The Podcast of the Lotus Eaters - August 09, 2026


PREVIEW： Epochs #275 ｜ Constantine： Part 1


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20 minutes

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3,322

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49

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Transcript

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00:00:00.000 Hello and welcome back to Epochs where I should be continuing my story all about Constantine
00:00:25.580 the First, Constantine the Great and if you've been watching the last few episodes I decided
00:00:29.860 to spend quite a lot of time setting up that story, haven't really talked much about Constantine
00:00:35.060 himself or hardly at all so far, been setting up the age before him, the generation or so before
00:00:41.480 him, that is the reign of Diocletian, the emperor who changed the entire system of government in
00:00:49.040 Rome, changed it from a system Augustus set up, the principate to the dominate,
00:00:54.860 Emperors going from, at least on paper, supposed to be the first citizen
00:00:59.820 The Princeps Sinaitas
00:01:01.400 And they're still supposed to get everything ratified by the Senate in Rome
00:01:05.160 And all that sort of thing
00:01:05.840 Diocletian changed all of that to the Dominate
00:01:08.140 What they call the Dominate 0.76
00:01:08.900 Where it's much more of a master-slave relationship
00:01:11.140 It's much more like a king and a subject relationship
00:01:14.460 Even though that's the way in practice it had been for a long time
00:01:17.140 But now it's sort of formal and legal
00:01:18.600 And the Tetrarchy, the Rule of Four
00:01:21.440 Diocletian had decided that the Roman Empire was just simply too big
00:01:24.620 again, too sort of unstable during the crisis of the 3rd century,
00:01:28.200 because what we're talking about here is the late 3rd century,
00:01:30.140 the late 200s, going into the very early 300s AD.
00:01:35.740 And Diocletian had decided that he would have four emperors.
00:01:39.200 There would be one, the most senior one, him,
00:01:42.080 to have a co-ruler, a co-augusti,
00:01:44.540 and under them, each one of those would have their own
00:01:46.720 sort of a junior emperor, a Caesar.
00:01:49.740 There were two augusti and two Caesars, four emperors in total.
00:01:52.940 And they were all supposed to work together and work as one
00:01:55.980 And you've basically got four emperors
00:01:59.100 So that each one of them can rule a different part of the empire
00:02:03.160 Because, as Diocletian calculated, it was just too big for one man
00:02:07.080 So that's the world in which Constantine was born into and grew up in
00:02:12.980 And his father was one of those emperors, Constantius
00:02:17.660 He had been one of the junior emperors, a Caesar
00:02:21.780 And his part of the empire was Britain
00:02:24.580 And chunks of north-western Europe
00:02:28.480 Modern-day France, Belgium, Holland, places like that
00:02:31.440 And then when Diocletian had decided to retire 0.61
00:02:34.560 He sort of forced his co-Augustus, Maximian
00:02:39.720 Forced him to resign as well
00:02:41.600 Which means the two junior emperors, the two Caesars
00:02:45.280 Are promoted, effectively, to senior emperors, Augusti
00:02:49.000 And then they would have to pick new Caesars
00:02:52.580 And so the cycle continues
00:02:54.760 The idea being that there won't be an endless cycle of usurpations
00:02:58.980 Because there will be no succession crisis
00:03:01.540 Because you've always got an heir apparent
00:03:04.900 You've got the next one waiting to go, that's the idea
00:03:07.920 So Constantine's father, Constantius
00:03:11.020 Has already been an emperor for a while
00:03:13.480 Arguably some say the fourth most important of the four emperors
00:03:16.760 But now he's an Augustus
00:03:20.160 He's either first or second most important man in the empire
00:03:24.900 So that's where we are
00:03:26.660 I've been reading from Edward Gibbon
00:03:28.300 The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
00:03:30.600 So we shall continue reading from that
00:03:33.140 So let's pick up the story from after Diocletian's abdication
00:03:37.100 Because if you remember as well
00:03:38.720 We talked about how he didn't just die in office
00:03:40.840 As most kings and emperors do
