"Gaul. In 330, Constantine I established a second capital at Constantinople. At this time, part of the Roman aristocratic class moved to this new centre, followed by many of the artists and craftsmen who were living in the city. Christianity reached Rome during the 1st century AD. For the first two centuries of the Christian era, Imperial authorities largely viewed Christianity simply as a Jewish sect rather than a distinct religion. No emperor issued general laws against the faith or its Church, and persecutions, such as they were, were carried out under the authority of local government officials. A surviving"
"spread widely among non-Jews (Gentiles) of the Roman Empire. The Roman Emperor Galerius issued an edict permitting the practice of the Christian religion under his rule in April 311. In 313 Constantine I and Licinius announced toleration of Christianity in the Edict of Milan. Constantine would become the first Christian emperor. By 391, under the reign of Theodosius I, Christianity had become the most popular, or state religion. Constantine I, the first emperor to embrace Christianity, was also the first emperor to openly promote the newly legalized religion. As the political boundaries of the Western Roman Empire diminished and then"
"that the emperor attempted to deflect blame onto the Christians. The war against the Jews during Nero's reign, which so destabilised the empire that it led to civil war and Nero's suicide, provided an additional rationale for suppression of this 'Jewish' sect. Diocletian undertook what was to be the most severe and last major persecution of Christians, lasting from 303 to 311. Christianity had become too widespread to suppress, and in 313, the Edict of Milan made tolerance the official policy. Constantine I (sole ruler 324–337) became the first Christian emperor, and in 380 Theodosius I established Christianity as the"
"""Constantine was also the first Christian emperor, with the exception of Philippus, who seemed to me to have become a Christian merely in order that the one-thousandth year of Rome might be dedicated to Christ rather than to pagan idols."" (""""Item Constantinus imperator primus Christianus, excepto Philippo, qui Christianus admodum ad hoc tantum constitutus fuisse mihi visus est, ut millesimus Romae annus Christo potius quam idolis dicaretur"""", tr. J.C. Rolfe) The scholar Samuel N. C. Lieu holds that this passage is a later interpolation, designed to give the work's pagan core a Christian gloss. According to Lieu, this passage, along"
"Constantine was particularly common among emperors, showing their connection to the founder of Constantinople and the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great. Whilst modern historiography generally recognizes eleven emperors by the name Constantine, numbering Constantine Palaiologos as ""Constantine XI"", older works have occasionally numbered him differently, with Gibbon numbering him ""Constantine XII"", after counting Constantine Laskaris (1204–05) as well. Particular confusion in the correct number of Constantines arises in that there are two different Roman Emperors numbered as ""Constantine III"", the Western Constantine III of the early fifth century and Constantine III of the seventh century. Additionally, the emperor"
"of Constantine. He is venerated as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. He has historically been referred to as the ""First Christian Emperor"", and he did heavily promote the Christian Church. Some modern scholars, however, debate his beliefs and even his comprehension of the Christian faith itself. The age of Constantine marked a distinct epoch in the history of the Roman Empire. He built a new imperial residence at Byzantium and renamed the city Constantinople (now Istanbul) after himself (the laudatory epithet of ""New Rome"" came later, and was never an official title). It became the"
"Gaius Caesar Gaius Caesar (; Latin: ""Gaius Julius Augusti f. Divi n. Caesar""; 20 BC – 21 February AD 4) was consul in AD 1 and the grandson of Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Although he was born to Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder, Augustus' only daughter, Gaius and his younger brother, Lucius Caesar were raised by their grandfather as his adopted sons and joint-heirs to the empire. He would experience an accelerated political career befitting a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, with the Roman Senate allowing him to advance his career without first holding"
"then create a rival lineage of Roman emperors in western Europe, the Holy Roman Emperors, which ruled the Holy Roman Empire for most of the period between 800 and 1806. These Emperors were never recognized as Roman emperors by the court in Constantinople. Modern historians conventionally regard Augustus as the first Emperor whereas Julius Caesar is considered the last dictator of the Roman Republic, a view having its origins in the Roman writers Plutarch, Tacitus and Cassius Dio. However, the majority of Roman writers, including Josephus, Pliny the Younger, Suetonius and Appian, as well as most of the ordinary people"
