Constantine the Great

Constantine Constantine the Great is considered by many one of the best emperors of Roman history. Constantine was the first emperor to convert to Cristianityand also founded the great city of Constantinople which remained the capital of the eastern Romans empire until 1453. Constantine the Great was born Flavius Valerius Constantinus at Nis, in what is now Serbia, son of the commander Constantius Chlorus and Helena, a camp follower. Constantius became co-emperor in 305. Constantine, who had …

…sun god. By the time of the Council of Nicaea 325 A.D., however, he was completely Christian, but still tolerated paganism among his subjects. Although criticized by his enemies as a proponent of a crude and false religion, Constantine the Great strengthened the Roman Empire and ensured its survival in the East. As the first emperor to rule in the name of Christ, he was a major figure in the foundation of medieval Christian Europe.