly inhabited by Christians, and no heathen 

 temples were built in it In May 330 the new town was solemnly 

 dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Meantime the emperor was repeatedly 

 engaged against the Goths and other barbarians on the banks of the 

 Danube. In the year 328 he recalled several Arian bishops, Eusebius 

 of Nicomedia among others, who had been exiled by the council of 

 Nicsea. This change is said to have happened at the suggestion of 

 Constantia, who was herself in the Ariau communion, and retained 

 to the last much influence over her brother Constantine. Athanasirs 

 having opposed the re-admission of the Arians into the church com- 

 munion, a long controversy ensued between him and the emperor, 

 which lasted till the death of the latter. [ATHANASIUS.] Constantine 

 was fond of religious polemics, and himself wrote on the Arian and 

 Donatist controversy. The remaining years of Constantino's life wero 

 chiefly spent in embellishing his new capital and attracting inhabitants, 

 especially Christians, to it ; the rich by privileges, the working men 

 by daily distributions of com and oil He made a division of the 

 empire, to take effect after his death, among his three sons, whom he 

 had named Cajsars : giving to Constantine, the eldest, the Gauls, Spain, 

 and Britain ; to Constans, Illyricum, Italy, and Africa ; and the East 

 to Constantius. To Dalmatius, one of his nephews, he gave Mace- 

 donia and Achaia, and the other, Aunibalienus, he made king of 

 Pontus and Cappadocia. He likewise, divided the authority of the 

 prefect of the preetorium among four prsefects of the East, of Mace- 

 donia and Dacia, of the Gauls, and of Italy. These four great govern- 

 ments were subdivided into provinces, administered by vicars or 

 pro-prefects. He took away from the prefects all military power, 

 constituting them merely as civil and political officers. He is charged 

 by Zosimu, who is strongly biassed against Constantino, with having 

 effected another change which proved fatal to the empire, namely, the 

 removal of the military stations on the frontiers, and the placing of 

 the soldiers in garrison in the towns of the interior; but perhaps 

 this was only on some particular points, where the barbarians had 



