The Life of Constantine, and His Huge Influence on Eastern Europe
Constantine the Great was a Roman Emperor whose rule lasted from 306 AD to 337 AD. He is considered to be one of the most influential characters in human history. As esteemed author GP Baker puts it, “If we wish to hold a civilization intact for eleven hundred years… then Constantine has something to tell us.”1 He worked to establish Constantinople as the superpower of the East, making it the most powerful city in Europe. He also converted the Roman Empire to Christianity and adopted Greek culture, which would later divide the continent into two: Latin-influenced Western Europe, and the Greek-influenced East. Overall, Constantine’s two monumental achievements changed the course of history in Eastern Europe.
Constantine’s Embrace of Christianity
The historical circumstances that led up to Constantine's conversion to Christianity are multifaceted. Constantine was born at a time when the Roman Empire went through political and social changes. There was a great deal of religious diversity within the empire, with a variety of pagan cults and religions contending for potency. However, Christianity was also becoming more popular. By the time Constantine took power, it had become a significant religious movement. An important factor in Constantine's conversion was his desire to unify the Roman Empire under a single religion. Constantine saw Christianity as a way to bring the empire together under a common set of beliefs and values, and to solidify his own power. He believed that Christianity would provide a strong moral foundation for his empire. As Baker puts it, “Christianity survived by … producing results upon character.”3 The use of Christianity for both unification and moral cohesion were essential to Constantine’s success as emperor.
Up until Constantine’s reign, Christianity had been persecuted by the Roman state. After his victory in the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 AD, Constantine attributed his success to the Christian God after he saw a vision of a burning cross in the sky. He then declared tolerance for Christianity. He became the sole emperor of the Roman Empire, and was the first one to convert to Christianity. Over the next few decades, Constantine continued to support the Christian Church, granting privileges to bishops, funding the building of churches, and calling the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD to resolve theological disputes within the Church. This was the first council to be held as part of the Christian Church. It was intended to address all believers of the Christian faith. In summary, his vision, (and then conversion) triggered a dramatic transformation in the history of Christianity, and helped spread the religion throughout the Roman Empire. This was a huge victory for Constantine, as “[he] preserved the unity and uniformity of the Church, and this he had triumphantly accomplished.”4
Under Constantine’s control, the Christian church experienced rapid expansion and growth. Baker says that “there can be no doubt that for a time, Christianity stood or fell by [Constantine’s] attitude to it.”5 Constantine’s conversion brought many of his subjects along with him, thus strengthening his power in Rome. His declaration of the Edict of Milan ensured that no religious persecution could continue in Rome. The Edict of Milan was essentially the establishment of religious toleration of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Christianity had been persecuted prior to this moment; therefore, this was a major shift in the Roman Empire. The Edict of Milan led to Christianity becoming the official religion in the Roman Empire. This happened in 330 AD.
Constantine’s Creation of Constantinople
Another important legacy of Constantine was the establishment of Constantinople as the new capital of the Roman Empire. It was built from the previously existing city, Byzantium. The establishment of Constantinople saw a significant shift in the center of power from the West to the East, and Constantinople became one of the most powerful cities in the world for the next thousand years. GP Baker describes the creation of Constantinople as “Constantine’s claim to immortality.”6 The city was a major hub of trade, culture, and religion, and its influence can still be seen in modern-day Istanbul. Finally, Constantinople became both the residence of the emperor and the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church. As a result, the East became more and more powerful and started to cause a power divide in Europe. This will be discussed later in detail.
Why did Constantine want Constantinople to succeed? There are 3 main reasons. First, Constantine wanted to establish a brand new capital city that would provide political security to the Roman Empire. Rome, along the Eastern portions of the Empire, was no longer a safe location. This was due to the various invasions and civil unrest that had plagued the city. The West had already been attacked by the Germanic tribes, and the Empire was falling. The civil unrest troubled Constantine – especially demonstrations against him! In one such demonstration, Baker writes, “[a] member of the court came with the news that a stone had been thrown at the statue of Constantine, and knocked off its head.”7 Constantine wanted a city where he was more respected. Constantinople provided a safer and more secure location for the government, and people there were generally more in favor of the state. Second, Constantine wanted to establish a new city that would rival Rome. He wanted it to make Rome look weak in comparison, in terms of cultural and religious significance. Constantinople was purposely designed to be a luxurious and daunting city with impressive buildings, monuments, and works of art that would challenge any city in the world. Similar to the grandeur of kings, Constantine wanted to make sure everyone could see the immense power the city held when visiting. Lastly, Constantine was interested in establishing a city that would serve as a center for Christianity. He saw himself as a main supporter of Christianity. He wanted to build a city that reflected his commitment. Constantinople became a center for Christian art, and architecture, and played a major role in the spread of Christianity throughout Europe. Overall, Constantine saw Constantinople as a way to establish a new and powerful center for the Roman Empire, both politically and culturally, and help ensure the long-term success of the Roman Empire.
