Flavia Iulia Constantia

Flavia Iulia Constantia (* in Trier ; † around 330) was a member of the Constantinian dynasty - she was the daughter of Constantius Chlorus and half-sister Constantine the Great - and was Roman as the wife of the Eastern Emperor Licinius in the first half of the 4th century AD Empress.

Life

Constantia was the daughter of Constantius I and Theodora . Her siblings were Julius Constantius , Flavius Dalmatius , Flavius Hannibalianus , Anastasia and Eutropia . Constantine was only her half-brother, since he came from the union of Constantius with Helena , not from the marriage with Theodora. Constantia was probably born and raised in Trier . When Constantius I died in 306, Constantine succeeded him as emperor. A civil war developed in the course of which Constantine allied with Licinius against the usurper Maxentius . To secure this alliance, Constantia was betrothed to Licinius. This in turn felt threatened Maximinus Daia , who saw the alliance directed against him and then allied with Maxentius. Constantine was finally able to defeat Maxentius in Rome in 312, Licinius defeated the Daia in 313.

In February 313 Licinius and Constantine met in Milan , where Constantia and Licinius were married. In addition, the two emperors passed the Milan Agreement , which allowed all religions in the empire - including Christianity , which was still persecuted under Diocletian - to freely practice their religion. In July 315 the first son of Constantia and Licinius was finally born, Licinianus Licinius . In 316 there was an open conflict in the tense relationship between Licinius and Constantine. Constantia accompanied her husband on the campaign and then fled with him from Sirmium to Adrianople . When the second civil war broke out in 324, Constantia mediated in Nicomedia between her half-brother and her husband. Constantine finally won this war. Constantia was able to persuade Constantine not to kill Licinius and her son, the two of them were arrested instead. In 325, Constantine had Licinius executed, 326 his son. In doing so, he violated an oath he had made to Constantia.

Constantia nevertheless remained influential at the court of Constantine, where she carried the honorable title of nobilissima femina . Constantia, who was extremely favored by Constantine, tried to win him over to Arianism . Since 317, when she resided in Nicomedia , she had come under the influence of the Arian bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia , who brought her closer to the person and teaching of Arius . Also at the Council of Nicaea in 325 they supported the Arian faction of Eusebius of Nicomedia by trying to get them to accept the confessional formula. In addition, a correspondence between Constantia and Eusebius of Caesarea has come down to us, in which she asks him for a picture of Christ. Constantia eventually died around 330. Constantine still honored her after her death with the production of several coins and the renaming of the city of Maiuma (the port of Gaza ) to Constantia .

literature

Bruno Bleckmann : Constantia [1] Flavia Iulia. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 3, Metzler, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-476-01473-8 , column 135.
Arnold Hugh Martin Jones , John Robert Martindale, John Morris : Constantia 1. In: The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire (PLRE). Volume 1, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1971, ISBN 0-521-07233-6 , p. 221.
Adolf Lippold : Constantia 1. In: The Little Pauly (KlP). Volume 1, Stuttgart 1964, Col. 1283.
Hans A. Pohlsander: Constantia . In: Ancient Society . tape 24 , 1993, pp. 151-167 .
Alexios G. Savvides, Benjamin Hendrickx (Eds.): Encyclopaedic Prosopographical Lexicon of Byzantine History and Civilization . Vol. 2: Baanes-Eznik of Kolb . Brepols Publishers, Turnhout 2008, ISBN 978-2-503-52377-4 , p. 233.
Otto Seeck : Constantia 13) . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume IV, 1, Stuttgart 1900, Col. 958.
Hans Georg Thümmel : Eusebios' letter to Empress Constantia . In: Klio . tape 66 , 1984, pp. 210-222 .

Web links

Hans A. Pohlsander: Short biography (English) at De Imperatoribus Romanis (with references).

Remarks

↑ This is the conclusion of Hans A. Pohlsander in his article in De Imperatoribus Romanis from the fact that Trier was 293-306 residence of Constantius.
^ Lactantius , De mortibus persecutorum 43; Zosimos 2,17,2.
^ On the marriage of Lactantius, De mortibus persecutorum 45.1; Zosimos 2.17; Eusebius of Caesarea , Church History , 10,5,3; Anonymous Valesianus 13; Epitome de Caesaribus 41.4.
↑ However, Codex Theodosianus 4,6,2 could indicate that Constantia Licinianus only adopted (for example Otto Seeck , in: RE , Volume IV, 1, Sp. 958).
↑ Anonymous Valesianus 28.
↑ Epitome de Caesaribus 41.7; Anonymous Valesianus 5.28.
↑ Eutropius 10: 6,1 (there is no mention of Constantia, but only certain "sacredly sworn treaties"); Zosimos 2,28,2.
↑ Rufinus , Church History 10:12; Theodoret , Church History 2.2.
↑ Philostorgios , Church History 1.9.

personal data
SURNAME	Constantia, Flavia Iulia
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Flavia Julia Constantia; Constantia
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	roman empress
DATE OF BIRTH	3rd century or 4th century
PLACE OF BIRTH	trier
DATE OF DEATH	at 330

[1] This is the conclusion of Hans A. Pohlsander in his article in De Imperatoribus Romanis from the fact that Trier was 293-306 residence of Constantius.

[2] Lactantius , De mortibus persecutorum 43; Zosimos 2,17,2.

[3] On the marriage of Lactantius, De mortibus persecutorum 45.1; Zosimos 2.17; Eusebius of Caesarea , Church History , 10,5,3; Anonymous Valesianus 13; Epitome de Caesaribus 41.4.

[4] However, Codex Theodosianus 4,6,2 could indicate that Constantia Licinianus only adopted (for example Otto Seeck , in: RE , Volume IV, 1, Sp. 958).

[5] Anonymous Valesianus 28.

[6] Epitome de Caesaribus 41.7; Anonymous Valesianus 5.28.

[7] Eutropius 10: 6,1 (there is no mention of Constantia, but only certain "sacredly sworn treaties"); Zosimos 2,28,2.

[8] Rufinus , Church History 10:12; Theodoret , Church History 2.2.

[9] Philostorgios , Church History 1.9.