How did Constantine change the world?

Answer 1

The Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire, thereby converting it from a small, persecuted minority religion to a powerful, expanding religion.

Constantine did not adopt Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire. That was done 43 years after his death by the Edict of Thessalonica issued by co-emperors Gratian, Theodosius I and Valentinian II in 380. In Constantine's days Christianity had already become the religion of the masses in the Roman Empire and was already a majority religion.

Constantine brought about the final termination of the Great Persecution of Christians (which stared in 303) which was decreed in the Edict of Toleration by (emperor) Galerius and which had been reiterated in the Edict of Milan signed in 313 by himself and his co-emperor Licinius.

Constantine supported Christianity and helped it to flourish. He promoted Christians to high offices in the imperial administration and arbitrated disputes between various Christian theologies. He built Christian churches, most notably, the original Basilica of St Peter's in Rome, the St John Lateran's Basilica (the city of Rome's first Cathedral and the original residence of the Popes), the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople and Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

However, Constantine also patronised Roman paganism. The triumphal arch he built had images of the goddess Victoria and had no Christian symbols. Sacrifices to Apollo, Diana and Hercules were held when the arch was inaugurated. When he was 49 he established the first day of the week as "the venerable day of the sun" and called it Sunday. He ordered that Christians and non-Christians should observe a sun-worship (established as an official cult by Emperor Aurelia) on on that day. The Chi-Rho (a Christian symbol) appeared or the name of Christ appeared on one side of his coins, but on the other side there was the symbol of Sol Invictus (the sun god) or Mars Conversator. At the dedication of its new capital, Constantinople (in 337) he held the sun-rayed diadem of Apollo and no Christian symbols were used. Constantine also retained the title of pontifex maximus (the head of the Roman pagan religion) until his death.

Constantine also moved the capital of the eastern part of the Roman Empire from Nicomedia (in northwestern Turkey) to the nearby Byzantium (originally a Greek city), redeveloped it and renamed it Constantinople (city of Constantine). He resolved the problem of hyperinflation which had been plaguing the empire for a long time.

Answer 2

He stabilised the Eastern Empire and it lasted for another thousand years.