page_title: Constantius Chlorus
section_title: Accession as Augustus and death
hierarchical_section_title: Constantius Chlorus / Life / Accession as Augustus and death
caption_attribution_description: Constantine and Helena. Mosaic in Saint Isaac's Cathedral, Peterburg, Russia
context_page_description: Constantius I was a Roman emperor. He ruled as Caesar from 293 to 305 and as Augustus from 305 to 306. He was the junior colleague of the Augustus Maximian under the Tetrarchy and succeeded him as senior co-emperor of the western part of the empire. Constantius ruled the West while Galerius was Augustus in the East. He was the father of Constantine the Great and founder of the Constantinian dynasty. After his death he became known as Chlorus, but the nickname does not appear in records before the sixth century.
  As Caesar, a junior emperor appointed by Diocletian, he defeated the usurper Carausius in Gaul and his successor Allectus in Britain, and campaigned extensively along the Rhine frontier, defeating the Alamanni and Franks. Upon becoming Augustus in May 305, Constantius and his son launched a successful punitive campaign against the Picts beyond the Antonine Wall. However, Constantius died suddenly at Eboracum in July the following year.
context_section_description: Between 303 and 305, Galerius began maneuvering to ensure that he would be in a position to take power from Constantius after the death of Diocletian. In 304, Maximian met with Galerius, probably to discuss the succession issue and Constantius either was not invited or could not make it due to the situation on the Rhine. Although prior to 303 there appeared to be tacit agreement among the Tetrarchs that Constantius's son Constantine and Maximian's son Maxentius were to be promoted to the rank of Caesar once Diocletian and Maximian had resigned the purple, by the end of 304 Galerius had convinced Diocletian (who in turn convinced Maximian) to appoint Galerius's nominees Severus and Maximinus Daia as Caesars.
  Diocletian and Maximian stepped down as co-emperors on May 1, 305, possibly due to Diocletian's poor health. Before the assembled armies at Mediolanum, Maximian removed his purple cloak and handed it to Severus, the new Caesar, and proclaimed Constantius as Augustus. The same scene played out at Nicomedia (İzmit) under the authority of Diocletian. Constantius, notionally the senior emperor, ruled the western provinces, while Galerius took the eastern provinces. Constantine, disappointed in his hopes to become a Caesar, fled the court of Galerius after Constantius had asked Galerius to release his son as Constantius was ill. Constantine joined his father's court at the coast of Gaul, just as he was preparing to campaign in Britain.
  In 305 Constantius crossed over into Britain, travelled to the far north of the island and launched a military expedition against the Picts, claiming a victory against them and the title Britannicus Maximus II by 7 January 306.  After retiring to Eboracum (York) for the winter, Constantius had planned to continue the campaign, but on 25 July 306, he died. As he was dying, Constantius recommended his son to the army as his successor; consequently Constantine was declared emperor by the legions at York.
caption: Constantine and Helena. Mosaic in Saint Isaac's Cathedral, Peterburg, Russia
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