The Constantine Era
Constantine I Magnus (The Great)
| FLAVIVS VALERIVS CONSTANTINVS was born about 272 in Moesia Superior to Constantius I and his first wife Helena. Constantine was with his father in Britain in 306 when Constantius died and he became Caesar. He became Augustus about 307, and overcame all Maximian, Maxentius, and Licinius to become the sole ruler of the Roman world in 324. He was the first Christian emperor, being converted as early as 312, but delaying his baptism until 337. He turned Byzantium into the magnificent city of Constantinople, and was buried there after dying of natural causes near Nicomedia on May 22, 337. |
Helena, Mother of Constantine I
| FLAVIA IVLIA HELENA was born about 250 in Bithynia to an innkeeper. She married Constantius I about 270 and their only child, Constantine I, was born in either 272 or 273. When Constantius became a Caesar in 293 in the first tetrarchy of Diocletian, he was compelled to divorce Helena and marry the step-daughter of Maximian, Theodora. Helena's fortunes improved when Constantine became Augustus in 307. She was soon given the title 'Nobilissimus Femina', and in 324 honored with the title of Augusta. She made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 327, and died peacefully in 329 shortly after her return. |
City Commemoratives
The City Commemorative coinage issued under Constantine the Great around AD 330 marked a significant moment in Roman history, celebrating the founding of Constantinople and honoring Rome’s enduring legacy. These coins were struck in large quantities and featured personifications of both cities: Roma, depicted helmeted in a classical style, and Constantinopolis, shown with a helmet and often holding a scepter. The reverse designs commonly included symbolic imagery such as the she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus for Rome, or Victory standing on a prow for Constantinople, emphasizing power and divine favor. Unlike typical imperial coinage, these issues did not bear Constantine’s portrait, signaling a broader political message about continuity and unity rather than individual rule. Circulating widely across the empire, they reinforced Constantine’s vision of a dual-centered Roman world, linking the ancient capital with the emerging eastern metropolis.
Crispus, Son of Constantine I
| FLAVIVS IVLIVS CRISPVS was born about 303 to Minervina and Constantine I. He was tutored by the great Christian apologist Lactantius. He was made Caesar on March 1, 317, and began a military career soon afterward. He married Helena in 321, and had a child. In the Second Civil War he commanded a fleet of 200 ships which scored a great victory in a two day battle against 350 ships of Licinius I. Crispus was suddenly executed in the middle of 326, accused by his step-mother Fausta of either rape or treason. Fausta was executed several months later when her charges were found to have been false. |
Constantine II
| FLAVIVS CLAVDIVS CONSTANTINVS was born in 316, the first of three sons born to Constantine I and Fausta. He was made a Caesar on March 1, 317, and was consul four times between 320 and 329. He served mainly along the Rhine from 328 until his father's death in 337, when he became the Augustus over Gaul, Britain, and Spain. His brother Constantius II received the east and Constans received Italy, Illyricum, and Africa. As the senior brother, Constantine II demanded more territory from Constans, who refused, and Constantine II invaded Italy in the spring of 340. but was killed in an ambush near Aquileia. |
Constans
| FLAVIVS IVLIVS CONSTANS was born in 320 to Fausta and Constantine I. He was named a Caesar on December 25, 333. When his father died in 337, Constans received the title 'Augustus' (along with his two brothers) on September 9, and was given Italy, Illyricum, and Africa. He later was ceded Thrace by Constantius II. He gained the entire western half of the Empire when Constantine II died in April, 340 in a failed invasion of Italy. Constans fell victim on January 18, 350 to a plot formed by Magnentius who was hailed Augustus at a birthday party in Autun. He fled toward Spain, but was overtaken and killed. |
Magnentius
| FLAVIVS MAGNVS MAGNENTIVS was born at Amiens about 303 to humble parents. He rose in the army to become a general under Constans. On January 18, 350 Magnentius rebelled against Constans at Autun. Constans fled, but was overtaken and slain. Magnentius moved against Constantius II in 351, and was defeated at the Battle of Mursa on September 28. He retreated to Gaul, and Constantius methodically began to conquer Magnentius' lands. In 353 he invaded Gaul, and in the summer defeated Magnentius at the Battle of Mons Seleucus. Magnentius committed suicide in Lyon on August 10, 353. |
Constantius II
