History”, may be at use for a researcher.
It is noteworthy that such a big quantity of primary sources are associated with the church history. It is not surprisingly because Constantine I produced probably the greatest impact on the religion of all Europeans and not only of the Middle Ages but even Renaissance and later epochs as well.
However, it is also should be pointed out that the emperor himself also lived some sources that are extremely useful for historians, for instance, his “To the Assembly of the Saints” also conveys a lot of interesting facts and information about Constantine’s views on religion and his policy in this field. At this paper some of the works mentioned above would analyzed in the context of the influence of the emperor Constantine I the Great on the Medieval European history.
There is no doubt that the most outstanding event that occurred in the reign of Constantine I was the transformation of Christianity into official state religion. Many historians both contemporary and ancient put this event on the first place among all the deeds that had ever been done by the emperor.
It is obvious that the choice of Christianity as the official religion of the whole empire produced a significant impact on the future Medieval history of all European continent both western and eastern and shaped not only European religion of the Middle Ages but European philosophy and culture as well.
Consequently, it is necessary to analyze what made the emperor to make such a step and what were the conditions and circumstances that led him to such a decision. At this respect, the primary sources of the historians, which were contemporary of Constantine’s reign, are extremely important.
However, it should be pointed out that during his life Constantine the Great several times radically changed his views on religion and policy related to this aspect of life within his empire. At the same time, he tended to be close to deity, to something divine. In this context quite remarkable are words of Eusebius in “The Conversion of Constantine” where the author states that the emperor was convinced that “he needed some more powerful aid than his military forces could afford him, on account of the wicked and magic enchantments which were so diligently practiced by the tyrant, he sought Divine assistance, deeming the possession of arms and a numerous soldiery of secondary importance, but believing the co-operating power of Deity invincible and not to be shaken” (Ch27). It means that he sought for support of his political power from religion and obviously he wanted to be an emperor by the God’s will.
Actually, this idea may be traced in the work of Michael Grants “Constantine the Great: The Man and His Times”, where he states that “it was by the will of God that Constantine became possessed by the Empire” (1999:211). So, it may be an evidence of Constantine’s intention to be close to the almighty God. But it was only one of the reasons why the emperor decided to convert to Christianity not only himself but the whole empire.
Naturally, there were other reasons that were probably even more important for Constantine and his empire. It is necessary to say that at that epoch Roman empire was on its way to decline and civil wars were normal part of the life of the empire. Consequently, ideologically, the population of Roman empire was so diverse that it was vitally important to find a unifying force that would be able to unite all members of Roman society, all the population of this huge country despite nationality, social status, political views, etc.
Christianity with its particular philosophy was probably the best solution of the problem for Constantine, especially if take into consideration the
