27th February

On this day in history, in 272 (though the year is uncertain), Flavius Valerius Constantinus was born. His father was a skilled military man who had earned the governorship of Dalmatia from the Emperor Diocletian, and eventually he attained the position of Caesar; one of two, under two 'Augustii', Diocletian in the East and Maximian in the West. This form of government was to become known as the tetrarchy.

With this background, it is perhaps unsurprising that at the time of his father's death, it was expected that Constantinus should succeed him as Caesar. In 305 Diocletian announced his abdication, as did Maximian in an identical ceremony in Milan. There followed a period of civil war, known as the Civil Wars of the Tetrarchy, for full control of the empire. A deciding battle, the Battle of the Milvian Bridge eventually saw Constantius victorious. He united the empire and was to rule until his death in 337 as Constantine I, or Constantine the Great.

{Image: Bust of Constantine at the Capitoline Museum in Rome}