Constantine 1 the Great by Mason Hatfield https://padlet.com/21hatfield/e2jjby0snnus Roman Emperor, Leader of the Byzantine Empire en-us 2018-03-19 01:19:09 UTC 2023-03-16 01:56:10 UTC hello@padlet.com Constantine 21hatfield https://padlet.com/21hatfield/e2jjby0snnus/wish/243292158 BY: Mason Hatfield]]> 2018-03-19 01:22:01 UTC https://padlet.com/21hatfield/e2jjby0snnus/wish/243292158 Early life 21hatfield https://padlet.com/21hatfield/e2jjby0snnus/wish/243292586 Constantine (Gaius Flavis Valerius Constantinus) was born at Naissus in present day Serbia as early as 272 CE or as late as 285 CE. There is still intense speculation amongst historians on when exactly Constantine was born because the data is somewhat skewed. His father was Constantius and he was known as a military commander as well as a political leader in the Roman Empire. As a matter of fact his father was Caesar of the western Roman Empire (after the divide made by Diocletian) and because of this Constantine spent his entire early life in the imperial court. Under his fathers tutelage, Constantine learned that a ruler's job is to protect the empire from any external forces that oppose a threat and to the empire and also it his responsibility to create a just and ordered society. This philosophy was then ingrained into the mindset of Constantine and he would later demonstrate the belief in these values during his reign. 
  ]]> 2018-03-19 01:23:54 UTC https://padlet.com/21hatfield/e2jjby0snnus/wish/243292586 Constantine’s reign 21hatfield https://padlet.com/21hatfield/e2jjby0snnus/wish/243581028 Constantine moved the capitol of the Roman Empire to Byzantium in the eastern part of the Roman Empire because he foresaw the decline and destruction of the western part of the civilization. The military was weak in the west and Goths, Franks, Vandals, and the Huns threatened the protection and security of the citizens of old Rome. The prestigious city simply could not provide the needs of the empire, so in 330 AD, Constantine left the city in splendid isolation and they would have little political contributions to the empire despite their wealth and the fact they were still the focal point of the region. After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, the eastern civilization had flourished and the Byzantine empire was able to contribute heavily to the arts, literature, philosophy, theology, and scientific knowledge in the middle ages. This reveals how under Constantine the Byzantine empire achieved much success and was highly advanced. Although Constantine extinguished other political leaders that threatened his absolute power within the Roman Empire, he was a leader who dedicated his time to developing a strong army to protect the people as well as integrating Christian beliefs to bring social stability and peace to his civilization. Constantine should definitely be elected into the hall of fame as a way to reward him for advancing the Byzantine civilization and to acknowledge his successful reign. 

]]> 2018-03-19 15:45:23 UTC https://padlet.com/21hatfield/e2jjby0snnus/wish/243581028 Constantine's social and cultural changes 21hatfield https://padlet.com/21hatfield/e2jjby0snnus/wish/243838512 Constantine developed a culture in Constantinople based upon Christian beliefs and Greek values. The society inside the Byzantine empire was stable and most importantly the formerly persecuted Christians were no longer discriminated against. Christianity was a growing religion in the Roman Empire and it was important that the religion and it's followers were accepted in society or else inner conflict would have stirred up and the empire could have crumbled from the inside. It was the Christianized imperial governing class developed by Constantine that, along with his dynastic success, “most firmly entrenched the position of Christianity" (Encyclopedia Britannica). So essentially a big reason why people respected Constantine’s proposal for integrating the Christian religion to build the foundation for society, was because of Constantine’s legitimacy given by his rich family heritage. If it wasn’t for Constantine having a reputation that of a leader who is reliable and respectable, Christianity would have most likely been disapproved of in Roman society. If this were to happen, considering the pace at which the religion was growing and expanding, the number of Christians who would have been persecuted would have increased drastically and eventually after they found out they had numbers to rise up against the persecutors, a rebellion could have taken place which could have prevented the contribution the Byzantine Empire made to a period of renaissance in the Middle Ages.

