Paganism was not banned at the time Constantine came to power, in fact the coins minted during the first several years of his rule still showed the figures of ancient Roman gods. One of Constantine’s most ingenious political moves was his allowance of religions other than Christianity.

For this he has been termed both Constantine the Great as well as Saint Constantine by different sects of the Christian church. This not only reversed the persecution of Christians that had been occurring under previous emperors, but it also allowed peoples of other religions to practice freely within the empire. The most notable of Constantine’s achievements was his signing and implication of the Edict of Milan in 313, which granted religious tolerance throughout the empire. This is our first glimpse into the consistent theme of Constantine’s rule, the benevolent emperor.Ĭonstantine’s predecessor, Maxentius, was a tyrant of the Diocletian system who oppressed Christians in the empire. Constantine made many prominent legal reforms during his rule including mandating better treatment of prisoners within Rome, banning of the gladiatorial games and limiting the rights of slave masters. During his rule, Constantine made many significant revisions to the empire including transforming the city of Byzantium into Constantinople which would become the new capital of the Roman Empire as well as would remain the capital of the Byzantium Empire for over 1000 years. He is well known for being the first of the Christian emperors in Rome and instigating the shift of power from divine emperors of the past, to the church. The reign of Emperor Constantine from the year 306 to his death in 337 was a period of drastic change throughout the Roman Empire.

Arch of constantine rome