Constantius I Chlorus

Constantius I Chlorus (293-305 CE) was co-Emperor in the West with Maximian as co-Emperor in the East.
He was the father of Constantine I.

1. BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS

NAME:
- Marcus Flavius Valerius Constantius
CONSTANTIUS CHLORUS’ DATES OF REIGN AS EMPEROR:
- 293-305 CE. Co-Emperor as ‘Caesar’ of the West with Maximian as ‘Caesar’ of the East under the Tetrarchy.
- 305-306 CE. Co-Emperor ‘Augustus’ of the West with Galerius as ‘Augustus’ of the East.
DATE OF BIRTH AND DEATH:
- Born: 31 March c. 250 CE. Died: 25 July 306 CE.
PLACE OF BIRTH AND DEATH:
- Born in a region of Moesia called Dardania. Died in York, Britannia.
CONSTANTIUS CHLORUS’ PREDECESSOR:
- Maximian and Diocletian.
CONSTANTIUS CHLORUS’ SUCCESSOR:
- Severus II and Galerius in the East.
CONSTANTIUS CHLORUS WIVES AND CHILDREN:
- Helena
  - Constantine I
- Theodora
  - Flavius Dalmatius
  - Julius Constantius
  - Flavia Julia Constantia
  - Anastasia
  - Eutropia
HEIR TO THE THRONE BECAUSE:
- Maximian promoted him as a trusted right hand man.
DIED PEACEFULLY OR ASSASSINATED:
- Constantius fell ill and died whilst resting in York between campaigns against the Picts.
WHERE BURIED:
- Segontium Roman Fort, Caernarfon
  - according to Nennius
CONSTANTIUS CHLORUS WAS FAMOUS BECAUSE:
- He was the father of Constantine I.
- He was one of the co-Emperors of the Tetrarchy.

Constantius Chlorus rose through the Ranks of the Roman Army becoming Governor of Dalmatia. In 286 CE, the Emperor Diocletian created his military right hand man, Maximian co-Emperor in the West.
In 288 CE, Constantius became Praetorian Prefect under Maximian, conducted wars against the Alemanni on the Rhine and Danube.
In 289 CE, to help his career, Constantius divorced his wife Helena, (mother of his son Constantine I, and married Theodora, Maximian‘s daughter.

In 287 or 288 CE, Maximian learnt that Carausius was working with the pirates, and not against them. As a consequence, he ordered Carausius’ execution. On hearing of his imminent demise, Carausius declared Britannia independent and himself as ‘Emperor of the North’.
The Carausian Revolt (286-296 CE) took place 13 years after the demise of the Gallic Empire (260-274 CE). Carausius seceded Britannia from Rome, along with northern Gaul.
He held the three British Legions, the British Fleet, and another Legion from Gaul, along with various mercenary units.

To prepare to retake the Britannic Empire, Maximian moved into southern Gaul and amassed an invasion force during 288-289 CE.
In 293 CE, Constantius was promoted to Caesar by Maximian, and sent to retake northern Gaul and Britannia. His Legions moved into northern Gaul, capturing Boulogne and retaking the Rhine Delta. Constantius then set about building a fleet to invade Britannia. However, before he could build the fleet, Carausius was assassinated by Allectus his finance minister. Allectus then ruled Britannia for another three years.

In 296 CE, the invasion fleet was ready and set sail from Boulogne, commanded by Constantius. Meanwhile, another fleet commanded by his Praetorian Prefect Julius Asclepiodotus, set sail from the river Seine and bypassed Allectus‘ fleet in the fog around the Isle of Wight. The fleets both landed and combined their forces to overthrow Allectus.
Asclepiodotus pursued Allectus towards London, and Allectus was caught between his army, and that of Constantius, possibly near Silchester, where Allectus was killed in the battle.

After the re-occupation of Britannia in 293 CE, Constantius was preoccupied with the Rhine between 298-301 CE, conducting wars against the Alemanni and the Franks.

In 303 CE, a series of Edicts against Christianity were issued, known as the Diocletianic Persecution, which lasted from 303 to 313 CE.
Constantius did not apply these Edicts in the West, apart from a token show of repression, as he was sympathetic to the Christians.

Meanwhile, Galerius the Emperor in the East, had decided that in order to succeed the aging Diocletian, he would set about vigorously persecuting the Christians in the East, knowing this would make Constantius look disloyal.
Up until 304 CE, Maximian had been given to understand that his son Maxentius would succeed him, and that Constantius’ son Constantine I would likewise become Caesar.
However, in 304 CE, Galerius persuaded Diocletian to promote his own nominees instead, Severus II and Maximinus Daia.
On 1 May 305 CE in Milan, Maximian resigned as Augustus in the West, and named Constantius as the Augustus in his place, with Severus II as his Caesar. On the same day in Nicomedia, Diocletian resigned, and named Galerius as Augustus in the East, with Maximinus Daia as his Caesar.
Constantius sent a request to Galerius to release his son Constantine I from his entourage at Nicomedia, so that he could join him on his new campaign in northern Britannia against the Picts, and Constantine I was allowed rejoin his father in Gaul.

During 305 CE, Constantius returned to Britannia with his son, and successfully campaigned against the Picts in the far north, receiving the title ‘Britannicus Maximus II’. He then withdrew to York during the winter of 306 CE, to relaunch another campaign in the summer.
However, he fell in and died on 25 July 306 CE. But before he died, he made the army proclaim his son, Constantine I, as Emperor in the West, challenging Galerius‘ attempt to become sole Emperor of the Empire.

CLASSICAL SOURCES:
- Historia Augusta
- Zosimus ‘Historia Nova’
- Aurelius Victor ‘Epitome de Caesaribus’
- Nennius ‘Historia Brittonum’