00:03:42.340 he actively proactively decided to resign and abdicate and go and live in retirement and he
00:03:50.180 lived for quite a few years after that eight nine years so let's let gibbon continue the story he
00:03:56.620 says this quote the balance of power established by diocletian subsisted no longer while it was
00:04:03.100 sustained by the firm and dexterous hand of the founder i.e after diocletian retired things start
00:04:10.300 falling apart quite quickly Gibbon goes on saying it required such a fortunate mixture of different
00:04:16.180 tempers and abilities as could scarcely be found because it did work while Diocletian was in
00:04:21.780 control because he handpicked exactly the right people to make it work but as soon as that's not
00:04:27.180 the case anymore and it's difficult to find difficult a bit like I've mentioned it before
00:04:32.380 a bit like Bismarck's the way Otto von Bismarck in the 19th century handled European affairs
00:04:38.080 Very, very deftly, very, very expertly
00:04:40.900 It needed his personal, his personal hand and mind
00:04:44.500 To control most of the events for it to work
00:04:46.940 It was too delicate otherwise
00:04:48.120 Once he leaves, Bismarck, leaves the state of history
00:04:51.060 The whole edifice can and did come crumbling down 0.97
00:04:54.340 Well, something similar happened with Diocletian's system of government
00:04:57.780 Gibbon says that the right abilities and tempers could scarcely be found
00:05:02.720 Or even expected a second time
00:05:05.000 two emperors without jealousy, two Caesars without ambition, and the same general interest
00:05:10.480 invariably pursued by four independent princes. The abdication of Diocletian and Maximian
00:05:16.560 was succeeded by 18 years of discord and confusion. This is the main part of our story,
00:05:23.040 the rise of Constantine. The empire was afflicted by five civil wars, and the remainder of the time
00:05:30.300 was not so much a state of tranquility as the suspension of arms between several hostile monarchs
00:05:36.180 who, viewing each other with an eye of fear and hatred, strove to increase their respective forces
00:05:42.200 at the expense of their subjects. As soon as Diocletian and Maximian had resigned the purple,
00:05:48.740 by being emperor, their station, according to the rules of the new constitution,
00:05:54.120 was filled by the two Caesars, Constantius and Galerius. So Constantius, as I've said,
00:05:59.420 is Constantine's father and the other one in the east is Galerius so again remember that name he's
00:06:05.280 really important if you recall he was the one that had lost a battle against the Persians
00:06:09.240 and been highly rebuked by Diocletian but then given another chance and then got on and won that
00:06:15.040 war against the Persians that's Galerius he's the senior Roman emperor in the east now right
00:06:21.320 Galerius who immediately assumed the title of Augustus the honors of seniority and precedence
00:06:27.160 were allowed to the former of those princes and he continued under a new appellation to administer
00:06:33.180 his ancient department of Gaul, Spain and Britain, that is Constantius, Gaul, Spain and Britain. The
00:06:39.900 government of those ample provinces was sufficient to exercise his talents and satisfy his ambition.
00:06:46.140 Clemency, temperance and moderation distinguished the amiable character of Constantius and his
00:06:52.380 fortunate subjects had frequently occasion to compare the virtues of their sovereign
00:06:57.320 with the passions of Maximian. Remember, Maximian was a soldier soldier. Anyone or anything got in
00:07:03.940 his way, he'll just kill them, butcher them, annihilate them. He had no real temperance 1.00
00:07:09.420 or clemency. Well, that's not how Constantius does it. And even with the arts of Diocletian,
00:07:16.280 Constantius was kinder and better and more noble of spirit even than Diocletian. Instead of imitating
00:07:21.220 their eastern pride and magnificence. Constantius preserved the modesty of a Roman prince.
00:07:27.380 He declared with unaffected sincerity that his most valued treasure was in the hearts of his
00:07:32.620 people, and that whenever the dignity of the throne or the danger of the state required
00:07:37.500 an extraordinary supplier, he could depend with confidence on their gratitude and liberality.
