CONSTANTINE the Great, the first emperor of the Romans who embraced Christianity. His father, Constantius Chlorus, rendered himself famous by his victorious expeditions to Germany and Britain; upon the abdication of Diocletian, he shared the Roman empire with Galerius Maximinus in 305, and was at that time at York, where he died in 306; having first caused his son Constantine the Great to be proclaimed emperor by his army, and by the English. Galerius at first refused to admit Constantine to his father's share in the imperial throne; but after having lost several battles, he confessed in 308. Maxentius, who succeeded Galerius, opposed him; but was defeated, and drowned himself in the Tyber. The senate then declared Constantine chief or first Augustus, and Licinius his second associate in the empire, in 313. These princes published an edict, in their joint names; in favour of the Christians; but soon after Licinius, jealous of Constantine's renown, conceived an implacable hatred against him, and renewed the persecutions against the Christians. This brought on a rupture between the emperors; and a battle, in which Constantine was victorious. A short peace ensued; but Licinius having shamefully violated the treaty, the war was renewed; when Constantine totally defeating him, he fled to Nicomedia, where he was taken prisoner and strangled in 323. Constantine, now become sole master of the western and eastern empires, immediately formed the plan of establishing Christianity as the religion of the state; for which purpose, he convoked several ecclesiastical councils; but finding he was likely to meet with great opposition from the Pagan interest at Rome, he conceived the design of founding a new city, to be the capital of his Christian empire; see Constantinople. The glory Constantine had acquired by establishing the Christian religion, was tarnished by the part he took in the persecutions carried on by the Arians, towards the close of his reign, against their Christian brethren who differed from them; seduced by Eusebius of Nicomedia, he banished several eminent prelates; soon after which, he died in 337, the 66th year of his age, and 31st of his reign.

As to the character of Constantine, he was charitable, pious, laborious, and indefatigable; a great general, successful in war, and deserving his success by his shining valour and by the brightness of his genius; a protector of arts, and an encourager of them by his beneficence. If we compare him with Augustus, we shall find that he ruined idolatry, by the same precautions and the same address that the other used to defend liberty. Like Augustus, he laid the foundation of a new empire; but less skilful, and less polite, he could not give it the same stability: he weakened the body of the state by adding to it, in some measure, a second head in the foundation of Constantinople; and transporting the centre of motion and strength too near the eastern extremity, he left without heat, and almost without life, the western parts, which soon became a prey to the barbarians. The Pagans were too much his enemies to do him justice. Eutropius says, that in the former part of his reign he was equal to the most accomplished princes, and in the latter to the meanest. The younger Victor, who makes him to have reigned more than 31 years, pretends, that in the first 10 years he was a lover; in the 12 succeeding ones ones a robber; and in the last a spendthrift. It is easy to perceive, with respect to these two reproaches of Victor's, that the one relates to the riches which Constantine took from idolatry, and the other to those with which he loaded the church.

Constantine emperor of the East in 1002, left the care of the empire to his wife Helena, who loaded the people with taxes, and sold all the offices in church and state to the highest bidders; while the emperor employed himself in reading, writing, and the fine arts, till he became as good an architect and painter as he was a bad prince: he wrote several biographical and geographical works, which would have done honour to his name, if he had not neglected his duty to compose them. He died in 959.

Constantine (Draco), the son of Emmanuel Palaeologus, was placed on the throne by Sultan Amurath in 1448. But Mahomet II., his successor, following to dethrone him, laid siege to Constantinople by sea and land, and took it by assault in 1453, after it had held out 58 days. The unfortunate emperor feeling the Turks enter the breaches, threw himself into the midst of the enemy, and was cut to pieces; the children of the imperial house were massacred by the soldiers; and the women referred to gratify the lust of the conqueror: and thus terminated the dynasty of the Constantines, 1123 years after its establishment at Constantinople.

Constantine (Robert), a learned physician born at Caen, taught polite literature in that city; and acquired great reputation by his skill in the Greek language, in history, and in medicine. He died in 1603, aged 103. He wrote a dictionary in Greek and Latin and other works, which are esteemed.