]]> 2018-03-20 04:37:11 UTC https://padlet.com/21hatfield/e2jjby0snnus/wish/243838512 Constantine's religious beliefs and how that influenced the way he governed the Byzantine Empire 21hatfield https://padlet.com/21hatfield/e2jjby0snnus/wish/243838601 Constantine used Christianity as a foundation to build upon the values of the Byzantine empire. This brought peace and prosperity to the civilization and through the influence of God, Constantine learned his purpose for being a leader and what actions he was going to need to take to full-fill the needs of his people. This would allow the empire to maintain stability and prevent corruption. Throughout his life, Constantine ascribed his success to his conversion to Christianity and the support of Jesus (the Christian god). After Christianity and its fundamental beliefs were implemented into the philosophy in which the way Romans live, it allowed the Empire under Constantine to flourish. After Constantine’s victory over licinius (former augustus of the entire eastern half of the empire) in 324, (came to the throne in 312 as western leader), he wrote that he had come from “the farthest shores of Britain as God’s chosen instrument for the suppression of impiety” and that he was the one to bring peace and a sense of unity to the land (Encyclopedia Britannica). With Christianity being the new religion in the Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) Constantine made sure to eliminate any other such persecutions made by discriminative people. For example he issued laws “abolishing the penalty of crucifixion and the practice of branding certain criminals” (Encyclopedia Britannica). Also he suppressed some offensive pagan practices (pagans are people who don't believe in Christ and didn’t follow Christianity). Constantine made certain days that were allocated to worshiping the elements and supreme beings of the Christian religion as well.This shows his connection to Christianity and his strong belief that Jesus was a man full of good character and that his followers should know full well about what he did for his supporters many years before the time of the Byzantine Empire. Lastly, after Constantine died internal strife (disagreement) and civil war followed. Much of this civil war most likely was the result of conflict and disagreement that Constantine was not alive to properly deal with. Considering that the implementation of Christianity brought peace and prosperity during Constantine's reign which can lead someone to the conclusion that the leader who filled the void left by Constantine didn't believe as strongly in Christianity.This reinforces how Constantine's presence in the imperial court of the empire was valued by many and his reforms kept the state of the Empire free of corruption and instability. 

]]> 2018-03-20 04:38:03 UTC https://padlet.com/21hatfield/e2jjby0snnus/wish/243838601 work cited 21hatfield https://padlet.com/21hatfield/e2jjby0snnus/wish/244139519 Biography.com. “Constantine 1 Biography.” Biography.com, A&E Television Networks, www.biography.com/people/constantine-i-39496. Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
“Constantine I.” Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 15 Nov. 2017. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Constantine-I/109633. Accessed 1 Mar. 2018.
Lawler, Jennifer. Encyclopedia of the Byzantine Empire. Jefferson, McFarland, 2004.
Wasson, Donald L. “Constantine 1.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, 19 Apr. 2013, www.ancient.eu/Constantine_I/. Accessed 6 Mar. 2018.

]]> 2018-03-20 16:47:23 UTC https://padlet.com/21hatfield/e2jjby0snnus/wish/244139519 Constantine's military reforms 21hatfield https://padlet.com/21hatfield/e2jjby0snnus/wish/244212951 Constantine kept the Byzantine Empire protected and secure during periods where Germanic invaders were migrating and looking for new territory to settle and start their own civilization. He issued reforms that were intended to strengthen his regime during these stressful times. One such reform was the reorganization of the army which would help the Byzantine Empire maintain its security and protection. During the time of Constantine's reign the Visigoths and Sarmatians, which were nomadic invasive tribes, were migrating heavily in search of new territory to conquer and then develop a civilization that could flourish and expand. During the third century, "german mercenary soldiers were used in Roman legions" (Pg. 134 Jennifer Lawler). These legions were used to protect the borders of the empire to keep these potential threats from causing war inside the empire. Threats made by the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Alamanni, and the Franks had been increasing during this period and they had been putting stress and pressure on the frontier and border areas of the empire. Under Diocletian and Constantine 1 the great, this pressure ceased. This shows how Constantine was a strong military supporter which helped keep these Germanic tribes out of the Byzantine territory. Also Constantine displays his civic virtue because he took the lives of his citizens before anything else by reorganizing the army so that the people were kept safe inside protected borders. This allowed him to gain even more legitimacy because the people gave him respect for being a man of the people and revealing how they are important influences of his decision making as a leader. The fact people liked Constantine was a reason why no serious revolts occurred during his reign because the people knew a good leader was governing them and that they could have confidence he would allow for the proper development of the civilization. 


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