00:07:43.760 One thing to say here. It may well be, this often happens in history, that when somebody
00:07:49.320 becomes insanely powerful you know an all-powerful autocrat an absolute monarch and they've got the
00:07:56.480 power to kind of rewrite history a bit you know the way Stalin tried the way Mao tried the way
00:08:01.940 many many ancient medieval kings and monarchs and potentates did maybe something like this is going
00:08:08.220 on with Constantius because spoiler alert if you don't know Constantine the Great becomes sort of
00:08:14.680 all powerful and he may well have probably did have histories suppressed and or rewritten to
00:08:21.860 make him and his family of course including his father seem better than they really were rewritten
00:08:28.200 to have the rosiest possible tint on it so something like that may be going on with the
00:08:33.060 history as scant as they are of Constantius so take that all that what I've just said there with
00:08:37.800 a pinch of salt about how brilliant history seems to think Constantius was okay Gibbon goes on
00:08:44.660 Saying the provincials of Gaul, Spain and Britain
00:08:47.340 Sensible of his worth
00:08:49.460 And of their own happiness
00:08:51.080 Reflected with anxiety
00:08:52.940 On the declining health of the Emperor Constantius
00:08:55.600 And the tender age
00:08:57.320 Of his numerous family
00:08:58.500 The issue of his second marriage
00:09:00.560 With the daughter of Maximian
00:09:02.320 So here's the thing to say because it comes up now
00:09:04.540 Is that Constantius had basically two families
00:09:07.580 He'd been married
00:09:09.400 As a younger man and had children
00:09:11.360 And Constantine, our Constantine
00:09:13.560 Constantine the Great is the oldest son of that and then his wife had died of natural causes and
00:09:19.620 he'd got remarried you know it's not crazy there's no wrongdoing or anything he's got remarried and
00:09:25.500 had more children with his new wife so via two marriages and two women he's got lots of children
00:09:31.300 and so as you said there his second wife was the daughter of Maximian so what that means is
00:09:36.580 Constantine has got half brothers and sisters that are the grandchildren of Maximian they've
00:09:43.300 got Maximian's blood in their veins and they're Constantine's half-siblings. Well, as you may
00:09:49.960 well know, if you know your history, quite often the fate of extra princes, especially in times
00:09:55.440 that are more barbarous, the fate of extra princes may be a threat to you, whoever you are. Sometimes
00:10:02.500 often they meet sticky ends. Okay. Especially if, you know, like real power is up for grabs.
00:10:09.860 Okay, Gibbon continues saying
00:10:12.160 The stern temper of Galerius, Galerius was a badass
00:10:15.320 Was cast in a very different mould
00:10:17.600 And while he commanded the esteem of his subjects
00:10:20.400 He seldom condescended to solicit their affections
00:10:24.220 He didn't care that he was a badass and that everyone knew it
00:10:27.120 Like a tyrant, sort of, you know
00:10:28.640 In fact, that was part of his policy
00:10:30.640 His fame in arms, Galerius, his fame in arms
00:10:33.300 Above all, the success of the Persian War
00:10:35.800 Had a late, his haughty mind 0.95
00:10:37.600 Which was naturally impatient of a superior
00:10:40.320 Or even of an equal
00:10:41.780 That's a problem is it
00:10:43.000 Galerius doesn't want other emperors
00:10:45.680 He doesn't like having equals
00:10:47.240 And well that's the whole system
00:10:49.500 Of Diocletian's government
00:10:51.000 Is that you're supposed to be sharing power 0.99
00:10:53.080 With three others
00:10:53.980 But Galerius wasn't that type of man
00:10:57.200 Gibbon says
00:10:58.000 If it were possible to rely on the partial testimony
00:11:01.040 Of an injudicious writer
00:11:03.160 He's sort of saying there's some of the histories
00:11:04.980 From that time and not entirely reliable
00:11:06.920 We might ascribe the abdication of Diocletian to the menaces of Galerius
00:11:11.520 And relate to the particulars of a private conversation between the two princes
00:11:16.240 In which the former discovered as much pusannalimity
00:11:19.700 Which is like, you know, not being up for war 0.98
00:11:22.660 Kind of a coward
00:11:24.240 Not being prepared to have battles and wars all the time 0.94
00:11:27.180 Shrinking away from that
00:11:28.060 As the latter displayed in gratitude and arrogance
00:11:31.100 But these obscure anecdotes are sufficiently refuted
00:11:34.620 By an impartial view of the character and conduct of Diocletian
00:11:38.500 Whatever might otherwise have been his intentions
00:11:40.980 If he had apprehended any danger from the violence of Galerius
00:11:44.820 His good sense would have instructed him to prevent the ignominious contest
00:11:49.740 And as he had held the scepter with glory
