A sign from God…maybe. A political strategy…more than likely. Close to seventeen hundred years later, we find ourselves reliving history through religious wars and campaign tactics in an attempt to gain power. Around the time of A.D. 300, Ancient Rome was a Pagan polytheistic society. However, a new age of thought was dawning over the Roman Empire. Among all of the esteemed emperors of Rome was Constantine the Great, who gave birth to Christianity in his empire.

The son of a barmaid hardly makes for a future emperor and this is one of the reasons why Constantius Chlorus and Helena (the biological parents of Constantine) were never married. Instead Flavius Valerius Constantine, who was born in Naissus on February 27th, between A.D. 272 and 282, was brought up by his father “the soon-to-be Caesar of Rome” (Morgan 12) and his stepmother. Constantius Chlorus married Theodora, daughter of Maximain, in order to secure a connection between himself and his immediate superior. After this, his relationship with Helena was presumably broken off in what was clearly a political rather than a romantic arrangement (Morgan 13). For the duration of his life Constantine was known to be cool, calculating, and wise in his strategical moves, yet loyal, passionate, and understanding when it came to his religious beliefs. Since the exact year of his birth is unknown, Constantine could have lived anywhere from fifty-five to sixty-five years old, dying on May 22, A.D. 337. During his life time religion, government, and politics were about to change.

In Ancient Rome civilians lived under a Pagan monarchy with many wars going on to acquire land. There were two augusti, one of the West and one of the East, each with their caesars. Living in Nicomedia away from his father for most of his young life, Constantine became a “successful military tribune” (Morgan 16). Diocletian and Maximain (the senior augustus and his caesar) recognized Constantine as a promising young man and a fine junior officer. “Young Constantine received a formidable education, became a fluent speaker of Greek, and was adept in philosophy” (Dodds 37). Soon after this, Constantine joined his father in an expedition to Gaul, where Constantius fell ill and died, leaving Constantine as his successor and emperor of Eastern Rome (Freeman 58). Upon becoming Augustus of the East Constantine married Fausta, another daughter of Maximain, and had four sons and two daughters. Crispus was his eldest who was born of Constantine’s first wife Minervina, Constantine II, Constantius II, and Constans along with Constantia and Helena born of Fausta. In A.D. 326, Constantine had Crispus and Fausta executed for having an affair. In the majority of his time Constantine was off on expeditions in the West to expand his empire (Nardo 65). Although the Bible was the literature of the time, Constantine was of Pagan beliefs, until the battle against Maxentius.