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Constantine the Great

Constantine the Great. From Constantinople to Istanbul. England, York Minster. Outline. Introduction Part I. His life and achievement Part II. Conversion to Christianity Part III. Foundation of Constantinople Conclusion References.

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Constantine the Great

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  1. Constantine the Great From Constantinople to Istanbul

  2. England, York Minster

  3. Outline • Introduction • Part I. His life and achievement • Part II. Conversion to Christianity • Part III. Foundation of Constantinople • Conclusion • References

  4. Constantine the Great was the first emperor of Rome to convert to Christianity. During his reign, Christians, previously persecuted, gained freedom of worship. He gave huge estates and other gifts to the Christian church. He established a capital in the eastern provinces, naming it Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey)

  5. Introduction • Istanbul was founded in the 7th century BC as Byzantium • In the 4th century AD it was renamed Constantinople by Roman emperor Constantine the Great • The city served as the capital of the Byzantine Empire until it was captured by the Ottomans in the 15th century and made the capital of the Ottoman Empire • The Ottomans called the city Istanbul for centuries, but it was not until 1930, seven years after Turkey gained independence, that Istanbul became its official name

  6. Part I. His life and achievement • Constantine (274-337), born at Naissus, now Nisch in Serbia, the son of emperor Constantius and St. Helena (feast: Aug. 18 ) • 306 Proclaimed emperor at York in Britain after the death of his father, Constantius I • 312 Defeated Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge outside Rome to become sole ruler in the western empire • 313 Issued jointly with eastern emperor Licinius the Edict of Milan, which granted civil rights and toleration to all religions including Christianity • 324 Defeated Licinius, become ruler of the Roman world

  7. Part II. Conversion to Christianity • Constantine said that he saw a cross and the words "in hoc signo vinces" (in this sign you will be the victor) in the sky before the battle at the Milvian Bridge, and sent his army into battle with crosses painted on their shields • Constantine intervened in ecclesiastical affairs to achieve unity; in 325 he presided over the Council of Nicaea to resolve divisive issues within the Christian church • Constantine built churches in the Holy Land, where his mother (also a Christian) supposedly found the True Cross on which Jesus was crucified

  8. Constantine (England, York)

  9. Part III. Foundation of Constantinople • Byzantium was the ancient Greek city on the site that later became Constantinople. • It was founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 657 BC. The city was rebuilt and reinaugurated as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Emperor Constantine I in 330 AD and subsequently renamed Constantinople. • The city remained the capital of the Byzantine Empire until 1453, when it was conquered and became the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

  10. Part III. Foundation of Constantinople • In Constantinople, the emperor built a great cathedral, named Santa Sophia, which was destroyed by fire in the 6th century. • In the 12th century, the city was the largest and wealthiest European city. • On 29 May 1453, Turkish sultan Mehmed II, "the Conqueror", entered Constantinople after a 53–day siege during which his cannon had torn a huge hole in the Walls of Theodosius II.

  11. Hagia Sophia (Church of the Holy Wisdom) was built in Constantinople (now Istanbul) between 532 and 537 under the auspices of Emperor Justinian I. The original dome fell after an earthquake and was replaced in 563. The church became a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of 1453, and is now a museum.

  12. Hagia Sophia • From the date of its construction in 537 until 1453, it served as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral and seat of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire. • The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. It was then secularized and opened as a museum on 1 February 1935.

  13. Conclusion • Constantine's religious affiliation remained ambiguous for much of his life, and he was not baptized until shortly before his death. • He reorganized the Roman state, and set the stage for the final victory of Christianity. • As the first emperor to rule in the name of Christ, he was a major figure in the foundation of medieval Europe. • Constantinople remained capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire until 1453.

  14. References • http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04295c.htm • http://www.bartleby.com/65/co/Constnt1Rom.html • http://www.freefoto.com/regional/europe/united_kingdom/england/yorkshire/york_minster/index.asp • http://goasia.about.com/library/weekly/aa111101b.htm • http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04301a.htm • http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f54_1337075813

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