The Champion Christian In Rome: 3rd Episode

The other main reason why Constantine was the most influential emperor of the Roman Empire was the foundation of a new capital for the Eastern Empire, which for many centuries bore the name of Constantinople.

Konstantin knew that the future of the Empire depended on the security of the eastern borders in Europe and Asia and that Rome was too far from one or the other where the emperor would be. The ancient city of Byzantium was an ideal place for an eastern base, as it was close to several possible problematic places, and was, therefore, the choice of Constantine.

Byzantium occupied a triangular peninsula on the north side of the Bosphorus, which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. Therefore, the new city of Constantine could be protected on two sides by the sea and by a new wall on the side of the earth. It was not long before the new city went beyond the original wall and the new defenses were built in the fifth century by the emperor Theodosius II.

Another advantage of Byzantium was that in its territory seven hills could be distinguished, which meant that it could be considered a symbolic mirror of Rome, traditionally built on seven hills.

Constantin spared no expense in building his new capital, which begins with a magnificent imperial palace and a racecourse with a capacity of 80,000 spectators. The city included churches, but the most ancient pagan temples were preserved. Public buildings such as baths and a Senate house have been built, although Rome senators should not settle in the new city.

The construction speed was impressive. Begun in 324, the new city was consecrated in 330. This was partly due to the elements of some of their buildings, such as columns and bricks, which appropriated buildings in other parts of the empire.

Constantin concentrated on his new eastern capital, how would he manage the western half of the empire? First, the son Crispo could do the job, but the disaster in 326. There are several versions of what happened, one of them that is and is related to a love story between Crispo his Faustas law, but all the facts, the result was that Crispo was executed for treason and Fausta died shortly thereafter. He was able to get engaged with his stepson in an argument with Konstantin and suffer the consequences.

Constantine was not an empress, her elderly mother Elena was their ambassador and gave a great tour through the East, where the Christian tradition says she found parts of the True Cross of Jerusalem and the building of churches in the holy places. Later it was honored by the church as Saint Helena.

The empire, thanks mainly to the reforms introduced by Diocletian, was now organized regionally in various areas, including the army. A strong leader like Costantino could hold all the pieces together, but what about the future? This was of great concern to Constantin in his later years, when he discovered that none of the potential candidates for the original successor matched.

He had three surviving sons and two nephews who considered possible rulers over parts of the empire, but he did not intend to name a single Caesar who would join the emperor after his death. His plan was, of course, to divide the empire into five prefectures, with his nephew Hannibalianus taking control of Iraq as soon as it was put under Roman control. When Constantine planned to invade Iraq in 337, he fell ill and died.

The last act of Constantine was baptized as a Christian after having spent all his life as a student of the Sol Invictus, but suspecting that Jesus Christ and the Sol Invictus were two sides of the same coin. He also declared his intention to be buried as a Roman emperor in the mausoleum he had built for this purpose in Constantinople. His son Constance later consecrated the mausoleum as the Church of the Twelve Apostles, which would probably have largely hindered Constantine if he had known.

With tolerated Christianity and also played an active role in its development, but remained far away on a personal basis, Constantine made it clear that a Roman and Christian Emperor was entirely possible without looking like a Christian emperor to be a pig. It was a lesson that all his followers did not appreciate.