![]() ![]() This omission would not be forgotten and would eventually lead to a long, bitterly fought battle over control of both halves of the empire. Maxentius, the son of Maximian, and Constantine felt betrayed, each believing he deserved the appointment as caesar. These appointments were not popular with everyone. In May of 305 CE, the senior emperors Diocletian and Maximian both abdicated their thrones to Galerius in the east (with Maximinus Daia as caesar) and Constantius in the west (with Falvius Valerius Servius as caesar). Under the emperor's tutelage, he learned that a ruler's job was to defend the empire from any external force and create a just and ordered society - something Constantine would put into practice when he became emperor himself. Even in his youth, those around him saw Constantine as a man of boundless energy. Since his father was not only a military commander but also the caesar of the west, Constantine lived his entire early life in the imperial court, eventually serving as a high-ranking staff officer for Diocletian. ![]() Early LifeĪlthough sources vary on the exact year of his birth, Constantine (Gaius Flavis Valerius Constantinus) was born at Naissus in present-day Serbia as early as 272 CE or as late as 285 CE. It was the son of Constantius, Constantine, who would one day rise to defeat all challengers to the throne and reunite the split empire, moving the capital away from Old Rome and build a new eastern capital, a capital that one day would bear his name, Constantinople. While he ruled the east from Nicomedia as an “augustus” with Galerius as his “caesar,” Maximian and Constantius the Pale ruled the west. Realizing that the Roman Empire was too large for one man to adequately rule, Emperor Diocletian (284-305 CE) split the empire into two, creating a tetrachy or rule of four. ![]() Constantine I, aka Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from 306 to 337 CE. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |