CONSTANTINE the Great, the first emperor of the Romans who embraced Christianity. His father, Constantius Chlorus, rendered himself famous by his expeditions into Germany and Britain; and upon the abdication of Diocletian in 305, he shared the Roman empire with Galerius Maximinus, and was at that time at York, where he died in 306, having first caused his son Constantine the Great to be proclaimed emperor by his army and by the Britons. Galerius at first refused to admit Constantine to his father’s share in the imperial throne; but after having lost several battles, he consented in the year 308. Maxentius, who succeeded Galerius, opposed him, but was defeated, and drowned in the Tiber. The senate then declared Constantine chief or first Augustus, and Licinius his second associate in the empire. This occurred in the year 312. These princes published an edict, in their joint names, in favour of the Christians; but soon afterwards Licinius, jealous of the renown of Constantine, conceived an implacable hatred against him, and renewed the persecutions against the Christians. This brought on a rupture between the emperors, and a battle ensued, in which Constantine proved victorious. A short peace followed; but Licinius having shamefully violated the treaty, the war was renewed, when Constantine totally defeated him, and forced him to fly to Nicoedia, where he was taken prisoner and strangled, in the year 323. Constantine having now become sole master of the western and eastern empires, immediately formed the plan of establishing Christianity as the religion of the state; and for this purpose he convoked several ecclesiastical councils; but finding that he was likely to meet with great opposition from the Pagan interest at Rome, he conceived the design of founding a new city, as the capital of his Christian empire. (See Constantinople.) The glory which Constantine had acquired by establishing the Christian religion was tarnished by the part he took in the persecutions which were, towards the close of his reign, carried on by the Arians against their Christian brethren who differed from them; and, seduced by Eusebius of Nicoedia, he banished several eminent prelates, soon after which he died in the sixty-sixth year of his age and thirty-first of his reign.

As to the character of Constantine, he was chaste, pious, laborious, and indefatigable; a great and successful commander, and deserving his success by his shining valour and superior genius; and a protector of arts, which he encouraged by his beneficence. If we compare him with Augustus, we shall find that he overthrew idolatry by the same precautions and the same address which the other used to destroy liberty. Like Augustus, he laid the foundation of a new empire; but being possessed of less political skill, he failed to give it equal stability. He weakened the body of the state by adding to it, in some measure, a second head in the foundation of Constantinople; and by transporting the centre of motion and strength too near to the eastern extremity, he left without vigour, and almost without life, the western parts, which soon became a prey to the barbarians. The Pagans were too much his enemies to do him justice. Eutropius says, that in the earlier part of his reign he was equal to the most accomplished princes, and that, in the latter, he fell below the meanest. The younger Victor pretends, that in the first ten years he was a hero, in the succeeding twelve a robber, and in the last ten a spendthrift. But it is easy to perceive, with respect to the reproaches imputed to him by Victor, that the one relates to the riches which Constantine took from idolatry, and the other to those with which he loaded the church.

Constantine, emperor of the East in 912, left the care of the empire to his wife Helena, who oppressed the people with taxes, and sold all the offices hi church and state to the highest bidders; whilst the emperor employed himself in reading, writing, and the fine arts, till lie became as good an architect and painter as he was a bad prince. He wrote several biographical and geographical works, which would have done honour to his name if he had not neglected his duties to compose them. He diedin 959.

Constantine, Dracoses, the son of Emmanuel Palaeologus, was placed on the throne by Sultan Amurath in 1448. But Mahommed IL, his successor, resolving to dethrone him, laid siege to Constantinople by sea and land, and took it by assault in 1453, after it had held out fifty-eight days. The unfortunate emperor seeing the Turks enter the breaches, threw himself into the midst of the enemy and was cut to pieces; the children of the imperial house were massacred by the soldiers; and the women were reserved to gratify the lust of the conqueror. Thus terminated the dynasty of the Constantines, 1123 years after its establishment at Constantinople.

Constantine, Robert, a learned physician, born at Cean. He taught polite literature in that city, and acquired great reputation by his skill in the Greek language, in history, and in medicine. He died in 1603, at the age of a hundred and three years. He wrote a dictionary in Greek and Latin, and other works.

Constantinograd, a circle in the Russian government of Pultawa, to the south-east of that city. It is the easternmost part of the government, ∙is watered by the Orel and its tributary streams, and is a vast plain without woods, but with rich meadows, on which large herds of black cattle are fed. The chief place, of the same name, is on the Orel, where the Barestowja falls into that river. It was formerly walled, but the defences are now in ruins, and the inhabitants do not exceed 1200. Long. 31. 35. E. Lat. 53. 12. N.