Emperor Constantine

by Hans A. Pohlsander

First published in 2004. The Emperor Constantine provides a convenient and concise intro- duction to one of the most important figures in ancient history. Taking into account the historiographical debates of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Hans A. Pohlsander assesses Constantine’s achievements. Key topics discussed How Constantine rose to power; The relationship between church and state during his reign; Constantine’s ability as a soldier and statesmen; The conflict with Licinius. This second edition is updated throughout to take into account the latest research on the subject. Also included is a revised introduction and an expanded bibliography.

Genres: History, Biography

144 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2004

Reviews

[Samuel Valentino · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to the emperor. It's brief - the text itself is only about 90 pages, with a good short biography list and appendices after. Much is necessarily skipped over (the Gothic wars, for instance, an interest of mine, are mentioned but briefly), but for a quick biography it's very good.

I especially liked the description of Constantine's character. While he's remembered as the first Christian emperor, he was a Roman, a soldier, and an emperor first, and a devoted Christian later, and the first three definitely seem to have shaped the latter. Particularly as a Roman and an emperor - all Roman leaders were expected to maintain the Pax Deorum (harmony with the gods, or, in Constantine's case, God), so his combination of religion and politics was certainly par for the course. Julian the Apostate did the same, just with what he considered the divine harmony. So a lot of the bad press Constantine often gets in history books seems more explained by this work. At the same time, the author pulls no punches when Constantine deserves it. One of my favorite passages says that, as Constantine is now considered a saint, a certain degree of humility would be expected, but that he was "utterly without it."

I will want to read more on the subject, but this was certainly a good resource to start with.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tight summary of the same biographical and historical covered by Charles Odahl in his own work (Odahl contributed to Pohlsander's ms., in fact). Much of what Odahl has to say about Constantine is repeated, but Pohlsander takes a somewhat strong anti-Constantine position than Odahl is willing to do himself.

This brief 100-page book serves as a decent introduction to the life and times of Constantine, but does assume a fair amount of prior knowledge regarding some important specific information.