Constantius Chlorus

Flavius Valerius Constantius (c. 250 – 25 July 306), also called Constantius I, was a Roman emperor from 305 to 306. He was one of the four original members of the Tetrarchy established by Diocletian, first serving as caesar from 293 to 305 and then ruling as augustus until his death. Constantius was also father of Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor of Rome. The nickname "Chlorus" (Greek: Χλωρός, lit. "the Pale") was first popularized by Byzantine-era historians and not used during the emperor's lifetime.

Of humble origin, Constantius had a distinguished military career and rose to the top ranks of the army. Around 289, he set aside

After Constantius's death, the army, perhaps at his own instigation, immediately acclaimed his son Constantine as emperor. This act contributed to the collapse of the Diocletianic tetrarchy, sparking a series of civil wars which only ended when Constantine finally united the whole Roman Empire under his rule in 324. According to the Oxford Classical Dictionary, "Constantinian propaganda bedevils assessment of Constantius, yet he appears to have been an able general and a generous ruler".^[8] His descendants, the Constantinian dynasty, ruled the Empire until the death of his grandson Julian the Apostate in 363.

Life

Early career

Constantius's birthday was 31 March; the year is unknown, but his career and the age of his eldest son imply a date no later than c. 250.

By 293,

At Mediolanum (Milan) on 1 March 293, Constantius was formally appointed as Maximian's caesar.^[24] He adopted Diocletian's nomen (family name) "Valerius", and, being equated with Maximian, also took on "Herculius".^[25] His given command consisted of Gaul, Britannia and possibly Hispania. Diocletian, the eastern augustus, in order to keep the balance of power in the imperium,^[23] elevated Galerius as his caesar, possibly on 21 May 293 at Philippopolis (Plovdiv).^[16] Constantius was the more senior of the two caesares, and on official documents he always took precedence, being mentioned before Galerius.^[25] Constantius' capital was to be located at Augusta Treverorum (Trier).^[26]

Constantius' first task on becoming caesar was to deal with the Roman usurper Carausius who had declared himself emperor in Britannia and northern Gaul in 286.^[16] In late 293, Constantius defeated the forces of Carausius in Gaul, capturing Bononia (Boulogne-sur-Mer).^[27] Carausius was then assassinated by his rationalis (finance officer) Allectus, who assumed command of the British provinces until his death in 296.^[28]

Constantius spent the next two years neutralising the threat of the

Constantius remained in Britannia for a few months, replaced most of Allectus' officers, and the British provinces were probably at this time subdivided along the lines of Diocletian's other administrative reforms of the Empire.^[36] The result was the division of Britannia Superior into Maxima Caesariensis and Britannia Prima, while Flavia Caesariensis and Britannia Secunda were carved out of Britannia Inferior. He also restored Hadrian's Wall and its forts.^[37]

Later in 298, Constantius fought in the Battle of Lingones (Langres) against the Alemanni. He was shut up in the city, but was relieved by his army after six hours and defeated the enemy.^[38] He defeated them again at Vindonissa^[39] thereby strengthening the defences of the Rhine frontier. In 300, he fought against the Franks on the Rhine frontier,^[40] and as part of his overall strategy to buttress the frontier, Constantius settled the Franks in the deserted parts of Gaul to repopulate the devastated areas.^[41] Nevertheless, over the next three years the Rhine frontier continued to occupy Constantius' attention.^[40]

From 303 – the beginning of the Diocletianic Persecution – Constantius began to enforce the imperial edicts dealing with the persecution of Christians, which ordered the destruction of churches.^[15] The campaign was avidly pursued by Galerius, who noticed that Constantius was well-disposed towards the Christians, and who saw it as a method of advancing his career prospects with the aging Diocletian.^[42] Of the four Tetrarchs, Constantius made the least effort to implement the decrees in the western provinces that were under his direct authority,^[43] limiting himself to knocking down a handful of churches.^[22] Eusebius denied that Constantius destroyed Christian buildings, but Lactantius records that he did.^[15]

Accession as Augustus and death

Between 303 and 305, Galerius began maneuvering to ensure that he would be in a position to take power from Constantius after the death of Diocletian.

