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Flavius Valerius Constantius (March 31 c. 250 – July 25 306
306

Events...
), also Constantius I, was an emperor
Roman Emperor

The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman Empire during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office: Latin language titles such as imperator , Augustus , Caesar and princeps were all associated with it....
 of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire

The Western Roman Empire refers to the western half of the Roman Empire, from its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, today widely known as the Byzantine Empire....
 (305–306). He was commonly called Chlorus (the Pale) an epithet given to him by Byzantine
Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire and Eastern Roman Empire are conventional names used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople....
 historians. He was the father of Constantine the Great and initiator of the Constantinian dynasty
Constantinian dynasty

The Constantinian dynasty is an informal name for the ruling family of the Roman Empire from Constantius Chlorus to the death of Julian the Apostate in 363....
.

Historia Augusta says Constantius was the son of Eutropius, a noble from northern Dardania
Dardania

Dardania may refer to:* Dardania , the Dardanelles separating Thrace from Anatolia* Dardania , in the Balkans of Southeast Europe...
 in modern Serbia
Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country in Central Europe and Balkans Europe, covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central part of the Balkans....
, and Claudia, a niece of the emperors Claudius II
Claudius II

Marcus Aurelius Claudius , often referred to as Claudius Gothicus or Claudius II, was a Roman Emperor. He ruled the Roman Empire for less than two years , but during that brief time he managed to obtain some successes....
 and Quintillus
Quintillus

Marcus Aurelius Claudius Quintillus was born in Sirmium in Illyricum. He was brother of Roman Emperor Claudius II, and became Emperor himself in 270....
.






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Flavius Valerius Constantius (March 31 c. 250 – July 25 306
306

Events...
), also Constantius I, was an emperor
Roman Emperor

The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman Empire during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office: Latin language titles such as imperator , Augustus , Caesar and princeps were all associated with it....
 of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire

The Western Roman Empire refers to the western half of the Roman Empire, from its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, today widely known as the Byzantine Empire....
 (305–306). He was commonly called Chlorus (the Pale) an epithet given to him by Byzantine
Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire and Eastern Roman Empire are conventional names used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople....
 historians. He was the father of Constantine the Great and initiator of the Constantinian dynasty
Constantinian dynasty

The Constantinian dynasty is an informal name for the ruling family of the Roman Empire from Constantius Chlorus to the death of Julian the Apostate in 363....
.

History

The Historia Augusta says Constantius was the son of Eutropius, a noble from northern Dardania
Dardania

Dardania may refer to:* Dardania , the Dardanelles separating Thrace from Anatolia* Dardania , in the Balkans of Southeast Europe...
 in modern Serbia
Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country in Central Europe and Balkans Europe, covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central part of the Balkans....
, and Claudia, a niece of the emperors Claudius II
Claudius II

Marcus Aurelius Claudius , often referred to as Claudius Gothicus or Claudius II, was a Roman Emperor. He ruled the Roman Empire for less than two years , but during that brief time he managed to obtain some successes....
 and Quintillus
Quintillus

Marcus Aurelius Claudius Quintillus was born in Sirmium in Illyricum. He was brother of Roman Emperor Claudius II, and became Emperor himself in 270....
. Historians, however, suspect this maternal connection to be a genealogical fabrication
Fabrication

Fabrication may refer to:*Various processes in arts, crafts and manufacturing:**Fabrication **Semiconductor fabrication**Optics fabrication...
 created by his grandson Constantine II
Constantine II (emperor)

Flavius Claudius Constantinus, known in English as Constantine II, was List of Roman Emperors from 337 to 340. The eldest son of Constantine the Great and Fausta, he was born at Arles, and was raised as a Christian....
, thus connecting his family to two rather highly regarded predecessors. His father, however, might have been the brother of Eutropia, wife of Maximian.

Under the emperor Carus
Carus

Marcus Aurelius Carus was a Roman Emperor . During his short reign, Carus tried to follow the path of restoration of the empire strength marked by Aurelian and Probus....
, he was governor of Dalmatia
Dalmatia (Roman province)

Dalmatia was an ancient Roman province. Its name is probably derived from the name of an Illyrians called the Dalmatae which lived in the area of the eastern Adriatic coast in the 1st millennium BC....
, and Carus is said to have considered adopting him as his heir in place of his dissolute son, Carinus
Carinus

Marcus Aurelius Carinus was Roman Emperor and elder son of the Emperor Carus, on whose accession he was appointed governor of the western portion of the empire....
.

