Constantine The Great
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Constantine the Great:
More than an Emperor
Akbar the Great, Suleyman the Magnificent, and Tzar Ivan the Terrible all have one thing in common; they each were given a title by their people because of the ways that they ruled. Flavius Valerius Constantinus was no different, he became known as Constantine the Great by instituting unprecedented policies which would come to affect the entire future of the Western Civilization. Constantine did many amazing things for his empire: he was the first ruler to acknowledge and allow Christianity as a religion, he created many laws to benefit Christianity and the people, he created a very active capital, and he acknowledged religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter. The products of Constantines rule made a huge impact during his time and are still felt to this day.
Constantines appreciation for Christianity began at the battle of Milvian Bridge in 312. Before the battle he saw a cross appear in the sky, accompanied by the words “in signus, vinctus,” which translates to “in this sign, conquer” (Stone 104). Following this apparition, Constantine defeated Mexentius-the ruler of the western half of the Roman Empire-in a battle for the throne. In return for the apparition, Constantine felt obliged to spread Christianity in all possible ways (Boak and Sinnigen 435). He knew that this meant Christianity should eventually become the official religion of the empire. About a year later, Constantine met with his co-emperor, Licinius, and issued the Edict of Milan. The Edict of Milan allowed Christians, as well as other religions, the freedom of worship without punishment (Stone 104). This was a huge step for the Christian religion, as this would be the first time they could worship without being persecuted by the government. The Edict of Milan not only allowed free worship, it also gave the Christians back the land and churches that the government confiscated (Firth 108). Although Christianity was not yet declared the official religion, many people converted to Christianity because they were now able to do so without persecution. Furthermore, the Edict of Milan established Sunday as a day of worship for all religions. Pagans eventually were required to go out in the fields on Sunday and raise their hands in observance to the Lord (Herbermann). This was the first law that truly showed the future of the empire, a Christian empire. With the legality of the religion, some of the Christian priests at this time thought it was becoming too fashionable because it was easier to practice. These priests moved to remote places, like the deserts of Egypt, to remind themselves that gods kingdom wasnt of this world; these were the first Christian monks (Stone 104). While the Edict of Milan didnt make Christianity the “official religion,” it was the first step in spreading Christianity throughout the empire and creating components of Christianity which are still seen today.
Around 320, in an attempt to win over his people, Lucinius decided to excuse them from the Edict of Milan. The Pagans took advantage of this and drove all of the Christians out of the East Empire (Boak and Sinnigen 433). Constantine wasnt happy about this and defeated Lucinius in 324, becoming sole emperor of the Roman Empire. Constantine quickly relocated the capital to Constantinople-previously Byzantine. The old capital at Rome was too susceptible to attack and far from the armies in the West, while Constantinople was more easily defendable (Firth 258). Constantinople was close to the Black Sea, which led to the Mediterranean, giving the city great trading opportunities. Constantine quickly beautified Constantinople by building many churches and monuments (Vogt 107). Constantine ruined the old temples of Byzantine to make way for the new churches, which could be seen as Constantines first real move to expel Paganism. Constantine moved many of the Greek art-works to Constantinople to help beautify the city and attract the people. Constantinople soon became the heart of Christianity in the Empire. Constantinople remained a strong, thriving capital until its downfall nearly a thousand years later to the Turks. Constantines creation of a “Christian City” in the heart of the empire was key to the spread of Christianity.
Constantines next impact on Christianity was at the Council of Nicaea, held to help clear up the controversy in the church. The churchs unity was being threatened by Arianism- the belief that God was external and the Son and Spirit were his creations (Boak and Sinnigen 505). People were taking both sides of the debate, splitting the religion. Constantine, worried that a divided church would offend the Lord and bring retribution against the Empire, intervened before the situation elevated to another level (Boak and Sinnigen 505). The final decision was that the Holy Trinity was all of one substance, which held true until challenged during the Protestant Reformation. Unofficially, the Council of Nicaea converted the Roman Empire to Christianity from Paganism. The decisions made at the Council of Nicaea were extremely important as they shaped the beliefs of Christianity and still hold true to followers of the fate today.
Influenced by Christianity, Constantine instituted many policies and laws that helped the people of his empire. Constantine called for greater protection or the poor, weak, and defenseless, therefore many of the privileges granted by law were to the church. The church took care of the poor and had a general compassion for the people (Boak and Sinnigen 436). He first exempted the clergy from taxation and personal services, enabling the clergymen to focus all of their time on the religion. Constantines thoughts on this were summed up in a letter to Africa, “The Christian clergy should not be distracted by secular offices from their religious dutiesÐfor when they are free to render supremem service to the Divinity, it is evident that they confer great benefit upon the affairs of the state” (Firth 332).
Constantine not only eased the lives of clergymen, he also did many things for justice. He first allowed the bishops to take part in government. In the court of law, if both sides agreed, a bishop could make the final decision; the bishops testimony was considered adequate enough by the judges. After the bishops testimony there would be no more witnesses called to the stand (Boak and Sinnigen 504). Criminals punishment was also changed by Constantine,