Constantius I (Latin: Marcus Flavius Valerius Constantius Herculius Augustus;[2][3] 31 March c. 250 – 25 July 306) was Roman Emperor from 293 to 306, commonly known as Constantius Chlorus (Greek: Κωνστάντιος Χλωρός, Kōnstantios Khlōrós, literally "Constantius the Pale").[4] He was the father of Constantine the Great and founder of the Constantinian dynasty.
Born in Dardania, Constantius was the son of Eutropius, whom the Historia Augusta claimed to be a nobleman from northernDardania, in the province of Moesia Superior, and Claudia, a niece of the emperors Claudius II and Quintillus[6] Modern historians suspect this maternal connection to be a genealogical fabrication created by his son Constantine I,[7] and that his family were of humble origins.[2]
Constantius was a member of the Protectores Augusti Nostri under the emperor Aurelian and fought in the east against the secessionist Palmyrene Empire.[8] While the claim that he had been made a dux under the emperor Probus is probably a fabrication,[9][10] he certainly attained the rank of tribunus within the army, and during the reign of Carus he was raised to the position of Praeses, or governor, of the province of Dalmatia.[11] It has been conjectured that he switched allegiances to support the claims of the future emperor Diocletian just before Diocletian defeated Carinus, the son of Carus, at the Battle of the Margus in July 285.[12]
In 286, Diocletian elevated a military colleague, Maximian, to the throne as co-emperor of the western provinces,[13] while Diocletian took over the eastern provinces, beginning the process that would eventually see the division of the Roman Empire into two halves, aWestern and an Eastern portion. By 288, his period as governor now over, Constantius had been made Praetorian Prefect in the west under Maximian.[14] Throughout 287 and into 288, Constantius, under the command of Maximian, was involved in a war against the Alamanni, carrying out attacks on the territory of the barbarian tribes across the Rhine and Danube rivers.[13] To strengthen the ties between the emperor and his powerful military servant, in 289 Constantius divorced his wife (or concubine) Helena, and married the emperor Maximian’s daughter,Theodora.
By 293, Diocletian, conscious of the ambitions of his co-emperor for his new son-in-law, allowed Maximian to promote Constantius in a new power sharing arrangement known as the Tetrarchy.[16] Diocletian divided the administration of theRoman Empire into two halves, a Western and an Eastern portion. Each would be ruled by an Augustus, supported by aCaesar. Both Caesars had the right of succession once the ruling Augustus died.
At Milan on March 1, 293, Constantius was formally appointed as Maximian’s Caesar.[17] He adopted the names Flavius Valerius[1] and was given command of Gaul, Britannia and possibly Hispania. Diocletian, the eastern Augustus, in order to keep the balance of power in the imperium[16] elevated Galerius as his Caesar, possibly on May 21, 293 at Philippopolis.[8]Constantius was the more senior of the two Caesars, and on official documents he always took precedence, being mentioned before Galerius.[1] Constantius’ capital was to be located at Augusta Treverorum.
Constantius’ first task on becoming Caesar was to deal with the Roman usurper Carausius who had declared himself emperor in Britannia and northern Gaul in 286.[8] In late 293, Constantius defeated the forces of Carausius in Gaul, capturingBononia.[18] This precipitated the assassination of Carausius by his rationalis Allectus, who assumed command of the British provinces until his death in 296.
Constantius spent the next two years neutralising the threat of the Franks who were the allies of Allectus,[19] as northern Gaul remained under the control of the British usurper until at least 295.[20] He also battled against the Alamanni, achieving some victories at the mouth of the Rhine in 295.[21] Administrative concerns meant he made at least one trip to Italy during this time as well.[19] Only when he felt ready (and only when Maximian finally came to relieve him at the Rhine frontier[22]) did he assemble two invasion fleets with the intent of crossing the English Channel. The first was entrusted to Asclepiodotus, Constantius’ long-serving Praetorian prefect, who sailed from the mouth of the Seine, while the other, under the command of Constantius himself, was launched from his base at Bononia.[23] The fleet under Asclepiodotus landed near the Isle of Wight, and his army encountered the forces of Allectus, resulting in the defeat and death of the usurper.[24] Constantius in the meantime occupied London,[25] saving the city from an attack byFrankish mercenaries who were now roaming the province without a paymaster. Constantius massacred all of them
Constantius remained in Britannia for a few months, replaced most of Allectus’ officers, and the British provinces were probably at this time subdivided along the lines of Diocletian’s other administrative reforms of the Empire.[26] The result was the division of Upper Britannia into Maxima Caesariensis and Britannia Prima, while Flavia Caesariensisand Britannia Secunda were carved out of Lower Britannia. He also restored Hadrian’s Wall and its forts.[27]
Later in 298, Constantius fought in the Battle of Lingones (Langres) against the Alamanni. He was shut up in the city, but was relieved by his army after six hours and defeated the enemy.[28] He defeated them again at Vindonissa (Windisch, Switzerland),[29] thereby strengthening the defenses of the Rhine frontier. In 300, he fought against the Franks on the Rhine frontier,[30] and as part of his overall strategy to buttress the frontier, Constantius settled the Franks in the deserted parts of Gaul to repopulate the devastated areas.[31]Nevertheless, over the next three years the Rhine frontier continued to occupy Constantius’ attention.[30]
In 303, Constantius was confronted with the imperial edicts instituted by Diocletian dealing with the persecution of Christians. The campaign was avidly pursued by Galerius, who noticed that Constantius was well-disposed towards the Christians, and who saw it as a method of advancing his career prospects with the aging Diocletian.[32] Of the four Tetrarchs, Constantius made the least effort to implement the decrees in the western provinces that were under his direct authority,[33] limiting himself to knocking down a handful of churche
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