Saint Constantine was born Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus on 27th February 280 AD to Roman General and later Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus and to Helen (Saint Helen) in the Roman province of Naissus. In a political move, Constantius Chlorus left Helen to marry Flavia Maximiana Theodora, daughter to Emperor Maximian. Constantine went with his father to Nicomedia as Constantius was appointed on of the two caesares (junior emperors) of the Tetrarchy. There Constantine, schooled in Greek and philosophy served on the court of Caesar Augustus Diocletian.When Diocletian and Maximian abdicated their positions as Augustus, Constantius replaced Diocletian and was declared Augustus of the West. Constantine and Maximian's son. . . Maxentius were passed up for the openings of Ceasares for Severus and Maximinus Daia.Constantine left Nicomedia to join his father in Roman Gaul. However, in 306 AD Constantius died during an expedition in York. The legions on Constantius' region declared Constantine the new Augustus however, Galerius, the Eastern Augustus, would only allow Constantine the title of Caesar. thus making Severus Augustus of the West.In 305 Constantine married Maxentius' daughter Fausta and sealed an alliance between Constantine and Maxentius. In a war between Constantine/Maxentius against Severus/Galerius. . . Severus and Galerius were defeated and Constantine became Augustus of the west. However, the alliance would be short lived for early in 312 A.D. Constantine and Maxentius were at war with each other.At the Battle of Milvian Bridge, Constantine had a vision in which the Holy Cross appeared in the sky and the words "En touto Nika" (in this you shall conquer) appeared. He ordered his legions to paint crosses on their shields and eventually the forces of Constantine were victorious against Maxentius. Eventually, Constantine became sole ruler of the Roman empire.He passed the Edict of Milan which ended the persecution of Christians throughout the empire. When Licinus tried to repeal the Edict in 320, Constantine engaged the empire in a great civil war. Eventually achieving victory of Licinus.The defeat of Licinus marked the end of the old Rome and Constantine embarked on a mission to strengthen the Easter Roman Empire, the source of Rome's wealth. He rebuilt Byzantium and renamed in Nea Romana (New Rome). He provided the new capital with civic offices and a Senate, established churches, replaced the Roman Gods with Christian symbolism and established both the Church of the Holy Apostles and Saint Sophia.Constantine sent out expeditions to recover religious relics from the holy lands, and on one expedition his mother, Helen. . . who had been a devout Christian since Constantine's childhood discovered the true cross on which Christ was crucified. Bringing it back to Constantinople, Constantine placed it at the highest point in the city, at the center of the city, and the cross became the center of the world. Distances to and from the city were measured starting from the cross.Constantine died 22 May 337 AD and on his death bed he finalized his life long belief in Christ by being baptized as a Christian.Because of his work in ending Christian persecution, expanding Christ's kingdom, and because of Helen's discovery . . . Constantine the Great and his mother Helen were named Saints and remain such to this day in the Holy Orthodox Church.
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