Constantine
I was the first Roman emperor to declare Christianity as the official religion of Rome and its empire. I pioneered the concept of closely intertwining the state and religion. I provided compensation for Christians that had been previously persecuted. I am well known for my great success in battle. I flew the flag of Christ for all to see and never lost a battle under it no matter what the odds.
I was born in Naissus, between 274 and 288 A.D. as Flavious Valerius Constantinus. With my father as emperor, I left as a general to fight the Celts in the British Isles. I won many battles and became beloved among my troops.
When dad retired, I was one of the top choices for emperor. I was chosen to rule the eastern empire while my brother-in-law Maxentius ruled the western empire. Maxentius fought with the other emperors Severus and Galerius for more land. During all this I stayed out of their battles and defended my frontier borders against the German barbarians.
After Galerius was killed, Maxentius focused his wrath on me, tearing down statues of me and declaring me a tyrant. While Maxentius’ army numbered in the hundred thousands, mine was just a small but superbly trained army ranging from twenty-five thousand to one hundred thousand men. With his huge advantage I realized I needed help in a big way so I turned to the Lord. I dedicated my army and life to him. I received a vision from God in which I was shown a cross with the Latin inscription “in hoc signo vinces” which means “in this sign you will be victorious.” I then went and put the Greek symbol of Jesus Christ on all of my warrior’s shields.
I marched into Rome defeating Maxentius on numerous occasions. But the Major defeat came on October 28th 312, when my army massacred Maxentius’ with the help of God. Maxentius himself was killed when he was struck into the river and his armor dragged him to his death.
One of the first things I did after Defeating Maxentius, was decrees the Edict of Milan. This allowed Christians to practice their faith freely in the Roman Empire.
Now there was only one more enemy to overcome in Rome. The cruel and hated tyrants, Licinius. We fought twice, the firs...
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...bjects. Even though I had made the national religion Christianity, I also allowed paganism to be practiced and pagan idols displayed on Roman coins.
I made many efforts to ensure the future of Rome, both political and religious. I appointed my three sons as future emperors of the empire, and made sure that Christianity would remain the religion, by calling more than three hundred bishops together at the Council of Nicea. From there the Creed of Nicea was drafted. This Creed is better known as the Nicene Creed which is still used by many Christians.
Right before my death, the Persians, led by their king, Shapur, rose up against me. And so again I had to raise an army to restore peace in the empire. It is one the way to do battle with them that I was struck with a deadly illness and died in May of 337. I was Baptized on my deathbed and quietly passed away before I had a chance to do battle with Shapur.
Works Cited
1. The Catholic Encyclopedia Online, Volume C. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04295c.htm 2. Constantine Converts to Christianity
http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/EastEurope/ConstantineConverts.html
However, this was different compared to Constantine who converted to Christianity and evangelized people to convert to Christianity as well. Constantine ruled as emperor from 306-337 A.D. and was the first Christian emperor of the time and credited
Augustus was born in Rome on September 23, 63 B.C. He was originally named Gaius Octavianus, but when his great-uncle, Julius Caesar, was murdered, he took his name. Augustus’ real father died when his son was only four. Augustus was adopted in Julius Caesar’s will and was left to be his heir at the age of eighteen. Caesar was very fond of his grand-nephew and he sent him to the College of Pontifices at the age of sixteen. When Caesar was assassinated, Augustus was in Illyria, where he was sent to serve. It was only when he returned to Italy that he learned he was his great-uncle’s heir.
Augustus Caesar was very ambitious leader. He is best known for bringing peace to Rome. Augustus was considered the first great roman emperor, because He didn’t care about wealth and fortune. Augustus cared about the people of Rome. He was a great military leader and was successful in most of his missions. He showed people that being a good ruler requires a lot of hard work and dedication. He was a very generous man. Augustus was greatly admired by the Roman people.
Claudius was a significant ruler of the early Roman imperial era. He reigned from AD 41-54. He was easily influenced by those with questionable agendas, such as his last two wives and his freedmen, yet his principate was deemed successful. His expansion of the empire, his new reforms and his control over the senate were all beneficial to the state and and his rule was one which paved the way for those who ruled after him.
Luttwak, Edward. The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire: from the First Century A.D. to the Third. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1979. Print.
