Constantine: Dynasty, Religion and Power in the Later Roman Empire

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Depictions of Constantine and his actions vary widely, portrayals range from pious Catholic emperor as depicted by Cardinal Baronius in the 16th century, to the 19th century Hegelian interpretation of Constantine as a Roman Napoleon. Barnes argues, however, that very few modern representations of Constantine are based on an evaluation of ancient evidence, and instead reflect the predilections of their creators. In this new and exciting investigation into Constantine, Barnes develops his interpretation of the emperor first set out in his Constantine and Eusebius (1981). Barnes is now able to strengthen his arguments and conclusions in light of the emergence of new evidence. This includes Peter Weiss's convincing interpretation of the vision of Constantine in 1993, and Kevin Wilkinson's re-dating of the poet Palladas to the reign of Constantine, disproving the predominant scholarly belief that Constantine remained tolerant in matters of religion to the end of his reign, as had been widely assumed before 2009. Barnes also investigates the marriage of Constantine's parents, Constantine's status as a crown prince and his father's legitimate heir, and his dynastic plans.