Constantine the Great is one of the most prominent figures of the ancient world who has dramatically influenced the history of the modern world. Constantine’s triumph of political dominance of his time, led to the success of Christianity rising as the dominant religion in the Roman word, and perhaps the modern world.
Constantine was the son of Helena and Constantius. In 289 AD, the western emperor chose Constantius to serve him. Constantius and Galerius were promoted to Caesar and eventually to Augusti. Constantine benefited greatly from his father’s promotion and his duty fell to the battlefield (Lenski, 2006:59-60). After his father’s death in 306 A.D, there became fierce competition between him and Maxentius for the role of emperor.
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These radical changes made to the Christian church allowed for imperial involvement in the religious cult, but it also allowed for a new power and influence of the church on politics and governing of the Roman Empire. The advance in power and status of Christian leaders has been maintained still in modern eras. Although it is debatable whether Christian leaders are as significant and powerful as the period of Constantine’ rule, it is blatantly obvious how Constantine and his Christianization marked the stepping stones for a lot of political and religious relations, as still seen today in the collaboration of the Queen of England and the Pope (Lenski, …show more content…
From uniting Rome under one single empire, legalizing Christianity, spreading and maintaining the Christian faith and dominance, and his military and economic tactics. However, aside from all his obvious victories and influences, what is so captivating about Constantine, is the man he was rather than his actions. It is entirely intriguing how a single man could manifest and hold such power in order to execute all these significant events in history, and it is this that strengthens his legacy (Odahl,