(Site of the Battle of Milvian)_____________________________________________________________________
Constantine was an emperor of Rome starting in 306 BCE. His conversion to Christianity led to the spread of the religion throughout the state, allowing it to become dominant in the Roman empire. Although it is not thoroughly interesting that he brought about the religion within Rome, the events that caused him to become a follower of the religion is a bit less dry.
Constantine was surrounded with Christian influences throughout his life as his mother, St. Helena, was a firm believer. Whether Constantine adopted this religion in some form as a child or an adult does not matter, but the fact that he was exposed to it probably provided a foundation for what was to come.
In 312 BCE, Constantine, who was a great general in the Roman army, was set to engage in a war against Maxentius, his co-emperor and brother-in-law. Constantine, believing that his army was not strong enough to withstand that of Maxentius, thought he needed the assistance and backing of a higher power than he possessed. After praying for assistance, Constantine saw a vision in the sky which read "in hoc signo vinces " ("in this sign you will be victorious"). After successfully defeating the opposing troops, Constantine adopted the symbol of Christ as the signature of his army, contributing the triumph to his newly claimed religion.
After this Battle of Milvian Bridge, the religion gained momentum within Rome. Although Constantine has always been criticized as a hypocrite because he persecuted certain sects of the religion in which he believed, he adopted and furthered the spread of Christianity in Rome none-the-less. As many people in our country follow Christianity, I think it is interesting for them to be able to look at the inclusion of the religion in other societies and other time periods.
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I enjoyed learning about the experience Constantine and his holy visions he received before the day of battle. I also wrote about the topic, very interesting.
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