Thus the title of Chapter Nine in Adrian Goldsworthy’s The Fall of the West: The Slow Death of the Roman Superpower,[1] which I am enjoying no end. Of course, the chapter is dedicated to Constantine, who reigned from 306 to 337, but controlled the entire Roman Empire only from 324. There was much carnage after the abdication of Diocletian, who reigned from 284 to 305. Constantine clawed his way to the top over many rivals’ bodies. He ruled ruthlessly, as well. The huge basilica whose remains still tower over the Roman Forum today contained a monumental statue of Constantine himself. His greatest project was the conversion of the old city of Byzantium into the great metropolis under his own name. Although he used Christianity on his way to the top, and although he showed some deference to church authorities close to the end of his reign, he hardly deserves being called Constantine the Great by the church, let alone becoming a Christian saint. Oh, I love British humor!

Footnote

1. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2009.