A MILITARY LIFE OF CONSTANTINE THE GREAT

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Analysis of the strengths, organization, weapons, and tactics of the Roman army Constantine inherited and his military reforms. Assesses whether Constantine would have deserved the title 'the Great' for his military achievements alone, or whether the epithet depends upon the gratitude of Christian historians. Covers all of his campaigns.

Much of Constantine I's claim to lasting fame rests upon his sponsorship of Christianity, and many works have been published assessing whether his apparent conversion was a real religious experience or a cynical political maneuver. However his path to sole rule of the Roman Empire depended more upon the ruthless application of military might than upon his espousal of Christianity. He fought numerous campaigns, many of them against Roman rivals for Imperial power, most famously defeating Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge.