  the edict of milan refers to the february 313 ad agreement to treat christians benevolently within the roman empire.frend, w.h.c. the early church spck 1965, p. 137 western roman emperor constantine i, and licinius, who controlled the balkans, met in milan and among other things, agreed to change policies towards christians.frend, w.h.c. the early church spck 1965, p. 137 the document known as the edict of milan (edictum mediolanense) is found in lactantius' de mortibus persecutorum and in eusebius of caesarea's history of the church with marked divergences between the two.cross and livingstone. the oxford dictionary of the christian church 1974 art. milan, edict of. whether or not there was a formal 'edict of milan'&thinsp; is debatable.frend, w.h.c. the early church spck 1965, p. 137 the version found in lactantius is not in the form of an edict. it is a letter from licinius to the governors of the provinces in the eastern empire he had just conquered by defeating maximinstevenson, j. a new eusebius spck 1965, p. 302 later in the same year and issued in nicomedia. == history ==  ever since the fall of the severan dynasty in 235, rivals for the imperial throne had bid for support by either favoring or persecuting christians. frend, w.h.c. the early church spck 1965, p. 135 a previous edict of toleration had been recently issued by the emperor galerius from serdica and posted at nicomedia on 30 april 311. by its provisions, the christians, who had "followed such a caprice and had fallen into such a folly that they would not obey the institutes of antiquity", were granted an indulgence.stevenson, j. a new eusebius spck 1965, p. 296 "wherefore, for this our indulgence, they ought to pray to their god for our safety, for that of the republic, and for their own, that the commonwealth may continue uninjured on every side, and that they may be able to live securely in their homes." their confiscated property, however, was not restored until 313 when instructions were given for the christians' meeting places and other properties to be returned and compensation paid by the state to the current owners: eusebius, ecclesiastical history 5.15-17 "the same shall be restored to the christians without payment or any claim of recompense an
313_in_the_Roman_Empire Christian_terminology Constantine_the_Great_and_Christianity Edicts Freedom_of_religion Roman_law