Constantine believed that it was of vital importance that Constantinople succeed as the new center of European power, and saw to it that his dream became a reality. He gave money and donations to the new city. “Constantine wished his personal friends and supporters to fix their homes in the new city,” notes Baker. “… The emperor granted sites for townhouses… the officials and servants of the court transferred their permanent quarters to the East.”8 Constantine also offered opportunities for investment and commercial enterprises. While Rome continued on the trajectory of a dying city, Constantine ensured that Constantinople blossomed as “the future safety of Europe.”9 His creation of Constantinople split Europe in half, and accelerated the fall of the Western half.
Constantine: the Shift to Greek Culture
As Constantinople grew, Greek culture was embraced in the East, both culturally and architecturally. Baker gives the example of the adaptation of a Greek statue to Constantine’s purposes: “His architects did not hesitate to utilize a Greek Apollo as the statue of Constantine himself. They carefully removed the head and replaced it with a portrait of Constantine.”10 Had this been in Rome, an emperor would have likely been portrayed as a Roman god. For example, the emperor Caligula was portrayed as Jupiter. Constantine being portrayed as the Greek god Apollo is a representation of the split between Western and Eastern Europe that followed later, as the East adopted Greek culture, language, and religion. In contrast, the West focused on Latin culture, embracing the Catholic Bible, which was written in Latin. Constantinople was at the epicenter of the Eastern European world, and this depiction of Constantine as Apollo predicted the later movement to Greek Orthodoxy.
Another example of the rise of Greek culture was during the aforementioned battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 AD, during which Constantine had a vision of an “enormous cross of fire in the heavens.”11 On one side of the cross were the words, in Greek: “By this, conquer.”12 He interpreted this as a divine sign and had the Chi Rho, a symbol combining the first two Greek letters of "Christ," placed on the shields of his soldiers. This is an example of the shift in the East to Greek culture. It became official much later, during the Great Schism of 1054. The Great Schism was the separation between the Greek Orthodox and Catholic Churches. The Eastern/Greek Orthodox church believed in the authority of the patriarch of Constantinople, while the Roman Catholic church believed the Pope had authority over all Christians. Also, the Eastern Orthodox Bible was written in Greek, while the Catholic Bible was in Latin (the language of Rome). The Greek vs Latin split is more relevant than one might think. Many Western European countries use Romance languages, whose roots come from Latin. Eastern Europe is less influenced by Latin, proving that Roman Catholicism had less of an impact in the East compared to Greek.
Constantine’s Effect on the Later-European World
Constantine’s reign marked the beginning of the end for the Roman Empire, which eventually collapsed in the 5th century AD. However, his legacy lived on through his indirect creation of the Byzantine Empire. This empire, which was an after-product of Constantinople, played a major role in shaping the religious and societal landscape of Europe forever. The Byzantine Empire essentially took over the Eastern portions of the Roman Empire. While Constantine wasn’t alive to witness the huge change in Eastern Europe, his life certainly influenced the way it played out.
His resultant creation of the Byzantine Empire forever changed the course of human history. The Byzantine empire was created in and around Constantinople, and was therefore the heir to the immensely powerful capital that Constantine constructed. Its strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia made it a valuable center for trade and commerce, leading to its prosperity and growth. Baker says, “The Byzantine Empire, which was indirectly [Constantine’s] work, was the foster-mother of modern civilization.”13
Constantine shaped the whole of Eastern Europe into a globally important and relevant region. Constantinople was the crown jewel of that area. Therefore, after the Ottoman Empire conquered the Byzantine Empire in 1453, the East changed even more, and on a drastically large scale. It was the official end of the Eastern Roman Empire.
The Ottomans introduced Islam, and new cultural and architectural styles. Both had a lasting impact on the region. Constantine had made Constantinople into the center of the Christian world, and the Ottomans, in turn, wanted it to be used as a symbol for the emergence of Islam. The Ottoman Empire also had a significant influence on the Balkans, where it ruled for several centuries, shaping the region's religious, cultural, and linguistic diversity. Additionally, the Ottomans banned Europe from the spice trade. Because of this, the value of spice skyrocketed in Europe. Consequently, a man named Christopher Columbus went on a journey to look for spices in India. As we know, he never made it, but was important in the creation of North American civilization as we know it today.
However, the Ottoman Empire's decline came from rising nationalism and independence movements, and led to its destruction. After its fall, Europe saw the emergence of modern nations in Eastern Europe taking its place. The establishment of Constantinople and the embrace of Christianity were the sparks that lit the fire to inspire the global landscape of today.