"rulers of the Roman Empire for fourteen centuries after his death, in use both at Old Rome and at New Rome. In many languages, ""Caesar"" became the word for ""Emperor"", as in the German ""Kaiser"" and in the Bulgarian and subsequently Russian ""Tsar"" (sometimes Csar or Czar). The cult of ""Divus Augustus"" continued until the state religion of the Empire was changed to Christianity in 391 by Theodosius I. Consequently, there are many excellent statues and busts of the first emperor. He had composed an account of his achievements, the ""Res Gestae Divi Augusti"", to be inscribed in bronze in"
"Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor (historically """", ""Emperor of the Romans"") was the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire (800/962-1806 AD, from Charlemagne/Otto I to Francis II). The title was, almost without interruption, held in conjunction with the rule of the Kingdom of Germany. From an autocracy in Carolingian times the title evolved into an elected monarchy chosen by the prince-electors. The Holy Roman Emperor was widely perceived to rule by divine right, though he often contradicted or rivaled the Pope, most notably during the Investiture controversy. In theory, the Holy Roman Emperor was ""primus inter pares"" (first"
"the usurper near modern Verona that summer. Decius easily won the battle and Philip was killed sometime in September 249, either in the fighting or assassinated by his own soldiers who were eager to please the new ruler. Philip's eleven-year-old son and heir may have been killed with his father and Priscus disappeared without a trace. Some later traditions, first mentioned in the historian Eusebius in his ""Ecclesiastical History"", held that Philip was the first Christian Roman Emperor. According to Eusebius (""Ecc. Hist."" VI.34), Philip was a Christian, but was not allowed to enter Easter vigil services until he confessed"
"which he disappears from the historical record. Romulus' father Orestes was a Roman citizen, originally from Pannonia, who had served as a secretary and diplomat for Attila the Hun and later rose through the ranks of the Roman army. The future emperor was named ""Romulus"" after his maternal grandfather, a nobleman from Poetovio in Noricum. Many historians have noted the coincidence that the last western emperor bore the names of both Romulus, the legendary founder and first king of Rome, and Augustus, the first emperor. Orestes was appointed Magister militum by Julius Nepos in 475. Shortly after his appointment, Orestes"
"Augustus Augustus (; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) was a Roman statesman and military leader who was the first Emperor of the Roman Empire, controlling Imperial Rome from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. His status as the founder of the Roman Principate has consolidated an enduring legacy as one of the most effective and controversial leaders in human history. He was born Gaius Octavius Thurinus into an old and wealthy equestrian branch of the plebeian ""gens"" Octavia. His maternal great-uncle Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, and Octavius was named in Caesar's"
"the Italic nature of Rome's accretive culture supreme. Against this human background, both the urban and rural setting, one of history's most influential civilizations took shape, leaving behind a cultural legacy that survives in part today. The Roman Empire, at its height (c. 117 CE), was the most extensive political and social structure in western civilization. By 285 CE the empire had grown too vast to be ruled from the central government at Rome and so was divided by Emperor Diocletian into a Western and an Eastern Empire. The Roman Empire began when Augustus Caesar became the first emperor of"
"Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I (, ; 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick Barbarossa (), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 2 January 1155 until his death. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 1152. He was crowned King of Italy on 24 April 1155 in Pavia and Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV on 18 June 1155 in Rome. Two years later, the term ' (""holy"") first appeared in a document in connection with his Empire. He was later formally crowned King"
"the first Roman emperor, to write the epic ""Aeneid"". Arguably the most influential Roman poet, Virgil's artistic clout was immense, being felt well into late antiquity, and he was imitated by Late Latin poets like Juvencus and Prudentius. The respect given to Virgil often manifested in the form of centos, which reached peak popularity in the fourth century AD. Second, Virgil was often seen as a pre-Christian prophet due to a popular interpretation of his fourth Eclogue, which many believed foretold the birth of Jesus. Hardly any names are present in ""De laudibus Christi"". This is because Virgil never used"
"Constantine the Great and Christianity During the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great (AD 306–337), Christianity began to transition to the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. Historians remain uncertain about Constantine's reasons for favoring Christianity, and theologians and historians have often argued about which form of early Christianity he subscribed to. There is no consensus among scholars as to whether he adopted his mother Helena's Christianity in his youth, or, as claimed by Eusebius of Caesarea, encouraged her to convert to the faith he had adopted himself. Constantine ruled the Roman Empire as sole emperor for the"