Diocletian and Maximian stepped down as co-emperors on 1 May 305, possibly due to Diocletian's poor health.[22] Before the assembled armies at Mediolanum, Maximian removed his purple cloak and handed it to Severus, the new caesar, and proclaimed Constantius as augustus. The same scene played out at Nicomedia (İzmit) under the authority of Diocletian.^[46] Constantius, notionally the senior emperor, ruled the western provinces, while Galerius took the eastern provinces. Constantine, disappointed in his hopes to become a caesar, fled the court of Galerius after Constantius had asked Galerius to release his son as Constantius was ill.^[47] Constantine joined his father's court at the coast of Gaul, just as he was preparing to campaign in Britain.^[48]

In 305, Constantius crossed over into Britain, travelled to the far north of the island and launched a military expedition against the Picts, claiming a victory against them and the title Britannicus Maximus II by 7 January 306.^[49] After retiring to Eboracum (York) for the winter, Constantius had planned to continue the campaign, but on 25 July 306 he died.^[50] As he was dying, Constantius recommended his son to the army as his successor;^[51] consequently, Constantine was declared emperor by the legions at York.^[52]

Family

Constantius was either married to, or was in concubinage with,

• Flavius Dalmatius
• Flavius Julius Constantius
• Flavius Hannibalianus
• Flavia Julia Constantia
• Anastasia, married to Bassianus
• Eutropia

The name of Anastasia (

Legend

Christian legends

As the father of Constantine, a number of Christian legends have grown up around Constantius. Eusebius's Life of Constantine claims that Constantius was himself a Christian, although he pretended to be a pagan, and while Caesar under Diocletian, took no part in the Emperor's persecutions.

Notes

1. ^ This is the name given by the ODB.^[1] The PLRE omits the praenomen, but does not elaborate.^[2] "Marcus" appears in some inscriptions,^[3] but a few others use "Gaius" instead.^[4] This may just be a confusion, as ordinary people "had become unaccustomed to varying praenomina, the last imperial dynasty to differentiate them having been that of Septimius Severus".^[5] Either way, praenomina were no longer used by this time, and emperors after Galerius stopped using them altogether.
2. ^ His family probably adopted the name "Flavius" after being granted citizenship by one of these emperors, as it was common for "new Romans" to adopt the names of their former masters.^[5]

Sources

Ancient sources

• Aurelius Victor, Epitome de Caesaribus
• Zosimus, Historia Nova

Modern sources

• Birley, Anthony (2005), The Roman Government in Britain, Oxford University Press,
  ISBN 978-0-19-925237-4
• DiMaio, Robert, "Constantius I Chlorus (305–306 A.D.)", De Imperatoribus Romanis, 1996.
• ISBN 0-521-07233-6
  .
• Kuhoff, Wolfgang (2001). Diokletian und die Epoche der Tetrarchie. Das römische Reich zwischen Krisenbewältigung und Neuaufbau (284–313 n. Chr.). Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
• Murray, Alexander (1999). From Roman to Merovingian Gaul: A Reader. University of Toronto Press.
  ISBN 1442604131
  .
• Odahl, Charles (2010). Constantine and the Christian Empire. Routledge.
  ISBN 978-1136961281
  .
• Potter, David Stone, The Roman Empire at Bay, AD 180–395, Routledge, 2004
• Seeck, Otto, "Constantius 1", Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft, volume 7 (IV.1), Metzlerscher Verlag (Stuttgart, 1900), columns 1040–1043.
• Southern, Pat. The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine, Routledge, 2001