00:11:52.420 He would have resigned it without disgrace
00:11:54.620 Because as Galerius goes on to reveal himself to be
00:11:58.300 Almost like a Commodus or a Nero or a Caligula
00:12:03.860 Or not quite as bad as those
00:12:05.160 But getting towards that 0.82
00:12:06.980 Did Diocletian know
00:12:08.780 Had Galerius kept all that hidden
00:12:11.600 Until he was a senior emperor
00:12:13.660 Or did Diocletian know
00:12:15.260 And if he did know
00:12:16.240 Wouldn't he have done something about it
00:12:17.660 We don't know of course
00:12:19.300 Gibbon continues saying
00:12:21.340 After the elevation of Constantius and Galerius
00:12:24.100 To the rank of Augusti
00:12:25.300 The two new Caesars were required
00:12:27.960 To supply their place
00:12:29.140 And to complete the system of the imperial government
00:12:32.120 Diocletian was sincerely desirous of withdrawing himself from the world he considered Galerius
00:12:39.280 who had married his daughter as the firmest support of his family and of the empire and he
00:12:44.680 consented without reluctance that his successor should assume the merit as well as the envy of
00:12:50.920 the important nomination it was fixed without consulting the interests or inclination of the
00:12:56.480 princes of the west. Diocletian and Galerius picked their new Caesar without asking anyone
00:13:02.060 else, without asking Constantius. Each of them had a son who was arrived at the age of manhood
00:13:07.600 and who might have been deemed the most natural candidates for the vacant honor. But the impotent
00:13:13.140 resentment of Maximian was no longer to be dreaded and the moderate Constantius, though he might
00:13:19.240 despise the dangers, was humanely apprehensive of the calamities of civil war. The two persons whom
00:13:25.300 Galerius promoted to the rank of Caesar were much better suited to serve the views of his ambitions
00:13:30.500 his Galerius's personal ambitions and their principal recommendation seems to have consisted
00:13:36.280 in the want of merit or personal consequence I hear Galerius picks the two new Caesars and
00:13:42.680 deliberately picks people that are weak and don't necessarily have ambitions people he can hopes he
00:13:47.880 can rely on to just do as they're told so he can be the absolute undisputed emperor there might be
00:13:54.760 Three other two other emperors on paper that he will really the the full cockpit of power will sit
00:14:01.200 With him alone Galerius the first of these new Caesars was Daza or as he was called afterwards
00:14:07.920 Maximin now we'll call him and Gibbon history calls him Maximin a lot now just to say that's
00:14:16.100 Quite a similar name to Maximian isn't it so we've got to be careful to always be careful
00:14:21.740 Whether we're talking about Maximian
00:14:23.300 The old really badass soldier's soldier
00:14:27.000 Who was the co-emperor with Diocletian 0.64
00:14:29.180 Or this new Maximin
00:14:31.100 And it gets a bit more confusing
00:14:33.140 Because later in the story
00:14:34.840 There are other people that again
00:14:36.360 Have got really similar names to this
00:14:38.160 So if I keep reminding you which one it is
00:14:42.060 It's probably for the best
00:14:43.320 Because if you're not careful
00:14:44.360 You'll get the names mixed up
00:14:45.840 Okay so one of the new Caesars
00:14:48.040 Is called Maximin
00:14:49.460 Ibn tells us whose mother was the sister of Galerius
00:14:53.300 A member of his family
00:14:54.660 And hopefully be completely relied upon
00:14:57.060 To just do as he's told at all times
00:14:58.720 The inexperienced youth
00:15:00.800 Still betrayed by his manners and language 0.97
00:15:03.360 His rustic education 0.99
00:15:04.820 When, to his own astonishment
00:15:07.040 As well as that of the world
00:15:08.480 He was invested by Diocletian with the purple
00:15:10.780 Exalted to the dignity of Caesar
00:15:13.120 And entrusted with the sovereign command of Egypt and Syria 0.59
00:15:16.820 At the same time
00:15:18.460 Severus a faithful servant not to be confused with an earlier emperor called Severus a faithful
00:15:24.700 servant addicted to pleasure but not incapable of business was sent to Milan to receive from
00:15:31.820 the reluctant hands of Maximian the Caesarian ornaments and the possession of Italy and Africa
00:15:38.940 by Africa it just means the North African coastline is what that really means according
00:15:44.240 To the forms of the constitution
00:15:45.820 Severus acknowledged the supremacy
00:15:47.940 Of the western emperor, which is Constantius
00:15:50.300 But he was absolutely
00:15:52.180 Devoted to the commands of his
00:15:54.100 Benefactor, Galerius, who 0.96
00:15:56.100 Reserved to himself the intermediate countries
00:15:58.200 From the confines of Italy 0.96
00:15:59.980 To those of Syria, so sort of
00:16:02.220 Eastern, Southern Europe and the Balkans 0.75