"The incongruity of this fact proved too much for the historian to handle, so he ignored it. Because of the continuing popularity of Jerome's ""Chronicon"" and Orosius' ""Historia"", the medieval writers who wrote about Philip called him the first Christian emperor. The ""Chronica Gallica"" of 452, Prosper of Aquitaine (d. ""ca"". 455), Cassiodorus (d. ""ca"". 585), Jordanes (fl. 551), Isidore of Seville (d. 636), and Bede (d. 735) all follow Jerome on this point. One early medieval historian writing at the eve of the millennium, the Lombard Landolfus Sagax, held that Philip had confessed to Fabian, Bishop of Rome, instead"
"Augustus (title) Augustus (plural augusti; ; , Latin for ""majestic"", ""the increaser"" or ""venerable""), was an ancient Roman title given as both name and title to Gaius Octavius (often referred to simply as Augustus), Rome's first Emperor. On his death, it became an official title of his successor, and was so used by Roman emperors thereafter. The feminine form ""Augusta"" was used for Roman empresses and other females of the Imperial family. The masculine and feminine forms originated in the time of the Roman Republic, in connection with things considered divine or sacred in traditional Roman religion. Their use as"
"Rome"" by the Brothers Carracci: Ludovico, Annibale, and Agostino. Romulus Romulus () was the legendary founder and first king of Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus and his contemporaries. Although many of these traditions incorporate elements of folklore, and it is not clear to what extent a historical figure underlies the mythical Romulus, the events and institutions ascribed to him were central to the myths surrounding Rome's origins and cultural traditions. The myths concerning Romulus involve several distinct episodes and figures: the miraculous birth and youth of"
"Without that coronation, no king, despite exercising all powers, could call himself Emperor. In 1508, Pope Julius II allowed Maximilian I to use the title of Emperor without coronation in Rome, though the title was qualified as ""Electus Romanorum Imperator"" (""elected Emperor of the Romans""). Maximilian's successors adopted the same titulature, usually when they became the sole ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. Maximilian's first successor Charles V was the last to be crowned Emperor. Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor (historically """", ""Emperor of the Romans"") was the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire (800/962-1806 AD, from Charlemagne/Otto"
"Tiberius Tiberius (; ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March 37 AD) was Roman emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD, succeeding the first emperor, Augustus. Born to Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla in a Claudian family, he was given the personal name Tiberius Claudius Nero. His mother divorced Nero and married Octavian—later to ascend to Emperor as Augustus—who officially became his stepfather. Tiberius would later marry Augustus' daughter (from his marriage to Scribonia), Julia the Elder, and even later be adopted by Augustus. Through the adoption, he officially became a Julian, assuming the name Tiberius Julius Caesar."
"senators afraid of Caesar's title of ""dictator for life"" assassinated him the Ides of March of 44 BC. The adoptive son of Caesar, Octavian Augustus, defeated the killers of his father and became the first Roman Emperor (""Princeps"") in 27 BC. The Roman Empire peaked during the Pax Romana, stagnated during the crisis of the third century AD and ultimately split between the Latin West and the Greek East. Both parts of the Empire abandoned pagan polytheism in order to tolerate monotheistic Christianity and finally make it the state religion. The West collapsed around 476, and several centuries of Germanic"
"Milan, and Trier. Diocletian was also responsible for a significant Christian persecution. In 303 he and Galerius started the persecution and ordered the destruction of all the Christian churches and scripts and forbade Christian worship. Diocletian abdicated in 305 AD together with Maximian, thus, he was the first Roman emperor to resign. His reign ended the traditional form of imperial rule, the Principate (from princeps) and started the Dominate (from Dominus, ""Master""). Constantine assumed the empire as a tetrarch in 306. He conducted many wars against the other tetrarchs. Firstly he defeated Maxentius in 312. In 313, he issued the"
"his sins and ordered to sit among the penitents, which he did willingly. Later versions located this event in Antioch. However, historians generally identify the later Emperor Constantine, baptized on his deathbed, as the first Christian emperor, and generally describe Philip's adherence to Christianity as dubious, because non-Christian writers do not mention the fact, and because throughout his reign, Philip to all appearances (coinage, etc.) continued to follow the state religion. Critics ascribe Eusebius' claim as probably due to the tolerance Philip showed towards Christians. Philip the Arab Marcus Julius Philippus ( 204 – September 249 AD), also known commonly"
