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Constantine I (272-337), also known as Constantine the Great and Saint Constantine, was the son of Emperor Constantius. His father sent him east to serve under Emperors Diocletian and Galerius, spending some time in the court of the latter. After his father died in 306, Constantine was proclaimed his successor and emperor by his army at Ebocarum (York).<br/><br/> He at first remained officially neutral in the efforts of Emperor Galerius to defeat the usurper Maxentius, but after Galerius' death, Constantine was eventually dragged into the conflict. He eventually defeated Maxentius in 312, and then fought against his erstwhile ally, Emperor Licinius, for sole control of both western and eastern portions of the Roman Empire. Licinius was defeated in 324, and Constantine became emperor of a united empire.<br/><br/> Constantine enacted many reforms strengthening the empire, ending the tetrarchy system and restructuring government. He became the first emperor to claim conversion to Christianity, and he called the First Council of Nicaea in 325, overseeing the profession of the Nicene Creed. He renamed Byzantium to Constantinople after himself, which would become the new capital. He died in 337 from sickness, and was succeeded by his sons.
Crispus (299/305-326) was the first-born son and initial heir to Emperor Constantine I and his first wife Minervina. When his father had to eventually put aside Minervina to marry Fausta for political reasons, he did not dismiss his son but continued to care for him and would have named Crispus his heir.<br/><br/> Crispus was declared as Caesar in 317, a prince of the empire, and was made commander of Gaul. He led many victorious military campaigns against the Alamanni and Franks, securing the Roman presence in Gaul and Germania. He also fought alongside his brother against the hostile Emperor Licinius, building upon his already illustrious reputation with even more outstanding victories. Crispus was loved by many, almost as admired and revered as Constantine himself.<br/><br/> However, in a shocking turn of events Crispus was executed on the orders of his father in 326. It is unknown what truly was the cause for such action, but the execution of Fausta only a few months later has led many historians to link the two, whether it be a conspiracy against Crispus by Fausta to ensure her own sons became heirs or, less likely, that there had been an illegitimate love affair between the two that Constantine had discovered. Either way, Crispus was killed and his name never mentioned again, deleted from all official documents and monuments.
Constantine I (272-337), also known as Constantine the Great and Saint Constantine, was the son of Emperor Constantius. His father sent him east to serve under Emperors Diocletian and Galerius, spending some time in the court of the latter. After his father died in 306 CE, Constantine was proclaimed his successor and emperor by his army at Eboracum (York).<br/><br/> He at first remained officially neutral in the efforts of Emperor Galerius to defeat the usurper Maxentius, but after Galerius' death, Constantine was dragged into the conflict. He eventually defeated Maxentius in 312 CE, and then fought against his erstwhile ally, Emperor Licinius, for sole control of both western and eastern portions of the Roman Empire. Licinius was defeated in 324 CE, and Constantine became emperor of a united empire.<br/><br/> Constantine enacted many reforms strengthening the empire, ending the tetrarchy system and restructuring government. He became the first emperor to claim conversion to Christianity, and he called the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE, overseeing the profession of the Nicene Creed. He renamed Byzantium to Constantinople after himself, which would become the new capital. He died in 337 CE.
Crispus (299/305-326) was the first-born son and initial heir to Emperor Constantine I and his first wife Minervina. When his father had to eventually put aside Minervina to marry Fausta for political reasons, he did not dismiss his son but continued to care for him and would have named Crispus his heir.<br/><br/> Crispus was declared as Caesar in 317, a prince of the empire, and was made commander of Gaul. He led many victorious military campaigns against the Alamanni and Franks, securing the Roman presence in Gaul and Germania. He also fought alongside his brother against the hostile Emperor Licinius, building upon his already illustrious reputation with even more outstanding victories. Crispus was loved by many, almost as admired and revered as Constantine himself.<br/><br/> However, in a shocking turn of events Crispus was executed on the orders of his father in 326. It is unknown what truly was the cause for such action, but the execution of Fausta only a few months later has led many historians to link the two, whether it be a conspiracy against Crispus by Fausta to ensure her own sons became heirs or, less likely, that there had been an illegitimate love affair between the two that Constantine had discovered. Either way, Crispus was killed and his name never mentioned again, deleted from all official documents and monuments.
