Constantine the Great
Roman emperor from 306 to 337 and first to convert to Christianity (272–337)
b. c. 27 Feb 272 · d. 22 May 337
Constantine I, also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a pivotal role in elevating the status of Christianity in the Roman Empire, the Edict of Milan decriminalising Christian practice and ceasing Christian persecution. This was a turning point in the Christianisation of the Roman Empire. He founded the city of Constantinople and made it the capital of the Empire, which it remained for over a millennium.
Related people
- Saint Helena child of · traditional
- Helena parent of · traditional
- Constans parent of · traditional
- Crispus parent of · traditional
- Constantius II parent of · traditional
- Constantina parent of · traditional
- Constantine II parent of · traditional
- Julian the Apostate relative of · traditional
- Fausta spouse of · traditional
- Minervina spouse of · traditional
Works
- Edict of Milan
- Debates of Constantine 4th century
Events
Commemorated
Places
- Niš birth
- Church of the Holy Apostles burial
- Nicomedia death
How we know
Recorded as a historical figure.
- On the Deaths of the Persecutors (De Mortibus Persecutorum) 2 claims — Battle of the Milvian Bridge; Edict of Milan
- Councils and Ecclesiastical Documents relating to Great Britain and Ireland 1 claim — Council of Arles
- The Seven Ecumenical Councils (NPNF series 2 vol. 14) 1 claim — First Council of Nicaea
- The Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire 1 claim — Dedication of Constantinople
Documents
Written about
Glosses
- What the pilgrim of 333 was actually shown The earliest surviving description of the holy places was written by an anonymous traveller from Bordeaux in 333, while Constantine’s churches were going up, and it is far barer than what has been built on it. Golgotha…