| FLAVIVS IVLIVS CONSTANTIVS was born on August 7, 317 to Fausta and Constantine I. He became Caesar on November 8, 324 and Augustus on September 9, 337 after his father's death. He received the eastern provinces in the division of the Empire with his brothers Constans and Constantine II. He spent much of his reign warring with the Sassanians under Sapor II, but suppressed Magnentius, the murderer of Constans, to become the sole Augustus in August of 353. He died of illness on November 3, 361 near Tarsus while marching to suppress Julian II, who had declared himself Augustus in early 360. |
Decentius
| MAGNVS DECENTIVS was the brother of Magnentius. He was made a Caesar at Milan by Magnentius shortly after Constantius II made Constantius Gallus a Caesar on March 15, 351. He was assigned the defense of Gaul, but suffered defeats by the Alemanni, principally those under Chonodomarius. He was installed as a consul of the western Empire at Trier on January 1, 352. When Constantius II invaded Gaul in 353, Decentius was expelled from Trier by an uprising led by Poemenius. Magnentius was defeated by Constantius and killed himself, and Decentius committed suicide at Sens on August 18, 353. |
Constantius Gallus
| FLAVIVS CLAVDIVS CONSTANTIVS GALLVS was born in 325 to Galla and Julius Constantius, the half-brother of Constantine I. He was named a Caesar and put in charge of the east on March 15, 351 by Constantius II, who needed to turn his full attention to the suppression of the powerful usurper Magnentius in the west. Gallus and his wife Constantina, the sister of Constantius II, were both noted for their cruelty during their reign. Gallus incited a mob to kill commissioners sent by Constantius to look into the charges, and Gallus was recalled by Constantius, who had him executed at Flanona in late 354. |
Vetranio
| VETRANIO was serving as the Master of the Foot Soldiers in the army in Illyricum when Magnentius rebelled against Constans on January 18, 350. After Constans' death, all of his lands except Illyricum declared for Magnentius rather than Constans' brother, Constantius II, the Augustus of the east. In Illyricum, Vetranio was declared Augustus by Constantius' sister Constantina on March 1. Vetranio held Illyricum until Constantius was able to conclude a Sassanian campaign and move west to receive his abdication on December 25, 350. Vetranio retired to Prusa in Bithynia, where he lived six more years. |
Julian II "The Apostate"
| FLAVIVS CLAVDIVS IVLIANVS was born in late 331 to Basilina, the second wife of Julius Constantius, the half-brother of Constantine I. He was named a Caesar by Constantius II on November 6, 355 and was sent to Gaul. When Constantius II ordered some of his troops to the eastern front, they rebelled and hailed Julian as Augustus in the spring of 360. When Constantius II died on November 3, 361, Julian became the sole ruler of the Empire, exposed his paganism, and began a failed campaign to revive paganism. He was killed in a skirmish on June 26, 363 while on a failed Sassanian campaign. |
Jovian
| FLAVIVS IOVIANVS was born about 330 to Count Varronianus, an officer serving under Constantius II. Jovian entered the army and became the commander of the Imperial bodyguard under Julian II. When Julian was killed in a skirmish with the Sassanians on June 26, 363, the army elevated Jovian on the next day. He hastily concluded an unfavorable peace with the Sasssanians, and retreated westward. He professed Christianity, reversing the policies of Julian. As he was moving toward Constantinople, he mysteriously died in his room at Dadastana, on the border of Galatia and Bithynia, on February 17, 364. |
Barbarous Coinage
| Barbarous coinage refers to unofficial imitations of Roman coins, typically produced in frontier regions or beyond the Empire’s formal borders. These coins were often created by local populations who lacked access to official mints but still relied on Roman currency for trade. While the term “barbarous” reflects the Roman perspective on non-Roman peoples, the coins themselves provide valuable insight into cultural and economic exchange. Most barbarous coins imitate familiar Roman types, especially those of the 3rd and 4th centuries CE, when political instability and coin shortages were common. They often copy the portraits of emperors and standard reverse designs but in a crude or stylized manner. Legends may be blundered, abbreviated, or entirely nonsensical, suggesting that the engravers were replicating shapes rather than reading Latin. These imitations circulated alongside official issues and were likely accepted based on weight and appearance rather than strict authenticity. In some cases, they filled a genuine need for small change in regions underserved by imperial mints. |
