Constantine I 307-337 AD
Description
The reign of Constantine I opened a new chapter in Armenian history by coupling politics with the shared banner of Christianity. After Tiridates III’s conversion of Armenia c. 301 AD, Constantine—already sympathetic to the faith—recognized the strategic value of a Christian ally beyond Rome’s eastern frontier. The Edict of Milan (313) gave legal protection to Armenian pilgrims and merchants travelling through imperial lands, while imperial gifts of liturgical vessels and financial aid reportedly reached the great basilica rising at Vagharshapat, seat of Gregory the Illuminator. Armenian tradition preserves Constantine’s letters exhorting Tiridates to persevere in the faith and promising military support should the Zoroastrian Sasanian monarch Shapur II threaten the church.
Constantine’s wider foreign policy repeatedly intersected with Armenian interests. Armenian cavalry contingents fought for him in the civil wars of 324, securing his victory over Licinius on the Bosporus. In return, Constantine confirmed Armenia’s frontier privileges and allowed Armenian nobles to trade duty-free through Cappadocia. At the Council of Nicaea in 325, the Armenian church—represented by Bishop Aristaces, son of Gregory—was treated as an independent ecclesiastical entity, reinforcing the kingdom’s status as Rome’s Christian partner rather than a mere client.
In 335 the emperor attempted to tighten dynastic control of the Caucasus by marrying his nephew Hannibalianus to his daughter Constantina and proclaiming him “King of Kings of the Pontic Nations,” implicitly over Armenia. The title acknowledged Armenia’s importance: Constantine intended a Roman prince to preside over the Christian kingdoms guarding the mountain passes against Persia. Plans for a grand eastern campaign followed; Armenian sources speak of imperial correspondence arranging joint operations along the Ararat–Tigris corridor. Constantine’s death in May 337 halted the scheme, and Hannibalianus perished in the subsequent purge, but the policy signalled Rome’s commitment to Armenian security.
Constantine’s wider foreign policy repeatedly intersected with Armenian interests. Armenian cavalry contingents fought for him in the civil wars of 324, securing his victory over Licinius on the Bosporus. In return, Constantine confirmed Armenia’s frontier privileges and allowed Armenian nobles to trade duty-free through Cappadocia. At the Council of Nicaea in 325, the Armenian church—represented by Bishop Aristaces, son of Gregory—was treated as an independent ecclesiastical entity, reinforcing the kingdom’s status as Rome’s Christian partner rather than a mere client.
In 335 the emperor attempted to tighten dynastic control of the Caucasus by marrying his nephew Hannibalianus to his daughter Constantina and proclaiming him “King of Kings of the Pontic Nations,” implicitly over Armenia. The title acknowledged Armenia’s importance: Constantine intended a Roman prince to preside over the Christian kingdoms guarding the mountain passes against Persia. Plans for a grand eastern campaign followed; Armenian sources speak of imperial correspondence arranging joint operations along the Ararat–Tigris corridor. Constantine’s death in May 337 halted the scheme, and Hannibalianus perished in the subsequent purge, but the policy signalled Rome’s commitment to Armenian security.
Collection Tree
- ANCIENT
- Roman Empire
- Constantine I 307-337 AD
- Roman Empire