#CONSTANTINE THE GREAT COINAGE FULL#

In 305 Diocletian, being in bad health, retired from the office of Emperor and so did his colleague Maximian. Constantine served in the armed forces, campaigning against barbarians in the Danube (296) and the Persians in the East (297–299). There he received formal education on Greek, Latin literature and philosophy.Ĭonstantine’s presence in Diocletian court also served to ensure that Constantius would remain loyal to Diocletian. When Constantius was promoted to Caesar, Constantine was sent to the court of Diocletian in Nicomedia, Asia Minor. In 288/9, he left Helena to marry Theodora, stepdaughter of Maximian. Constantine spent most of his time with his mother as his father was too busy his with his military tasks. Helena, Constantine’s mother, was a woman of low social standing.

#CONSTANTINE THE GREAT COINAGE FULL#

Constantius was given command over Gaul and Britannia, where he had to put down rebellions and repel barbarian invaders.įlavius Valerius Constantinus, as was Constantine’s full name, was born in the city of Naissus in modern day Serbia on 27 February 272.

Constantius, Constantine’s father, was Caesar of Maximian. This administrative system was named the Tetrarchy ( rule of four). In 293, Diocletian further divided the empire as he and Maximian appointed a Caesar each in their realms to aid them. Realizing that the empire was too large and had too many problems for a single ruler to handle, Diocletian administratively divided the empire in two halves, with himself ruling over the Greek East while his colleague Maximian would rule over the Latin West. The Roman Empire faced a resurgent Persian Empire under the Sassanid Dynasty and invasions by barbarian tribes in the Rhine and Danube fronts. For much of the third century the Roman Empire had been plagued by infighting, secession, coups and civil wars. In 284 Diocletian, a military officer, came to the Roman throne. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Image Source: Map of the Roman Empire under the Tetrarchy, showing the dioceses and the four tetrarchs’ zones of influence.

Constantine the great coinage