00:16:03.900 And all that sort of thing, Illyria 0.99
00:16:05.100 Which firmly established his power 1.00
00:16:07.600 Over three-fourths of the monarchy
00:16:10.020 Because the whole rest of the east 0.72
00:16:12.000 Is Galerius' alone already
00:16:13.600 In the full confidence that the approaching death of Constantius
00:16:17.880 Would leave him sole master of the Roman world
00:16:20.300 We are assured that he, we're talking about Galerius here
00:16:23.480 Had arranged in his mind a long succession of future princes
00:16:27.280 And that he meditated his own retreat from public life
00:16:30.780 After he should have accomplished a glorious reign of about 20 years
00:16:35.520 I.e. just mirroring Diocletian
00:16:37.880 So Galerius thinks he's got all his ducks in a row here
00:16:41.620 he's got the two the two junior caesars are completely in his pocket he hopes he thinks
00:16:47.080 they will do exactly as he tells them to and constantius is kind of old and known to be not
00:16:53.500 that well he's probably going to die soon sooner rather than later at which point galerius can
00:17:00.060 promote maximin probably and pick someone else who's going to be his puppet and all three of
00:17:05.920 the other emperors are just his creatures he can be effectively the sole ruler of the roman world 0.72
00:17:11.320 That's what Galerius is hoping 0.86
00:17:12.640 He's looking into the future, thinking that's what's going to happen
00:17:15.920 But Gibbon tells us, quote
00:17:17.780 But within less than 18 months, two unexpected revolutions overturned the ambitious schemes of Galerius
00:17:24.980 The hopes of uniting the western provinces to his empire were disappointed by the elevation of Constantine
00:17:31.780 Whilst Italy and Africa were lost by the successful results of Maxentius
00:17:37.660 So this is a whole new person, Maxentius
00:17:40.780 So we've got Maximian, the old soldier's soldier
00:17:44.360 We've got Maximin, who's supposed to be a Caesar in Italy
00:17:47.680 And we've got this new person, Maxentius
00:17:50.200 Who does play a role in this story, if they're a bit
00:17:52.180 Maxentius, another one whose name is similar
00:17:54.600 And he's just a general, a Roman general
00:17:57.180 Who decided to revolt in the classic crisis of the 3rd century way
00:18:02.580 His men, Maxentius' men, soldiers
00:18:05.920 Think that if they just proclaim him emperor
00:18:08.500 They will be at the heart of power
00:18:10.780 And they will get money and things.
00:18:12.420 So they do.
00:18:13.320 And Maxentius himself is ambitious.
00:18:16.060 So we're starting to begin to return to the bad old days of the crisis of the 3rd century.
00:18:21.800 Because the strong, firm control of Diocletian is no more. 0.82
00:18:27.100 Okay.
00:18:27.260 Gibbon goes on here to start telling us all about Constantine himself.
00:18:31.720 Because this will start to play out.
00:18:34.400 If and when, when, Constantius, his father, does die of natural causes,
00:18:39.500 What's going to happen next Constantine isn't the Caesar
00:18:43.100 He isn't sort of legally supposed to take over from his father in any way
00:18:48.600 That's supposed to be this Maximin
00:18:50.440 Or Maximin will be promoted to the senior Augusti in the West
00:18:55.640 And there will just be somebody new
00:18:57.100 Somebody new will be picked, probably by Galerius
00:19:00.600 Galerius isn't going to pick Constantine, no way
00:19:03.400 So how does Constantine become an emperor, even a junior one?
00:19:07.600 Well, Gibbon starts telling us the story
00:19:10.300 Here we are, finally arriving in detail about Constantine
00:19:14.400 We're told this, quote
00:19:15.540 The fame of Constantine has rendered posterity attentive
00:19:19.220 To the most minute circumstances of his life and actions
00:19:23.260 The places of his birth, as well as the condition of his mother, Helena
00:19:27.600 Have been subject, that's Constantine's first wife
00:19:31.100 Who died of natural causes
00:19:32.200 Have been the subject of not only a literary
00:19:35.380 but of national disputes, notwithstanding the recent tradition which assigns for her father
00:19:42.260 a British king, which almost certainly isn't the case. We are obliged to confess that Helena was
00:19:47.880 the daughter of an innkeeper. So, you know, a nobody, a peasant, basically, little more than a 0.59
00:19:53.440 peasant. But at the same time, we may defend the legality of her marriage against those who have 0.92
00:19:59.480 represented her as the concubine of Constantius. Some say she was just a concubine, some say she
00:20:05.340 was the daughter of a king of Britain but actually she was the daughter of an innkeeper.
00:20:11.900 So Constantine's father was an emperor of Rome but his mother was a complete nobody.
00:20:18.700 We hope you enjoyed that video and if you did please head over to lotusseeters.com
00:20:22.940 for the full unabridged video.