Battle of Milvian Bridge
Part of the Wars of Constantine I
Raphael fresco of the battle, Vatican Rooms
Date: October 28, 312 Location: Ponte Milvio, Rome Result: Defeat of Maxentius
Combatants
Constantinian forces	Maxentian forces
Commanders
Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus	Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius†
Strength
~50000 men	~75000-120000 men
Casualties
Unknown	Unknown

The Battle of Milvian Bridge took place on October 28, 312 between the Roman Emperors Constantine the Great and Maxentius. When Constantine emerged victorious, the path of Western civilization as it had been known was about to be changed forever. October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 64 days remaining. ... Events October 28 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine defeats Maxentius in the fight to become emperor of Rome. ... This is a list of Roman Emperors with the dates they controlled the Roman Empire. ... Head of Constantines colossal statue at Musei Capitolini Gaius Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (Latin: IMP CAESAR FLAVIVS CONSTANTINVS PIVS FELIX INVICTVS AVGVSTVS[1] (February 27, 272–May 22, 337), commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or (among Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic[2] Christians) Saint Constantine, was... Maxentius as Augustus on a coin. ... The term Western world or the West can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ...

Historical background

The underlying cause of the battle was the five-year-long dispute between Constantine and Maxentius over control of the Western Roman Empire. Although Constantine was the son of the western emperor Constantius Chlorus, the system in place at the time, the tetrarchy, did not necessarily provide for hereditary succession. When Constantius died on July 25, 306, his father's troops proclaimed Constantine as Augustus (October 28, 306), but in Rome, the favorite was Maxentius, the son of Constantius' predecessor Maximian. Both men continued to claim the title afterwards, although a conference to resolve the dispute in 308 resulted in Maxentius being named a senior emperor along with Galerius. Constantine was allowed to maintain rule of the provinces of Britain and Gaul, but was officially only a "Caesar", or junior emperor. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Gaius Flavius Valerius Constantius (March 31, 250–July 25, 306) was an emperor of the Western Roman Empire (305–306). ... The Tetrarchs, a porphyry sculpture sacked from a Byzantine palace in 1204, Treasury of St. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... Events July 25 - Constantine I proclaimed Roman Emperor by his troops. ... Augustus (Latin:IMPERATOR CAESAR DIVI FILIVS AVGVSTVS[1]; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), known to modern historians as Octavian in English for the period of his life prior to 27 BC, was the first and one of the most important of the Roman Emperors, though he downplayed... October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 64 days remaining. ... Maximian Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus Herculius (c. ... Events November 11 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Maxentius Augustus, and rival contender Constantine I is declared Caesar (junior emperor of Britain and Gaul) Births Deaths Categories: 308 ... Galerius on a coin Galerius Maximianus (c. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin Gallia, Greek Galatia) was the region of Western Europe occupied by present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... Caesar (p. ...

By 312, the two men were engaged in open hostility with one another, although they were brothers-in‑law through Constantine's marriage to Fausta, sister of Maxentius. Fausta, as Salus, holding her two sons, Constantine II and Constantius II. Fausta Flavia Maxima was the daughter of the Roman Emperor Maximianus. ...

Much of this was the work of Maxentius' father Maximian, who had been forcibly retired as emperor on May 1, 305 by his abdicating co-ruler Diocletian. Maximian schemed and double-crossed both his son and Constantine trying to regain power before the latter had him executed in 310. When Galerius died in 311, the power struggle was on top of a cliff. May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... Events May 1 - Diocletian and Maximian, emperors of Rome, retire from office. ... Emperor Diocletian. ... Events While Constantine was campaigning against the Bructeri, Maximian attempted to make himself emperor at Arles. ... For the band, see 311 (band), for the number see 311 (number) Events June 15 - Licinius issues his own Edict of Toleration, ending persecution of Christians in his own part of the Roman Empire. ...

Events of the Battle

In the summer of 312, Constantine gathered his forces and decided to settle the dispute by force. He easily overran northern Italy, and stood in Saxa Rubra, less than 10 miles from Rome, when Maxentius chose to make his stand in front of the Milvian Bridge, a stone bridge (a successor of which stands today at the same site, by the Italian name Ponte Milvio or sometimes Ponte Molle) which carries the Via Flaminia road across the Tiber River into Rome. Holding it was crucial if Maxentius was to keep his rival out of Rome, where the Senate would surely favor whoever held the city. City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Area  - City Proper  1285 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,553,873 almost 4,300,000 1. ... The Via Flaminia was a Roman road leading from Rome to Ariminum (Rimini), and was the most important route to the north. ... Tiber River in Rome The River Tiber (Italian Tevere), the third-longest river in Italy at 406 km (252 miles) after the Po and the Adige, flows through Rome in its course from Mount Fumaiolo to the Tyrrhenian Sea, which it reaches in two branches that cross the suburbs of... The Roman Senate (Latin, Senatus) was a deliberative body which was important in the government of both the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. ...

Constantine, after arriving, realized he had made a miscalculation and that Maxentius had many more soldiers available than he did. Some sources say the advantage was 10‑to‑1 in Maxentius' favor, but it was probably more like four to one. In any case, Constantine had a tough challenge ahead of him.

It is commonly stated that on the evening of October 27, with the armies preparing for battle, Constantine had a vision as he looked toward the setting sun; although Eusebius of Caesarea records the event as occurring when Maxentius' army was still in Northern Italy. At any rate, a cross appeared emblazoned on the sun, and maybe the Greek letters XP ("Chi-Rho", the first two letters of "Christ") intertwined with it; and Constantine either saw or heard the Greek phrase "Εν Τουτω Νικα", often rendered in Latin as In Hoc Signo Vinces — In this sign you shall conquer. Constantine, who believed in the pagan sun god at the time, is said to have put the symbol (the labarum) on his soldiers' shields. October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... Eusebius of Caesarea Eusebius of Caesarea (~275 – May 30, 339) (often called Eusebius Pamphili, Eusebius [the friend] of Pamphilus) was a bishop of Caesarea in Palestine and is often referred to as the father of church history because of his work in recording the history of the early Christian church. ... This page is about the title. ... In hoc signo vinces is a Latin phrase that means in this sign you shall conquer. ... Paganism (from Latin paganus) and heathenry are blanket terms used primarily by Christians which have come to connote a broad set of spiritual or religious beliefs and practices of natural or polytheistic religions, as opposed to the Abrahamic monotheistic religions. ... Coin of Emperor Probus, circa 280, with Sol Invictus riding a quadriga, with legend SOLI INVICTO, to the undefeated Sun. Sol Invictus (the unconquered sun) or, more fully, Deus Sol Invictus (the unconquered sun god) was a religious title applied to three distinct divinities during the later Roman Empire. ... The Labarum An image of the labarum, with the Greek letters Alpha and Omega inscribed. ...

The next day, the two armies clashed, and Constantine emerged victorious. Already known as a skillful general, Constantine began to push Maxentius' army back toward the Tiber, and Maxentius decided to retreat and make another stand at Rome itself. But there was only one escape route, via the bridge, and Constantine's men inflicted heavy losses on the retreating army. Finally, a bridge of boats set up alongside the Milvian Bridge, over which many of the troops were escaping, collapsed, and those men stranded on the north bank of the Tiber were either taken prisoner or killed. Maxentius was among the dead, having drowned in the river while trying to swim across it in a desperate bid to escape. A bridge of boats over the Scheldt River, during World War I A bridge of boats over the Ravi River in Pakistan, 1895 A bridge of boats is a temporary type of bridge which floats on the river instead of having permanent pillars. ...

Effects

Constantine entered Rome not long afterwards and was acclaimed as sole Western Roman Augustus. He disbanded the 300-year-old Praetorian Guard. In 313, Constantine and Licinius joined forces against Maximinus. Their alliance would lead to the Edict of Milan, which legalized all religions within the Empire. Many still believe today that this decree established Christianity as the sole faith of Rome, but it did not. The Praetorian Guard of Caesar Augustus - 1st century. ... For other uses, see 313 (number). ... The Edict of Milan (AD 313) declared that the Roman Empire would be neutral with regard to religious worship, officially ending all government-sanctioned persecution, especially of Christianity. ... Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, known by Christians as Jesus Christ, as recounted in the New Testament. ...