310 – 320s

Events in the 310s 2

• 312 Battle of Milvian Bridge On 28 October 312 AD, Constantine defeats his rival Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge over the Tiber north of Rome. Maxentius drowns in the river when the pontoon bridge collapses. Constantine reportedly attributes his victory to the Christian God, having ordered his soldiers to mark their shields with the Chi-Rho symbol. The battle ends the last civil war of the Tetrarchy and gives Constantine control of the western empire. Its consequences — the Christianisation of Rome — rank among the most significant in world history.
• 313 Edict of Milan — Christianity legalised In 313 AD, Constantine and his co-emperor Licinius issue the Edict of Milan, granting religious toleration throughout the empire and specifically restoring confiscated property to Christians. Christianity moves from a persecuted sect to a tolerated — and soon favoured — religion. Within decades it becomes the state religion. The Edict marks the beginning of the end of classical paganism and the beginning of Christendom. Its effects will shape the next 1,700 years of Western civilisation.