Constantine I (272-337), also known as Constantine the Great and Saint Constantine, was the son of Emperor Constantius. His father sent him east to serve under Emperors Diocletian and Galerius, spending some time in the court of the latter. After his father died in 306 CE, Constantine was proclaimed his successor and emperor by his army at Eboracum (York).<br/><br/> He at first remained officially neutral in the efforts of Emperor Galerius to defeat the usurper Maxentius, but after Galerius' death, Constantine was dragged into the conflict. He eventually defeated Maxentius in 312 CE, and then fought against his erstwhile ally, Emperor Licinius, for sole control of both western and eastern portions of the Roman Empire. Licinius was defeated in 324 CE, and Constantine became emperor of a united empire.<br/><br/> Constantine enacted many reforms strengthening the empire, ending the tetrarchy system and restructuring government. He became the first emperor to claim conversion to Christianity, and he called the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE, overseeing the profession of the Nicene Creed. He renamed Byzantium to Constantinople after himself, which would become the new capital. He died in 337 CE.
Constantine I (272-337), also known as Constantine the Great and Saint Constantine, was the son of Emperor Constantius. His father sent him east to serve under Emperors Diocletian and Galerius, spending some time in the court of the latter. After his father died in 306 CE, Constantine was proclaimed his successor and emperor by his army at Eboracum (York).<br/><br/> He at first remained officially neutral in the efforts of Emperor Galerius to defeat the usurper Maxentius, but after Galerius' death, Constantine was dragged into the conflict. He eventually defeated Maxentius in 312 CE, and then fought against his erstwhile ally, Emperor Licinius, for sole control of both western and eastern portions of the Roman Empire. Licinius was defeated in 324 CE, and Constantine became emperor of a united empire.<br/><br/> Constantine enacted many reforms strengthening the empire, ending the tetrarchy system and restructuring government. He became the first emperor to claim conversion to Christianity, and he called the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE, overseeing the profession of the Nicene Creed. He renamed Byzantium to Constantinople after himself, which would become the new capital. He died in 337 CE.
Istanbul's Hagia Sophia (Greek) or Ayasofya (Turkish) was originally constructed as a main Eastern Orthodox church and served in this role from 537 CE until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 (except between 1204 and 1261 when it was converted by the Fourth Crusaders to a Roman Catholic cathedral).<br/><br/> When the Ottoman Turks under Mehmed II conquered Constantinople, the Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque and Christian relics and art were either removed or plastered over. It remained a mosque for almost 500 years, before being converted into a museum between 1931 and 1935.<br/><br/> Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and influenced the design of numerous mosques in what is now Istanbul.
Constantine I (272-337), also known as Constantine the Great and Saint Constantine, was the son of Emperor Constantius. His father sent him east to serve under Emperors Diocletian and Galerius, spending some time in the court of the latter. After his father died in 306 CE, Constantine was proclaimed his successor and emperor by his army at Eboracum (York).<br/><br/> He at first remained officially neutral in the efforts of Emperor Galerius to defeat the usurper Maxentius, but after Galerius' death, Constantine was dragged into the conflict. He eventually defeated Maxentius in 312 CE, and then fought against his erstwhile ally, Emperor Licinius, for sole control of both western and eastern portions of the Roman Empire. Licinius was defeated in 324 CE, and Constantine became emperor of a united empire.<br/><br/> Constantine enacted many reforms strengthening the empire, ending the tetrarchy system and restructuring government. He became the first emperor to claim conversion to Christianity, and he called the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE, overseeing the profession of the Nicene Creed. He renamed Byzantium to Constantinople after himself, which would become the new capital. He died in 337 CE.
The Colossus of Constantine was a colossal acrolithic statue of the late Roman emperor Constantine the Great (c. 280–337) that once occupied the west apse of the Basilica of Maxentius near the Forum Romanum in Rome. Portions of the Colossus now reside in the Courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori of the Musei Capitolini, on the Capitoline Hill, above the west end of the Forum.<br/><br/> The great head, arms and legs of the Colossus were carved from white marble, while the rest of the body consisted of a brick core and wooden framework, possibly covered with gilded bronze. (Acrolithic means 'stone at the extremities'.) Judging by the size of the remaining pieces, the seated, enthroned figure would have been about 12 m (40 ft) high. The head is about 2 ½ m high and each foot is over 2 m long.
Mosaics in the Hagia Sophia, detail: Emperor Constantine I with a model of the city.