What reforms did emperor Constantine make to the Roman Empire?

Answer 1

Constantine the Great ended the tetrarchy (rule by four), a system with four co-emperors which had been instituted by the emperor Diocletian, by winning two civil wars and becoming sole emperor. However, he retained Diocletian's other administrative reforms: the doubling of the number of provinces of the empire, their grouping into twelve dioceses headed by an imperial official (the vicarious), the subdivision of the empire into four praetorian prefectures, the separation of civil power and military command, the reduction in the civil duties of the provincial governors (which were now shared with the vicarii) and the doubling of the size of the imperial bureaucracy.

Constantine ended the political and administrative marginalisation of the senatorial rank which had taken place in the previous decades. He opened many administrative posts to the senatorial rank, elevated new people to this rank, and allowed the senate to appoint two types of officials, the praetors and quaestors (instead of their being appointed by the emperor). This reform was aimed at getting the support of the old aristocracy.

Constantine carried out a monetary reform to try to tackle the problem of runaway inflation, which had been caused by the devaluation of the gold and silver coins which whose precious metal content had repeatedly been decreased, making them worthless. Constantine issued a new god coin (the solidus) and concentrated on issuing large quantities of this coin. The solidus became the standard of the currency system. In the long run this stabilised the currency. However, the poor, who could not afford gold coins, had to rely on copper coins which were vulnerable to inflation.

Constantine completed the termination of the Great Persecution of Christians which had been decreed in the Edict of Toleration by the emperor Galerius in 311. In 313, together with his then co-emperor Licinius, he issued the edict of Milan, which reiterated the toleration of Christianity and ordered the restitution of Christian property which had been confiscated during the persecution. This edict was aimed at a co-emperor in charge of Egypt and the Levant who had continued the persecution there, ignoring Galerius' edict.

Answer 2

he secured control of the east and west restoring the concept of a single ruler and moved the roman capital from rome to the greek city of byzantium.