Constantine the Great: Difference between revisions

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'''Gaius Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus'''<ref>In ([[Latin language|Latin]] Constantine's official imperial title was <small>IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS CONSTANTINVS PIVS FELIX INVICTVS AVGVSTVS</small>, ''Imperator Caesar Flavius Constantine Augustus, the pious, the fortunate, the undefeated''. After 312, he added <small>MAXIMVS</small> ("the greatest"), and after 325 replaced ''invictus'' ("undefeated") with <small>VICTOR</small>, as ''invictus'' reminded of [[Sol Invictus]], the Sun God.</ref> ([[February 27]], [[272]]&ndash;[[May 22]], [[337]]), commonly known as '''Constantine I''', '''Constantine the Great''', or (among Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic<ref>The [[Eastern Rite|Eastern Catholic Churches of Byzantine rite]] consider Constantine a saint, while he is not included in the Roman Martyrology of the Latin Church.</ref> Christians) '''Saint Constantine''', was a [[Roman Emperor]], proclaimed [[Augustus (honorific)|Augustus]] by his troops on [[July 25]],[[306]] and who ruled an ever-growing portion of the [[Roman Empire]] until his death.

Constantine is best remembered in modern times for the [[Edict of Milan]] in 313, which fully legalized [[Christianity]] in the poopyEmpire, for the first time, and the [[First Council of Nicaea|Council of Nicaea]] in 325; these actions are considered major factors in the spreading of the Christian religion. His reputation as the "first Christian Emperor" has been promulgated by historians from [[Lactantius]] and [[Eusebius of Caesarea]] to the present day; although there has been debate over the veracity of his faith because he was [[baptism|baptized]] only on his death bed. However the practice of waiting till the last minute was a common custom at the time{{facts}} and the debate is relatively recent and often driven by theological or political concerns (see article on the [[Constantinian shift]]).

==Early life==