Arch of Constantine
The king is the supreme player in the art of power, and of course it is possible to be played by power. The famous Constantine the Great, on the issue of succession of power, made Rome a miasma, directing one tragic drama after another of the succession to the throne.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >, Constantine's Confused Behavior: Messing with heirs</h1>
After Crispars was executed, the succession to the throne naturally fell to the emperor's three remaining sons: Constantine the Younger, Constantius II, and Constantus I. Perhaps believing too much in the favor of the subjects of the vast empire to support his decision, or perhaps the old emperor himself realized that he had lost the judgment of loyalty to his subjects, in just 3 years, Constantine gave the title of "Caesar" to 3 princes in succession.
Even readers know that the "dispute between the crown princes" is something that should be avoided. Many of the decisions in history to appoint multiple princes at the same time were due to the weak authority of the emperor himself or the manipulation of the political situation by forces of different sources. However, Constantine's authority was not diminished until he grew old, and the subjects of the empire long respected every decision he made, although his thinking sometimes seemed peculiar.
Old, stubborn-looking Constantine
As for the generous reward of the throne, which has not been seen in successive Roman emperors, and even Constantine had killed him because he was jealous of his eldest son, it is difficult to imagine that such a generous emperor would give the throne of Caesar to his 3 sons out of kindness. Some historians speculate that he was motivated by "separation of powers and checks and balances" or the use of advance preparation to test the loyalty of the crown prince.
In any case, we can understand the emperor's act of granting the throne to his son. But what was even more astonishing was that the emperor had since sacrificed the interests of his sons and had no need to elevate his two nephews, Dalmatius and Hannibal Linus, to high positions. As a result, the Roman Empire suddenly had four "Caesars" and one "Supreme" (Hannibal was the "Supreme"). Who can believe that these contradictory successors were all personally enthroned by Constantine the Great himself!
Constantine the Great
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > second, the clever distribution of imperial power among heirs</h1>
Since Constantine had publicly approved of the five young men, the empire as a whole had to train them as the true crown princes. In their youth, the three princes underwent various physical exercises in order to cope with the possible war life and busy government affairs. The emperor also spared no expense to invite well-known scholars familiar with Christian doctrine, Greek philosophy, and Roman law theory to teach them how to think and act cautiously and become a qualified believer and leader.
Constantine the Younger was assigned by his father to Gaul to take the place of his late brother Chris Pas. Constantius II was in charge of the eastern provinces, while Italy and Afrika, the "land of the dragons", of the empire, were given to Constantus. Constantine gave his sons the most trusted guards and eunuchs around him, and sent his cronies to different places for regular inspections. Gibbon believed that this was a sign of the emperor's love for his sons, but now more scholars interpret it as a "overseer" appointed by Constantine who did not feel comfortable giving his sons too much autonomy prematurely.
Dalmatius was sent by Constantine to the Rhine. Later, the emperor entrusted him with the armies of Thrace and Macedonia. As for Hannibal Linus, the Emperor ordered him to garrison the areas of Armenia, Pontus and Cappadocia, which were often in turmoil. The emperor was obviously even more uneasy about the two nephews, and he asked their close associates to return to the emperor every year to "report for duty". Perhaps Constantine's decentralization of his "inheritance rights" was first of all to serve as a co-optation for his nephew.
In this way, the pattern of decentralization within the Empire has loomed. For his own son, the old emperor still took great care of him. Whether it is Gaul, Italy or the eastern provinces, it is a strategic location for Rome's future. The embarrassingly ill-appointed Rhine and Thraceian generations have always been the most turbulent places in the empire. Constantine gave his son the richest stronghold of the empire in order to serve as an arch for the royal family. As for the two nephews, they are more like "odd jobs" who guard the country.
Heavily armed Armenian soldiers
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > iii: The holocaust after Constantine's death</h1>
Constantine the Great died in 337 AD, just a few months after the celebration of his 30-year reign. According to the empire's previous customs, and in accordance with the emperor's will, the throne should first be inherited by two older nephews. However, some people with ghost fetuses have already formed a "Crown Prince's Party" and a "Royal Nephew Party" in private. They each propagated according to their own intentions, and sometimes the situation could not be controlled by even the five heirs.
Constantius, the wisest of the princes, was determined to act. He first published a "secret will" from his father, which stated that Constantine had asked the crown prince to deal with several of the royal families who had poisoned him, and the names of the two heirs of the imperial nephews were prominently among them. Constantius then united several of his brothers, who were also crown princes, and defended them the importance of "administering justice" as his father. As a result, most of the soldiers in the Empire followed suit, expressing their willingness to support the punishment of those who committed blasphemy.
A chaotic massacre soon began, the army once again took an important role, and two uncles and seven cousins of Constantius eventually fell victim to the conspiracy. Most importantly, the two imperial nephews who were entitled to inherit the throne first also died in this disaster, and the three crown princes naturally became heirs. In fact, how can the subjects of the state not have their own judgment on such behavior? They merely acquiesced to the madness of the Crown Prince.
Constantius and his crazy soldiers
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">
Fourth, the outbreak of disputes between the princes
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After the bloody massacre, the army finally recognized the dominion of the three princes and called them "Augustus of the Empire". However, the peaceful situation of the division of the empire soon passed. Only 3 years later, Constantine the Younger attacked Constantine, complaining that the province of Afrika that he was supposed to inherit had been taken by his younger brother, who had already received Macedonia and Greece from Dalmatius, and should give up his share of the assets.
Not knowing whose plan he had listened to, Constantine the Younger, as the elder brother, did not care about his demeanor and secretly led a group of troops to raid Macedonia. At this time, the younger brother who was far away in Dacia rushed back and performed better in the encounter with the elder brother. Eventually, Constantine the Younger was besieged and killed without hesitation, and 2/3 of the Empire's territory was occupied by Constantine.
Constantus's victory made him proud. The young emperor not only began to treat his subordinates brutally and cruelly, but also gradually became infatuated with the young Germanic slaves (males), and killed some of the barbarian captives who had "played" for no reason. The people and the subordinates of the army regarded the scandal as an unacceptable mistake, and finally one day, while the emperor was hunting near a harbor in the Pyrenees, the absurd emperor was stabbed to death by one of his squadron leaders.
The exaggerated power of the provincial army terrified those who attended the post
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Wen Shijun said</h1>
The violent death of the two brothers is like a bloody road from Heaven to the unification of the empire of Constantius. At this time, the crown prince, who was preparing for the Eastern Crusade, hurriedly waved his division back to the dynasty to "guard the world". Although the emperor must have a feeling of joy in his heart, in the face of the rebellious Gaulese officers, the emperor still executed the main participants for treason, which was an account for his brother. In order to show his unrivaled power, Constantius also convened a meeting of military and political leaders. His eloquent, tragic speech touched all the audience, and loyalty spread through the ranks of the soldiers. Constantine the Great's legacy was finally attributed to one man, and the struggle for succession ended after a bloody tragedy.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > resources</h1>
Shiono Seven Lives: The Story of the Romans, CITIC Publishing House, 2011.
Zhang Xiaoxiao: "The Roman Army and the Imperial Transshipment", Doctoral Thesis of Northeast Normal University, 2002.
(Author: Haoran Wenshi Porcelain Country Garbage Dump)
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