References

1. ^
   ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6
2. ^ ^{a b} Jones, Martindale & Morris, p. 227.
3. ^ CIL VIII 608
4. ^ ILS I, 649
5. ^
   S2CID 162435434
   .
6. ISBN 978-0-19-866277-8
   , retrieved 25 August 2020, the nickname Chlorus (Green) is not older than the 6th century
7. ^ W.S. Hanson "Roman campaigns north of the Forth-Clyde isthmus: the evidence of the temporary camps"
8. ISBN 978-0-19-938113-5
   .
9. ^ Barnes, New Empire, p. 35
10. ^ Odahl 2010, p. 40.
11. ^ Murray 1999, p. 221
12. ^ Historia Augusta, Life of Claudius 13. LacusCurtius.
13. ^ Historia Augusta, Life of Claudius 1 (note 1). LacusCurtius.
14. ^ Southern, p. 172
15. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19-866277-8
    , retrieved 25 August 2020
16. ^ ^{a b c d} Potter, p. 288
17. ^ ^{a b} Jones, Martindale & Morris, p. 228.
18. ^ Historia Augusta, Life of Probus 22:3. LacusCurtius.
19. ^ Odahl, Charles Matson. Constantine and the Christian Empire. New York: Routledge, 2004. p. 16
20. ^ Potter, p. 280
21. ^ ^{a b} Southern, p. 142
22. ^ ^{a b c} DiMaio, Constantine I Chlorus
23. ^ ^{a b} Southern, p. 145
24. ^ Birley, p. 382
25. ^ ^{a b} Southern, p. 147
26. ISBN 9780521827751
27. ^ Birley, p. 385
28. ^ Schmitz, Leonhard (1867). "Allectus". In William Smith (ed.). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 1. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. p. 132.
29. ^ ^{a b} Southern, pg. 149
30. ^ Birley, p. 387
31. ^ Birley, pp. 385–386
32. ^ ^{a b} Southern, p. 150
33. ^ Birley, p. 388
34. ^ Aurelius Victor, Liber de Caesaribus, 39
35. ^ Potter, p. 292
36. ^ Birley, p. 393
37. ^ Birley, p. 405
38. ^ Eutropius, Breviarum 9.23
39. ^ UNRV History: Battle of the Third Century AD
40. ^ ^{a b c d} Southern, pg. 152
41. ^ Birley, p. 373
42. ^ Potter, p. 338
43. ^ Potter, p. 339; Southern, p. 168
44. ^ Potter, p. 344
45. ^ Potter, p. 340
46. ^ Potter, p. 342
47. ^ Southern, p. 169
48. ^ Southern, p. 170; Eutropius, Breviarum 10.1; Aurelius Victor, Epitome de Caesaribus 39; Zosimus, Historia Nova 2
49. ^ Birley, p. 406
50. ISBN 978-0656631308
51. ^ Potter, pg. 346
52. ^ Eutropius, Breviarum 10.1–2
53. ^ Eutropius, Breviarum 9.22; Zosimus, Historia Nova 2; Exerpta Valesiana 1.2
54. Eusebius, Vita Constantini 1.13–18
55. ^ Henry of Huntingdon, Historia Anglorum 1.37
56. ^ Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historia Regum Britanniae 5.6
57. OCLC 7459753
    .
58. ^ Nennius (attrib.). Theodor Mommsen (ed.). Historia Brittonum. Composed after AD 830. (in Latin) Hosted at Latin Wikisource.
59. ^ Newman, John Henry & al. Lives of the English Saints: St. German, Bishop of Auxerre, Ch. X: "Britain in 429, A. D.", p. 92. Archived 21 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine James Toovey (London), 1844.
60. ^ Ford, David Nash. "The 28 Cities of Britain Archived 2016-04-15 at the Wayback Machine" at Britannia. 2000.

Constantius Chlorus Constantinian dynasty Born: 31 March c. 250  Died: 25 July 306
Regnal titles
Preceded by Maximian	Roman emperor 305–306 With: Galerius (east)	Succeeded by Constantine I (west) Galerius (east)
Political offices
Preceded by Diocletian Augustus Maximian Augustus	Roman consul 294 with Galerius Augustus	Succeeded by Nummius Tuscus G. Annius Anullinus
Preceded by Nummius Tuscus G. Annius Anullinus	Roman consul II 296 with Diocletian Augustus	Succeeded by Diocletian Augustus Galerius Augustus
Preceded by Diocletian Augustus Maximian Augustus	Roman consul III 300 with Galerius Augustus	Succeeded by T. Flavius Postumius Titianus Virius Nepotianus
Preceded by T. Flavius Postumius Titianus Virius Nepotianus	Roman consul IV 302 with Galerius Augustus	Succeeded by Diocletian Augustus Maximian Augustus
Preceded by Diocletian Augustus Maximian Augustus	Roman consul V 305–306 with Galerius Augustus	Succeeded by Constantine Augustus Severus Augustus Maximinus Augustus Galerius Augustus
Legendary titles
Preceded by Coel	King of Britain 305–306	Succeeded by Constantine I

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flavius Valerius Constantius.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Constantius I.