Constantine the Great died on 22 May 337 CE in Nicomedia, aged 65. A Roman emperor born in what is now Serbia, Constantine was proclaimed emperor by his troops in York in 306. After his victory over Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312, he became ruler of the western empire and, in 324, defeated Licinius to rule the whole. He and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which gave Christians legal toleration, and he later presided over the Council of Nicaea in 325, which addressed disputes in the church. In 330 he dedicated a new capital at Byzantium, renamed Constantinople. He was baptized shortly before his death, and his policies helped set the course of Christianity and the Byzantine Empire.
Before and after
- c. 330 CEKing Ezana converts Aksum to Christianity
- 11 May 330 CEConstantine dedicates Constantinople
- 17 November 331 CEBirth of Julian
- 335 CEConstruction of Church of the Holy Sepulchre
- 22 May 337 CEDeath of Constantine the Great
- 339 CEBirth of Ambrose
- 344 CEBattle of Singara
- 345 CEBirth of Jerome
- 349 CEBirth of John Chrysostom
More in Wars, politics & history
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- from 73 BCE to 71 BCEThird Servile War
- from 58 BCE to 51 BCEGallic War
- 49 BCECaesar defeats Pompey at Pharsalus
- 451 CEAetius and Theodoric stop Attila at the Catalaunian Plains
- 476 CEFall of the western Roman Empire
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 4th century.