In 293 the emperor Diocletian
Diocletian

Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus , born Diocles and commonly known as Diocletian , was Roman Emperor from November 20, 284 to May 1, 305....
 created the Tetrarchy
Tetrarchy

Tetrarchy can be applied to any system of government where power is divided between four individuals. The term is usually used to refer to the tetrarchy instituted by Roman Emperor Diocletian in 293 which lasted until c. 313....
, dividing the Roman Empire
Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
 into Western
Western Roman Empire

The Western Roman Empire refers to the western half of the Roman Empire, from its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, today widely known as the Byzantine Empire....
 and Eastern
Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire and Eastern Roman Empire are conventional names used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople....
 portions. Each would be ruled by an Augustus, supported by a Caesar
Caesar (title)

Caesar , Latin: Caesar , is a title of emperor character. It derives from the Roman naming convention#Cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator....
. Diocletian became Augustus of the Eastern empire, with Galerius
Galerius

Galerius Maximianus , formally Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximianus was Roman Emperor from 305 to 311....
 as his Caesar. Constantius was appointed Caesar to the Western Augustus, Maximian
Maximian

Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus Herculius , commonly referred to as Maximian, was Caesar from July 285 and Augustus from April 1, 286 to May 1, 305....
, and married Theodora
Flavia Maximiana Theodora

File:Bronze-Flavia Maximiana Theodora-trier RIC 65.jpgFlavia Maximiana Theodora was the stepdaughter of Maximian. Her parents were Flavius Afranius Hannibalianus and wife, divorced before 283, Eutropia, later wife of Maximian....
, Maximian's stepdaughter. They had six children. Constantius divorced his first wife (or concubine), Helena
Helena of Constantinople

Saint Helena also known as Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of Constantinople was the consort of Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus, and the mother of Emperor Constantine I....
, by whom he already had a son, Constantine
Constantine I

Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus , commonly known in English_language as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine , was Roman Emperor from 306, and the undisputed holder of that office from 324 until his death in 337....
. Helena was probably from Nicomedia
Nicomedia

Nicomedia was founded by Nicomedes I of Bithynia at the head of the Gulf of Astacus which opens to the Propontis. In earlier antiquity, the city was called Astacus or Olbia ....
 in Asia Minor. He was given command of Gaul
Gaul

Gaul is the name used for the region of Western Europe comprising part of present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the River Rhine....
, Britain
Roman Britain

Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410. The Romans referred to their province as Britannia....
 and possibly Hispania
Hispania

Hispania was the name given by the Ancient Rome to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula . When Rome was a Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into Roman provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior....
.

Argenteus Constantius I Antioch Ric 033a
In 293, Constantius defeated the forces of Carausius
Carausius

Marcus Aurelius Mausaeus Carausius was a military commander of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century. He was a Menapii, born in the western part of Betuwe, who Roman usurper power in 286, declaring himself emperor of Roman Britain and northern Gaul....
, who had declared himself emperor in Britain and northern Gaul in 286, near Bononia
Bononia

Bononia is the Roman name of several cities, including:* Bologna, Italy* Boulogne-sur-Mer, France* Vidin, Bulgaria* Bano?tor, Serbia...
. Carausius was killed by his rationalis
Rationalis

The Rationalis was the Roman Empire's chief financial minister prior to the reforms of Emperor Diocletian and the Late Empire. Among the tasks of the rationalis were the collection of all normal taxes and duties, the control of currency, and the administration of mines and mints....
 Allectus
Allectus

Allectus was a Roman Empire Roman usurper-Roman emperors in Roman Britain and northern Gaul from 293 to 296....
, who took command of Britain until 296, when Constantius sent Asclepiodotus
Asclepiodotus

Julius Asclepiodotus was a Roman Empire praetorian prefect who served under Aurelian, Probus and Diocletian and was List of late imperial Roman consuls in 292....
, a prefect of the Praetorian Guard
Praetorian Guard

The Praetorian Guard was a special force of guards used by Roman empire List of Roman Emperorss. Before being appropriated for the use of the Emperors' personal guards, the title was used for the guards of Roman generals, at least since the rise to prominence of the Scipio family around 275 BC....
, to invade the island. Allectus was defeated and killed, and Roman rule in Britain restored.