"I, the first emperor to convert to Christianity, transferred the ""pignora imperii"" to the new capital. Though the historicity of this transferral may be in doubt, the claim indicates the symbolic value of the tokens. The 4th-century scholar Servius notes in his commentary to Vergil's ""Aeneid"" that ""there were seven tokens ""(pignora)"" which maintain Roman rule ""(imperium Romanum)"","" and gives the following list: Alan Cameron notes that three of these supposed tokens were fictional (the ashes, scepter, and veil) and are not named in any other sources as sacred guarantors of Rome. The other four objects were widely attested in"
"early Roman Emperor was born in Singidunum: Flavius Iovianus (Jovian), the restorer of Christianity. Jovian reestablished Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire, ending the brief revival of traditional Roman religions under his predecessor Julian the Apostate. In 395 AD, the site passed to the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire. Across the Sava from Singidunum was the Celtic city of Taurunum (Zemun); the two were connected with a bridge throughout Roman and Byzantine times. In 442, the area was ravaged by Attila the Hun. In 471, it was taken by Theodoric the Great, who continued into Greece. As"
"beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness."" The ancient Romans traditionally used the eight-day nundinal cycle, a market week, but in the time of Augustus in the 1st century AD, a seven-day week also came into use. Justin Martyr, in the mid 2nd century, mentions ""memoirs of the apostles"" as being read on ""the day called that of the sun"" (Sunday) alongside the ""writings of the prophets."" On 7 March 321, Constantine I, Rome's first Christian Emperor (see Constantine I and Christianity), decreed that Sunday would be observed as the Roman day"
"of the Roman Empire, after Rome, Ephesus and Alexandria. It was in the city of Antioch (modern day Antakya in southeast Turkey) that Christians were first so called (). According to church tradition, Saint Peter established the church in Antioch, and was the city's first bishop, before going to Rome to found the Church there. Ignatius of Antioch (died c. 107), counted as the third bishop of the city, was a prominent apostolic father. By the 4th century, the bishop of Antioch had become the most senior bishop in a region covering modern-day eastern Turkey, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine, Syria,"
"Constantine was the first emperor to stop the persecution of Christians and to legalize Christianity, along with all other religions and cults in the Roman Empire. In February 313, he met with Licinius in Milan and developed the Edict of Milan, which stated that Christians should be allowed to follow their faith without oppression. This removed penalties for professing Christianity, under which many had been martyred previously, and it returned confiscated Church property. The edict protected all religions from persecution, not only Christianity, allowing anyone to worship any deity that they chose. A similar edict had been issued in 311"
"is continuously mentioned until 1337. Janin hypothesizes that it was demolished in the 15th century, and its material used in the construction of the nearby Rumelihisarı fortress. Constantine was the first Roman Emperor to become a Christian and in 313 AD along with his co-Emperor Licinius signed the Edict of Milan, allowing Christians to worship freely and build public churches, rather than worshiping in secret. However, Constantine and Licinius later fought each other and in 324 AD Constantine defeated Licinius at the Battle of Adrianople, not far from the Michaelion - attributing the victory to Archangel Michael. Constantine felt that"
"baptised on his deathbed, thus making him the first Christian emperor. Constantine was baptised by Pope Sylvester I. Constantine, though he made his allegiance clear, did not outlaw paganism; in the words of an early edict, he decreed that polytheists could ""celebrate the rites of an outmoded illusion,"" so long as they did not force Christians to join them. In a letter to the King of Persia, Constantine wrote how he shunned the ""abominable blood and hateful odors"" of pagan sacrifices, and instead worshiped the High God ""on bended knee"", and in the new capital city he built, Constantine made"
"253 to 260) was the first emperor to issue an edict of toleration for all religious creeds including Christianity. According to Christian polemicists writing after his death, Constantine I was baptized on his deathbed, which would make him the first emperor to become a baptized Christian. Eusebius, a contemporary Christian historian, also praises him for having some pagan temples torn down. Nevertheless, whatever the imperial edicts said, the effects of policy under the Christian emperors down to Valentinian I and Valens were enough to cause a widespread trend to Christian conversion, but not enough to make paganism extinct. Actual persecution"