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 CONSTANTINE

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CONSTANTINE

to tis father's court. This was reluctantly granted. Constantino joined his father, under whom he had just time to distinguish himself in Britain before death carried off Constantius (25 July, 306). Constantinc was immediately proclaimed Csesar by his troops, and his title was acknowledged by Galerius somewhat hesi- tatingly. This event was the first break in Diocle- tian's scheme of a four-headed empire (tetrarchy) and was soon followed by the proclamation in Rome of Maxentius, the son of Maximian, a tyrant and profli- gate, as Ciesar, October, 306.

During the wars between Maxentius and the Em- perors Severus and Galerius, Constantine remained inactive in his provinces. The attempt which the old Emperors Diocletian and Maximian made, at Car- mentum in 307, to restore order in the empire having failed, the promotion of Licinius to the position of Augustus, the assumption of the imperial title by Maximinus Daia, and Maxentius' claim to be sole em- peror (April, 308), led to the proclamation of Constan- tine as Augustus. Constantine, having the most effi- cient army, was acknowledged as such by Galerius, who was fighting against Maximinus in the East, as well as by Licinius.

So far Constantine, who was at this time defending his own frontier against the Germans, had taken no part in the quarrels of the other claimants to the throne. But when, in 311, Galerius, the eldest Au- gustus and the most violent persecutor of the Chris- tians, had died a miserable death, after cancelling his edicts against the Christians, and when Maxentius, after throwing down Constantine 's statues, proclaimed him a tyrant, the latter saw that war was inevitable. Though his army was far inferior to that of Maxentius, numbering according to various statements from 25,000 to 100.000 men, while Maxentius disposed of fully 190,000, he did not hesitate to march rapidly into Italy (spring of 312). After storming Susa and almost annihilating a powerful army near Turin, he continued his march southward. At Verona he met a hostile army under the prefect of Maxentius' guard, Ruricius, who shut himself up in the fortress. While besieging the city Constantine, with a detachment of his army, boldly assailed a fresh force of the enemy coming to the relief of the besieged fortress and com- pletely defeated it. The surrender of Verona was the consequence. In spite of the overwhelming numbers of his enemy (Seeck reckons Muxcntius' aiiny :it 100,- 000 again.st 20,000 in ConstantimV ,iriM\ i ili,. em- peror confidently marched forwnnl (o Unmc. A vision had assured him that he should conquer in the sign of the Christ, and his warriors carried Christ's monogram on their shields, though the majority of them were pagans. The opposing foncs mrl m-arthe bridge over the Tiber called the MiIm.hi r.n^lur, and here Maxentius' troops suffered a cniiiplrtc .lih-at, the tyrant himself losing his life in the Tiber (2S October, 312). Of his gratitude to the God of the Chri.«tians the victor immediately gave convincing jiroof ; the Chris- tian worship was henceforth toleratetl throughout the empire (Edict of Milan, early in 313). His enemies he treated with the greatest magnanimity; no bloody executions followed the victory of the Milvian Bridge. Constantine stayed in Rome but a short time after his victory. Proceeding to Milan (end of 312, or begin- ning of 313) he met his colleague the .\ugustus Licin- ius, married his sister to him, secured his protection for the Christians in the East, and promised him sup- port against Maximimis Daia. The last, a bigoted pagan and a cruel tyrant, who persecuted the Chris- tians even after Galerius' death, w.as now defeated by Licinius, whose soldiers, by his orders, had invoked the God of the Christians on the battle-field (.30 .Vpril, 313). Maximinus, in his turn, implored theGod of the Christians, but died of a painful disease in the follow- ing avitiunn.

Of all Diocletian's tetrarchs Licinius was now the

only survivor. His treachery soon compelled Con- stantine to make war on him. Pushing forward with his wonted ini)"iucisily. I he emperor struck him a de- cisive blow at I il.:il:i' is < tctober, 314). But Licinius was able to re((.\ir luinself, and the battle fought be- tween the two rivals at Castra Jarba (November, 314) left the two armies in such a position that both parties thought it best to make peace. For ten years the peace lasted, but when, about 322, Licinius, not con- tent with openly professing paganism, began to perse- cute the Christians, while at the same time he treated with contempt Constantine's undoubted rights and privileges, the outbreak of war was certain, and Con- stantine gathered an army of 125,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry, besides a fleet of 200 vessels to gain control of the Bosporus. Licinius, on the other hanil, by leaving the eastern boundaries of the empire undefended succeeded in collecting an even more nmnerous army, made up of 150,- ^ 000 hifantry and 15,000 cavalry, while his fleet con- sisted of no fewer than 350 ships. The opposing armies met at Adrianople,3 July, 324, and Constan- tine's well discip- lined troops de- feated and put to flight the less dis- ciplined forces of Licinius. Licinius strengthened the garrison of Byzan- tium so that an at- tack seemed likely to result in failure, and the only hope of taking the for- tress lay in a block- ade and famine. This required the

assistance of Constantine's fleet, but his opponent's ships loarred the way. A sea fightattheentrancetothe Dardanelles was indecisive, and Constantine's detach- ment retired to Elains, where it joined the l)ulk of his fleet. When the fleet of the Licinian admiral .\bantus pursued on the following day, it was overtaken l)y a violent storm which destroyed 130 .ships and .")i)00 men. Constantine cros.sed the Bosporus, leaving a sufficient corps to maintain the blockade of Byzan- tium, and overtook his opponent's main body at Chrysopolis, near Chalcedon. Again he inflicted on him" a crushing defeat, killing 25,000 men and scatter- ing the greater part of the reniaintlcr. Licinius \v\\V 30,000 men escaped to Nicomcdia. But he now saw that further resistance was useless. He surrendere( at discretion, and his noble-hearted conqueror sparei his life. But when, in the following year (325), Licin- ius renewed his treacherous practices he was con demned to death by the Roman Senate and executed Henceforth, Constantine was sole master of thi Roman Empire. Shortly after the d<'f('at of Licinius Constantine determined to make Constantinople th< future capital oi the empire, and with his usual energ; he took eveiy measure to enlarge, strengthen, am J beautify it. For the next ten years of liis reign he doi voted himself to promoting the moral, political, ami economical welfare of his jiosse.ssions and made disT positions for the future government of the empiKj While he placed his nephews, Dalmatius and Hano balianns in charge of les.ser (irovinces. he designate! his .sons Constantius. Constantine. and Con.stans as (' future rulers of the empire. Not long before his encl