Once the Roman occupation occurred, various sources described not just the procedure but the fear and tactic involved in crucifixion. The Romans operated in maintaining The Pax Romana, the time of peace in Rome, through “militarism and violence”. The violence of focus for this paper is their form of execution for most slaves and criminals, death by crucifixion. This form of death could be observed as a psychological control. The Romans did not merely kill the criminals, but set them to be a spectacle in one of the busiest and most crowed roads, to be observed. A deterrent effect, which rarely affected the wealthy, yet, still occupied a spot in their minds. An example, is when a nobleman in 63 B.C, was threatened with crucifixion, Ciscero in his defense, disputed that “the very mention of the cross…was intolerable for a respectable Roman citizen.” Yet this deterrent inhibited open resistance to Roman occupation, thereby maintaining their Pax Romana intact.
Livy’s The Rise of Rome serves as the ultimate catalogue of Roman history, elaborating on the accomplishments of each king and set of consuls through the ages of its vast empire. In the first five books, Livy lays the groundwork for the history of Rome and sets forth a model for all of Rome to follow. For him, the “special and salutary benefit of the study of history is to behold evidence of every sort of behaviour set forth as on a splendid memorial; from it you may select for yourself and for your country what to emulate, from it what to avoid, whether basely begun or basely concluded.” (Livy 4). Livy, however, denies the general populace the right to make the same sort of conclusions that he made in constructing his histories. His biased representation of Romulus and Tarquin Superbus, two icons of Roman history, give the readers a definite model of what a Roman should be, instead of allowing them to come to their own conclusion.
Morey, William C. "Outlines of Roman History, Chapter 19." Forum Romanum. 1901. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. .
Yet again, Rome’s troops were led by an inspired leader. Again, as in the creation myth and against the odds, Scipio prevailed, as did Rome.
Trajan was the second of the five good emperors. He was considered Optimus Princeps or “best emperor” because he not only renewed the Titus-Nerva oath of protecting senators’ lives, he also respected the people. For instance, Pliny stated that “Trajan behaved as one of us, just like a private citizen” and so he gained the respect of the roman people. Furthermore, he gained even greater respect from the people as he allowed for freedom of speech. Not only did Trajan have a great relationship with the Roman Senate and people, he also benefited the Empire tremendously. He was able to extend the Roman Empire into Dacia, Arabia, and Parthia and his wars with the Parthian Empire allowed him to take over the areas of Armenia and Mesopotamia. Moreover, Trajan’s campaigns resulted in the largest Roman Empire that the world would see. Trajan also made possible the building of the Alcantara Bridge, making travel easier in the Roman province of Spain. Nerva, Trajan’s predecessor, was unable to benefit the Roman Empire in a great fashion, and so he is considered only a...
Rome, even at its beginnings, proved to be a force to be reckoned with. It’s rapid growth and accumulation of power and repeated victories over powerful neighbors set Rome in a position of great authority and influence. As the leader of early Rome, Romulus’ effective command of his men and governance of his people provided the foundation for the building of a great city. Livy emphasizes Romulus’ possible divine origins and strong ties to deities as a validation and reinforcement of his ability to rule. A nation’s sole defense cannot be just bricks and mortar, it requires an army and a will and Romulus was able to successfully take action against the aggressors when action was needed.
In the early first century AD, the Roman Empire was subject to autocratic rule and the old Republic was long dead. Augustus had been ruling for forty years and most of that time he was loved and praised by the Senate and the people of Rome. Throughout his reign, Augustus had the one lingering problem of finding a successor to take over the role of Emperor. He had chosen 3 different heirs in his time of rule; however, they all passed before they had the chance to inherit Augustus’ esteemed power. His fourth choice, Tiberius, was the one to succeed Augustus. He was often referred to, by Augustus, as an outstanding general and the only one capable of defending Rome against her enemies. The statement, ‘Tiberius is condemned by many ancient historians (including Tacitus), and his reign is often portrayed as being detrimental to the welfare of the Roman Empire’ is invalid as he treated the senate fairly, created strong economics and security in the state and boosted the empire into an unprecedented state of prosperity. This hypothesis will be proven through this essay by analyzing factors such as Tiberius’ administration of the Empire, his relationship with the senate, his financial control, the effect of Sejanus over his rule and why were his last years as Emperor referred to as a ‘reign of terror’ by Tacitus.
Justinian was born a barbarian, probably born of Slavic parents in Illyia. We know nothing of his early years except that his uncle adopted him. His uncle was Justin I, the emperor of Constantinople. Then in 527 A.D., Justin made Justinian a co-ruler. Four months later, when Justin died, Justinian became the sole emperor.
Heichelheim, Fritz, Cedric A. Yeo, and Allen M. Ward. A History Of The Roman People. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1984.
The military system of Rome was once viewed as a fierce and influential force. The late Roman army was much different. It was a ...