Constantius I Chlorus (Flavius Valerius Constantius) (Emperor Of The Roman Empire - 305-306)

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Born March 31st, Emperor Flavius Valerius Constantius may have come intothe world ca. 250. His family was from Illyricum. In the army he servedas a protector, tribunus, and a praeses Dalmatiarum. During the 270s orthe 280s, he became the father of Constantine by Helena, his firstspouse. By 288 he was the Praetorian Prefect of the western emperorMaximianus Herculius.

On 1 March 293 Diocletian appointed Galerius as his Caesar (junioremperor) in the east and Constantius as the Caesar of MaximianusHerculius. Caesar in the west. Both Caesars had the right of succession.In order to strengthen the dynastic relationship between himself andHerculius., Constantius put aside his wife Helena and married Theodora,the daughter, or perhaps stepdaughter, of Maximianus Herculius.. Theunion was fruitful and of it there were six issue: Flavius Dalmatius,Julius Constantius, Hannibalianus, Constantia, Anastasia, and Eutropia.To strengthen his bond with Galerius and Diocletian in the east,Constantius allowed Galerius to keep his son Constantine as a hostage forhis good behavior.

In the remainder of the time that he was a Caesar, Constantius spent muchof his time engaged in military actions in the west. In the summer of 293Constantius expelled the troops of the usurper Carausius from northernGaul; after Constantius' attack on Bononia (Boulogne), Carausius wasmurdered. At the same time he dealt with the unrest of the Germans. In296 he invaded Britain and put down the revolt of the usurper Allectus.Between 300 and 305 A.D. the Caesar campaigned successfully several timeswith various German tribes. It is worth noting in passing, that while hiscolleagues rigidly enforced the "Great Persecution in 303," Constantiuslimited his action to knocking down a few churches.

On 1 May 305 Diocletian, at Nicomedia, and Maximianus Herculius, atMediolanum (Milan), divested themselves of the purple, probably becauseof the almost fatal illness that Diocletian contracted toward the end of304. Diocletian forced Maximianus to abdicate. They appointed as theirsuccessors Constantius and Galerius, with Severus and Maximinus Daia asthe new Caesars. The retired emperors then returned to private life.Constantius, as had his predecessor, ruled in the west, while Galeriusand Daia ruled in the east. Almost as soon as he was appointedAugustus, he crossed to Britain to face incursions by the Picts where hedied at York on 25 July 306 with his son at his side.

From Michael DiMaio, Jr., Salve Regina University -

Constantius I Chlorus (305-306 A.D.)

Constantius' Early Life and Marriage - Born March 31st, Emperor FlaviusValerius Constantius may have come into the world ca. 250. His family wasfrom Illyricum. In the army he served as a protector, tribunus, and apraeses Dalmatiarum. During the 270s or the 280s, he became the father ofConstantine by Helena, his first spouse. By 288 he was the PraetorianPrefect of the western emperor Maximianus Herculius.

Constantius' Reign as Caesar - On 1 March 293 Diocletian appointedGalerius as his Caesar (junior emperor) in the east and Constantius asthe Caesar of Maximianus Herculius. Caesar in the west. Both Caesars hadthe right of succession. In order to strengthen the dynastic relationshipbetween himself and Herculius., Constantius put aside his wife Helena andmarried Theodora, the daughter, or perhaps stepdaughter, of MaximianusHerculius.. The union was fruitful and of it there were six issue:Flavius Dalmatius, Julius Constantius, Hannibalianus, Constantia,Anastasia, and Eutropia. To strengthen his bond with Galerius andDiocletian in the east, Constantius allowed Galerius to keep his sonConstantine as a hostage for his good behavior.

In the remainder of the time that he was a Caesar, Constantius spent muchof his time engaged in military actions in the west. In the summer of 293Constantius expelled the troops of the usurper Carausius from northernGaul; after Constantius' attack on Bononia (Boulogne), Carausius wasmurdered. At the same time he dealt with the unrest of the Germans. In296 he invaded Britain and put down the revolt of the usurper Allectus.Between 300 and 305 A.D. the Caesar campaigned successfully several timeswith various German tribes. It is worth noting in passing, thatwhile his colleagues rigidly enforced the "Great Persecution in 303,"Constantius limited his action to knocking down a few churches.

