Solidus Constantius II - son of Constantine the Grea
In our last article, we talked about Diocletian's aureus - a coin of the tetrarchy period. After Diocletian's withdrawal from the management of the empire and the struggle that began after this, Constantine won, who received the nickname the Great - the son of one of the tetrarchs, Constance Chlorus. Constantius, whose solidus we represent, was named after his grandfather.
Constantius II
Constantine the Great moved the capital to Constantinople and converted to Christianity. Before his death in 337, he divided the empire among relatives. The scheme of division of the empire according to the will of Constantine is shown in the figure The area allocated to Constance is shown in turquoise.
Constantine the Great assumed that Christian relatives would rule amicably. The reality was different. Almost immediately after the death of Constantine, two brothers of Constantine and seven of his nephews were killed in an internecine struggle. Later, in the course of the struggle, the west of the empire by 340 took possession of Constance, but he was also overthrown by his commander Magnentius. During the struggle between Constantius II and Magnentius, 54,000 people died in just one battle. The empire was drained of blood.
The establishment of the power of Constantius II over the entire empire did not bring peace and tranquility. Constant riots and conspiracies, wars with barbarians and Sassanian Iran complemented the picture. Fearing his cousin Constance Gallus, who successfully fought with Iran, the emperor also kills him.
There was a growing conviction among the population of the empire that betrayal of the old gods brought trouble to the empire. Gallus's brother Julian, nicknamed the Apostate, took advantage of this. The rebellion under the banner of a return to the traditional gods of Rome and the death of the emperor from illness put an end to the struggle among the descendants of Constantine the Great.
The solid was minted at the Thessaloniki mint (now Thessaloniki). On the obverse there is a bust of the emperor in a pearl diadem, on the reverse there is an inscription Glory of the Republic in a circle. The two figures in the center, supporting the shield, are personifications of Rome and Constantinople, the old and new capitals of the empire, symbolizing the continuity of the traditions of Roman statehood.
Antique gold coins, which once glorified the rulers of empires, have glorified Violiti in our time. You can choose antique gold coins for your collection in the appropriate section.
Photo © auction.violity.com
Constantius II
Constantine the Great moved the capital to Constantinople and converted to Christianity. Before his death in 337, he divided the empire among relatives. The scheme of division of the empire according to the will of Constantine is shown in the figure The area allocated to Constance is shown in turquoise.
Photo © auction.violity.com
Constantine the Great assumed that Christian relatives would rule amicably. The reality was different. Almost immediately after the death of Constantine, two brothers of Constantine and seven of his nephews were killed in an internecine struggle. Later, in the course of the struggle, the west of the empire by 340 took possession of Constance, but he was also overthrown by his commander Magnentius. During the struggle between Constantius II and Magnentius, 54,000 people died in just one battle. The empire was drained of blood.
The establishment of the power of Constantius II over the entire empire did not bring peace and tranquility. Constant riots and conspiracies, wars with barbarians and Sassanian Iran complemented the picture. Fearing his cousin Constance Gallus, who successfully fought with Iran, the emperor also kills him.
There was a growing conviction among the population of the empire that betrayal of the old gods brought trouble to the empire. Gallus's brother Julian, nicknamed the Apostate, took advantage of this. The rebellion under the banner of a return to the traditional gods of Rome and the death of the emperor from illness put an end to the struggle among the descendants of Constantine the Great.
Photo © auction.violity.com
Photo © auction.violity.com
Photo © auction.violity.com
The solid was minted at the Thessaloniki mint (now Thessaloniki). On the obverse there is a bust of the emperor in a pearl diadem, on the reverse there is an inscription Glory of the Republic in a circle. The two figures in the center, supporting the shield, are personifications of Rome and Constantinople, the old and new capitals of the empire, symbolizing the continuity of the traditions of Roman statehood.
Antique gold coins, which once glorified the rulers of empires, have glorified Violiti in our time. You can choose antique gold coins for your collection in the appropriate section.
