Emperor Of Rome Constantine
Born in 274 AD, Constantine is considered the most significant of all the rulers of Rome for various reasons. He was the first Roman emperor who adopted Christianity and made it the official religion of the entire Roman Empire. In the year 313, he declared the Edict of Milan granting freedom of religion to everyone. |
He successfully defeated Emperor Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge, which was a great victory for Christianity. He was awarded the title of Great for promoting Christianity and became known as Constantine, the Great. Constantine established a new Christian city at Byzantium (Constantinople), which was later on known as Istanbul.
After defeating Maxentius, Constantine officially came to Rome and was greeted with great delight. Maxentius body was pulled out of the Tiber and beheaded. His head was displayed on the streets for the people to see and then it was kept at Carthage. Unlike his ancestors, Constantine did not go to the Capitoline Hill to carry out traditional sacrifices at the Temple of Jupiter. He, though, visited the Senatorial Curia to show his respect and pledged to return its familial rights and offer a safe position in his new government, and to have no feelings of vengeance against Maxentius’ followers. The Senate offered him “title of the first name”, according to which his name would come first in all official papers. He was applauded as “the greatest Augustus”.
He ordered to give back all assets lost in the time of Maxentius, called the banished people back, and freed all the jailed rivals of Maxentius. A widespread drive to defame Maxentius as a tyrant started and his image was removed from all public places. Constantine became a liberator in the eyes of people. All official pronouncements and awards given to leaders of the Senate during Maxentius’ time were nullified. Constantine also tried to eliminate Maxentius’ effect from Roman cities. All edifices, like the Temple of Romulus and the Basilica of Maxentius, constructed by Maxentius were re-named after Constantine. A stone figure of Constantine with the Christian labarum in its hands was installed at the center if the Basilica. A message inscribed there says: “By this sign Constantine had freed Rome from the yoke of the tyrant”.
Constantine deactivated Maxentius’ followers by separating the Praetorian Guard and Imperial Horse Guard. Their gravestones were dug up and used in a church. Hardly 2 weeks after Constantine took over the reigns of the city, he selected the previous foundation of the Imperial Horse Guard to reconstruct it into the Lateran Basilica. Maxentius’ forces were deployed on borders on the Rhine.
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