Constantius as Augustus and His Untimely Death - On 1 May 305 Diocletian,at Nicomedia, and Maximianus Herculius, at Mediolanum (Milan), divestedthemselves of the purple, probably because of the almost fatal illnessthat Diocletian contracted toward the end of 304. Diocletian forcedMaximianus to abdicate. They appointed as their successors Constantiusand Galerius, with Severus and Maximinus Daia as the new Caesars. Theretired emperors then returned to private life. Constantius, as had hispredecessor, ruled in the west, while Galerius and Daia ruled in theeast. Almost as soon as he was appointed Augustus, he crossed toBritain to face incursions by the Picts where he died at York on 25 July306 with his son at his side.

Bibliography -

Barnes, T.D . Constantine and Eusebius,, Cambridge, 1980.
________. New Empire of Diocletian and Constantine. Cambridge, 1981.
DiMaio, Michael. Zonaras' Account of the Neo-Flavian Emperors, (Ph.D.diss., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1977).
Jones, A.H.M. J.R. Martindale, and J. Morris. "Fl. Val. Constantius 12."the Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, (Cambridge, 1971),1.227-228.
Kienast, Dietmar. R?mische Kaisertabelle: Grundz?ge einer r?mischenKaiserchronologie. Darmstadt, 1990.
MacMullen, R. Constantine, New York, 1969.
Mattingly, Harold, and B.H. Warmington ."Constantius (Chlorus)." OCD.2281-282.
Seeck, Otto. "Constantius 1." RE 4, col.1040ff.

Notes -
Constantius' full name: ILS, 630, 641-3, 648, 650-52; suchvariations as Marcus Flavius Valerius Constantius(ibid, 637), ValeriusConstantius (ibid., 640), Gaius Valerius Constantius (ibid, 649), andGaius Fabius Constantius (ibid., 650a) appear on inscriptions.
Constantius' date of birth, homeland, and career: Michael DiMaio,Zonaras' Account of the Neo-Flavian Emperors: A Commentary, (Ph.D diss.,University of Missouri-Columbia, 1977), 97-98, nn 11-14; Constantius asMaxiamianus' Praetorian prefect: T.D. Barnes, Constantine and Eusebius,,(Cambridge, 1980), 3, 7-8, New Empire of Diocletian and Constantine,(Cambridge, 1981), 36-37.
For a discussion of Constantius' marriage to Helen, see infra, n.2.
For a listing of the sources on the dating Constantius rise to therank of Caesar, see A.H.M. Jones, J.R. Martindale, and J. Morris, theProsopography of the Later Roman Empire, (Cambridge, 1971), s.v. "Fl.Val. Constantius 12," 1.227-228, and Dietmar Kienast, R?mischeKaisertabelle, (Darmstadt, 1990), 276ff
The Caesarship of Constantius is discussed, for example, by O. Seeck, RE4, s.v. "Constantius 1," col.1041.57ff, and Ramsey MacMullen,Constantine, (New York, 1969), 35ff.
Barnes has summarized the problems and the sources surrounding themarriages of Constantius to Helen and to Theodora (New Empire), 33,36-37.
Constantius' campaigns are discussed by Barnes, Constantine andEusebius, 15ff, and by Harold Mattingly and B.H. Warmington, OCD,2s.v."Constantius (Chlorus)," 281-282.
Lact., Mort. Pers., 15.7
For a listing of sources which treat the acclamation of Constantiusto the rank of Augustus, see Barnes, New Empire, 4ff.
For a discussion of the death of Constantius and the sources thattreat it, see DiMaio, 96ff.

Copyright (C) 1996, Michael DiMaio, Jr. This file may be copied on thecondition that the entire contents, including the header and thiscopyright notice, remain intact.

Constantius married Saint Helena ('Of The Cross') (Flavia Iulia Helena) in 264. Saint was born in 248-249 in Drepanum (Helenopolis), Roman Province Of Bithynia; died in 328-329 in Nicomedia, Roman Province Of Bithynia; was buried in Mausoleum Near Ss. Marcellino E Pietro At The Via Labicana, Rome, Italy. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Constantine I ('The Great') Gaius Flavius Valerius Constantinus (Emperor Of The Roman Empire - 306-337) was born in 272-273 in Naissus, Moesia Superior (Now Nish, Serbia); died on 22 May 337 in Nicomedia, Roman Province Of Bithynia; was buried in Constantinople, Byzantine Empire.

Constantius married Theodora on 1 Mar 292-293. Theodora and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Flavius Dalmatius ('The Censor') Constantius died in 337.
2. Flavius Julius Constantius died in 337.
3. Hannibalianus Constantius died before 337.
4. Anastasia Constantius and died.
5. Eutropia Constantius and died.
6. Flavia Julia Constantia Constantius was born in 293 in Rome, Italy; died in 330.