World Civilization

There are a lot of controversial issues surrounding different aspects of the universal history . However , the ancient and medieval period represented one of the most disputed times . This is largely due to the limited factual evidence and the various interpretative versions given by historians and scholars . A comprehensive example in this sense is the controversial figure of Constantine , the Roman emperor who was given an essential role in both promoting Christianity in an era marked by disbelief , and in obtaining the unity of the Roman Empire from Constantinople . Despite these unquestionable merits

, there have been numerous voices that ponder on the actual reasons for the actions that led to these achievements . There is evidence to support one point of the argument that suggests that Constantine was a shrewd politician who used Christian church as an instrument for the attainment of power

Fist of all , the historical background must be taken into account Europe was at a time in which the barbarians were a constant threat . In this sense , the 5th century Germanic invasions , the 7th century barbarians were the development of what had been in the early years of the millennium the barbarian pressure at the outside bs of the Roman Empire . Gradually , the presence of the Germanic people became obvious , yet in Constantine 's time their pressures were looming and were threatening the already fragile unity of his Byzantine Empire

Secondly , special attention must be given to the internal situation of the empire . Following the slow disintegration of the Empire , a moment that eventually marked the end of the Ancient time , the Byzantine Empire , whose capital was named after her emperor in 330 , the situation was rather confusing . Politically speaking , Constantine was in a constant quest for the regain of the Roman prestige of the old empire from the point of view of the belief across the land this was quite diverse . The old Roman population was either the proponents of god worshiping , or were reluctant to any Christian beliefs . At the same time however , the barbarian tribes Constantine defeated were united through a common religious and moral background , which , in turn , offered them the power to counter the expansionist attempts of the Roman Emperor

From this perspective , the reasons which determined Constantine to act in favor of Christianity can be seen as being part of a thorough political strategy that aimed at obtaining the unity of his empire and consequently , he acted to insure his access to power

Unity had to be achieved because of the constant pressures coming from the barbarians knocking at the bs of the empire . As the empire from Rome was disappearing , the East part survived the migration pressures This was one of the aims of the emperor , and achieving unity under a common belief was essential . People tend to unite for an ideal , for a common good , or for a higher purpose or belief . Constantine took advantage of this human weakness and gathered the people , both Romans and barbarians , under a single belief...