Also in 296, Constantius fought a battle against the Alamanni
Alamanni

The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic languagess located around the upper Main river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211?17 and claimed thereby to be their defeater....
 at the city of Lingonae
Lingones

Lingones were a Celtic tribe that originally lived in Gaul in the area of the headwaters of the Seine and Marne rivers. Some of the Lingones migrated across the Alps and settled near the mouth of the Po River in Cisalpine Gaul of northern Italy around 400 BCE....
 (Langres
Langres

Langres is a commune in France in northeastern France. It is a sous-pr?fecture of the Haute-Marne d?partement in France in the Champagne-Ardenne r?gion in France....
) in Gaul. He was shut up in the city, but was relieved by his army after six hours, and defeated the enemy. He defeated them again at Vindonissa
Battle of Vindonissa

The Battle of Vindonissa was fought in 298 between the Roman Empire army, led by Emperor Constantius Chlorus, and the Alemanni. The Romans won the battle, fought in Vindonissa, strengthening Rome's defenses along the Rhine....
 (Windisch
Windisch

Windisch is a Municipalities of Switzerland in the district of Brugg in the Cantons of Switzerland of Aargau in Switzerland.Windisch is situated at the site of the Roman legion camp Vindonissa....
, Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
), thereby strengthening the defenses of the Rhine
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
 frontier.

(inscribed as LON) after defeating Allectus
Allectus

Allectus was a Roman Empire Roman usurper-Roman emperors in Roman Britain and northern Gaul from 293 to 296....
. Beaurains hoard.]] Diocletian and Maximian stepped down as co-emperors in 305, due to Diocletian's poor health, and the Caesars, Constantius and Galerius
Galerius

Galerius Maximianus , formally Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximianus was Roman Emperor from 305 to 311....
, became co-emperors. Constantius ruled the western empire, Galerius the eastern. Severus
Flavius Valerius Severus

Flavius Valerius Severus was a Western Roman Emperor from 306 to 307.Severus was of humble birth, born in the Illyrian provinces around the middle of the third century AD....
 and Maximinus
Maximinus

title = Roman Emperor of the Roman Empire|name=Maximinus Daia|full name =Gaius Valerius Galerius Maximinus Daia| image =...
 were appointed Caesars. Constantine, who had hoped to be a Caesar, joined his father's campaigns in Gaul and Britain. Constantius died in Britain, at York
York

York is a walled city, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire and River Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city status in the United Kingdom is noted for its rich heritage and it has played an important role throughout much of its almost 2,000 year existence....
, in 306, and Constantine was declared emperor by the army.

Legend


Christian legends

As the father of Constantine, a number of Christian legends have grown up around Constantius. Eusebius
Eusebius of Caesarea

Eusebius of Caesarea became the bishop of Caesarea Maritima c 314. He is often referred to as the Father of Church History because of his work in recording the history of the early Christianity church, especially Chronicon and Church_History_....
'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. His first wife, Helena
Helena of Constantinople

Saint Helena also known as Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of Constantinople was the consort of Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus, and the mother of Emperor Constantine I....
, is the subject of many legends, including the finding of the True Cross
True Cross

The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a Christianity tradition, are believed to be from the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified....
.

British legends

Constantius's activities in Britain were remembered in medieval British legend. In Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth

Geoffrey of Monmouth was a clergyman and one of the major figures in the English historians in the Middle Ages and the popularity of tales of King Arthur....
's History of the Kings of Britain
Historia Regum Britanniae

The Historia Regum Britanniae is a pseudohistory account of Great Britain history, written c.1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It chronicles the lives of the List of legendary kings of Britain in a chronological narrative spanning a time of two thousand years, beginning with the Troy of Homer's Iliad founding the Brython nation and conti...
 (1136), he is sent to Britain by the Senate
Roman Senate

The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic. According to the Greek historian Polybius, our principal source on the Constitution of the Roman Republic, the Roman Senate was the predominant branch of government....
 after Asclepiodotus, here a British king, is overthrown by Coel
Old King Cole

This is an article about the nursery rhyme. A legendary king of Celtic Roman Britain, about all that can be said about Old King Cole with any certainty is that:...
 of Colchester. Coel submits to Constantius and agrees to pay tribute to Rome, but dies only eight days later. Constantius marries Coel's daughter Helena and becomes king of Britain. He and Helena have a son, Constantine, who succeeds to the throne of Britain when his father dies at York eleven years later. The identification of Helena as British had previously been made by Henry of Huntingdon
Henry of Huntingdon

Henry of Huntingdon was an English historians in the Middle Ages and archdeacon of Huntingdon....
, but has no historical validity: Constantius had divorced Helena before he went to Britain.

External links