Roman Empire Constantine II 337-340 Bronze

An important numismatic chronicle, following the decline of one of the greatest political, civil and economic powers the world has ever known, we are delighted to present to you the ‘Constantine II (337-340AD) Bronze Coin’.

Born in February 316AD in Arles in southern France, Constantine II was the first-born son of Constantine the Great and his second wife, Fausta. At the age of one, he was raised to the rank of Caesar, and at the age of seven went on campaign with his father for the first time. Upon the death of his older half-brother, Crispus, in 326AD, Constantine II not only became the eldest son, but was also recognised as the senior Caesar, superior to his younger brother, Constantius II.

At the same time, Constantine II was also acclaimed as the Commander of Gaul, and proceeded to win a significant triumph over the Alemanni – a confederation of Germanic tribes domiciled on the Rhine. Soon after, he was sent to the Danube to campaign against the Goths, with his generals securing a crushing victory on his behalf. Continuing his early education as a soldier-emperor, he moved to Treveri in 33AD to oversee the defence of the Rhine frontier. As he was ‘born in the purple’ – that is, born whilst his father was emperor – and had been given lofty positions since birth, it’s no surprise that Constantine II grew up with a distinct sense of entitlement.

Constantine the Great had ended the Tetrarchy – the Rule of Four – after defeating his then co-emperor Licinius in 324AD, bringing one-man rule back to the Roman Empire. It was ironic, therefore, if inevitable, that he would plan to split control of the empire amongst his relatives.

Constantine determined to divide the empire between his three sons, Constantine II, Constantius II and Constans, as well as his nephews Hannibalianus and Dalmatius. The sons of Constantine the Great were not pleased with this arrangement, however.

Upon the death of Constantine the Great, it is believed that the brothers conspired to kill not only Hannibalianus and Dalmatius, but also an array of other male members of the Constantinian Dynasty. As the only one of Constantine’s sons in Constantinople at the time of his death, suspicion has fallen on Constantius II for planning the massacre. It is likely, however, that the three brothers were in communication before their father’s death, and hatched the plan to ensure that they alone inherited the Roman Empire.

No matter who was actually responsible, the result was the same. In September of 337AD, the three brothers met at Pannonia and divided the Roman world amongst themselves. Constantine received Britain, Gaul and Spain, with Constans securing the remaining European provinces and Constantius II ruling the east. Although the three operated as independent monarchs, Constantine II was nominally the senior Augustus, as the oldest of the three.

Constantine’s aforementioned sense of entitlement then became truly apparent, as he was not happy with the division of power. As the eldest son, Constantine believed he should have been granted more territory than he received. In particular, he was upset that provinces originally destined for his ill-fated cousin, Dalmatius, had been awarded to Constans – particularly because Constantine was officially the guardian for his younger brother.

Constans, in a bid to maintain an extremely fragile peace, acceded to Constantine’s demands, and handed over the empire’s African provinces. This only led to further quarrelling, as debate raged as to which parts of the African provinces belonged to Carthage, and therefore Constantine, and which parts belonged to Italy, and were therefore in Constans’ domain. Tired of his brother’s tantrums, Constans cut off all communications with Constantine, and refused to recognise him as senior emperor.

Determining to take by force what he had failed to take through negotiation, Constantine marched into Italy with his troops. Constans was surprised by this turn of events, and hurriedly dispatched a small force of disciplined Illyrian warriors from his campaign on the Danube to deal with the invasion. He had planned to follow soon after with a much larger force, but this was ultimately rendered unnecessary. Just three years after attaining power upon the death of Constantine the Great, Constantine II was killed in an ambush in Aquileia in 340AD, with his brother Constans securing all of his territory. Rather than simply enjoying the power and territory he had inherited from his father, Constantine’s greed and sense of self-importance had led him to lose both his lands and his life.