Emperors of Rome | Constantine: Rise to Power (Lecture 34)

Lecture 34: Constantine was an emperor of both the old and new molds. He embraced the despotic model of imperial rule introduced by Diocletian, but he rejected the Tetrarchy in favor of sole command. He is one of the most complex and difficult emperors to understand, despite some excellent sources (notably, Eusebius). In this lecture, we survey Constantine’s difficult and protracted rise to sole rulership. Despite being passed over by Diocletian’s tetrarchic system, the young Constantine accepted his army’s imperial acclamation on 25 July 306. From then until 324, he was engaged in extending his power to become sole emperor of the entire realm. The complex events of these years occupy our attention for this lecture. Throughout, Constantine’s singleness of intent and purpose shines through.

Essential Reading:
Eusebius, Life of Constantine.
Zosimus, New History, book 2.
MacMullen, Constantine.

Supplementary Reading:
DIR, “Constantine.”
Lenski, Cambridge Companion to the Age of Constantine, especially chapters
1–3.
Pohlsander, The Emperor Constantine, pp. 2–21.