Ancestors of Frank E. Masland IV

Argotta married Pharamond King of the Salian Franks ² in 394.² Pharamond King of the Salian Franks was born about 370 in Westphalia, Germany^² and died between 427 and 430.^² Another name for Pharamond King of the Salian Franks was Faramund.

General Notes: Constantine was born in Naissus, Upper Moesia, on 27 February inroughly AD 285. Another account places the year at about AD 272 or273.
He was the son of Helena, an inn keeper's daughter, and ConstantiusChlorus. It is unclear if the two were married and so Constantine maywell have been an illegitimate child.

When in Constantius Chlorus in AD 293 was elevated to the rank ofCaesar, Constantine became a member of the court of Diocletian.
Constantine proved an officer of much promise when serving underDiocletian's Caesar Galerius against the Persians.
He was still with Galerius when Diocletian and Maximian abdicated inAD 305, finding himself in the precarious situation of a virtualhostage to Galerius.
In AD 306 though Galerius, now sure of his position as dominantAugustus (despite Constantius being senior by rank) let Constantinereturn to his father to accompany him on a campaign to Britain.
Constantine however was that suspicious of this sudden change of heartby Galerius, that he took extensive precautions on his journey toBritain.
When Constantius Chlorus in AD 306 died of illness at Ebucarum (York),the troops hailed Constantine as the new Augustus.

Galerius refused to accept this proclamation but, faced with strongsupport for Constantius' son, he saw himself forced to grantConstantine the rank of Caesar.
Though when Constantine married Fausta, her father Maximian, nowreturned to power in Rome, acknowledged him as Augustus. Hence, whenMaximian and Maxentius later became enemies, Maximian was grantedshelter at Constantine's court.

At the Conference of Carnuntum in AD 308, where all the Caesars andAugusti met, it was demanded that Constantine give up his title ofAugustus and return to being a Caesar. However, he refused.
Not long after the famous conference, Constantine was successfullycampaigning against marauding Germans when news reached him thatMaximian, still residing at his court, had turned against him.
Had Maximian been forced abdicate at the Conference of Carnuntum, thenhe now was making yet another bid for power, seeking to usurpConstantine's throne.
Denying Maximian any time to organise his defence, Constantineimmediately marched his legions into Gaul. All Maximian could do wasflee to Massilia. Constantine did not relent and laid siege to thecity. The garrison of Massilia surrendered and Maximian eithercommitted suicide or was executed (AD 310).

With Galerius dead in AD 311 the main authority amongst the emperorshad been removed, leaving them to struggle for dominance.
In the east Licinius and Maximinus Daia fought for supremacy and inthe west Constantine began a war with Maxentius.
In AD 312 Constantine invaded Italy. Maxentius is believed to have hadup to four times as many troops, though they were inexperinced andundisciplined.
Brushing aside the opposition in battles at Augusta Taurinorum (Turin)and Verona, Constantine marched on Rome.
Constantine later claimed to have had a vision on the way to Rome,during the night before battle. In this dream he supposedly saw the'Chi-Ro', the symbol of Christ, shining above the sun. Seeing this asa divine sign, it is said that Constantine had his soldiers paint thesymbol on their shields. Following this Constantine went on to defeatthe numerically stronger army of Maxentius at the Battle at theMilvian Bridge (Oct AD 312).
Constantine's opponent Maxentius, together with thousands of hissoldiers, drowned as the bridge of boats his force was retreating overcollapsed.

Constantine saw this victory as directly related to the vision he hadhad the night before.
Henceforth Constantine saw himself as an 'emperor of the Christianpeople'. If this made him a Christian is the subject of some debate.But Constantine, who only had himself baptized on his deathbed, isgenerally understood as the first Christian emperor of the Romanworld.

With his victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge, Constantinebecame the dominant figure in the empire. The senate warmly welcomedhim to Rome and the two remaining emperors, Licinius and Maximinus IIDaia could do little else but agree to his demand that he henceforthshould be the senior Augustus. It was in this senior position thatConstantine ordered Maximinus II Daia to cease his repression of theChristians.
Though despite this turn toward Christianity, Constantine remained forsome years still very tolerant of the old pagan religions.Particularly the worship of the sun god was still closely related withhim for some time to come. A fact which can be seen on the carvings ofhis triumphal Arch in Rome and on coins minted during his reign.

Then in AD 313 Licinius defeated Maximinus II Daia. This left only twoemperors.
At first both tried to live peacefully aside each other, Constantinein the west, Licinius in the east. In AD 313 they met at Mediolanum(Milan), where Licinius even married Constantine's sister Constantiaand restated that Constantine was the senior Augustus. Yet it was madeclear that Licinius would make his own laws in the east, without theneed to consult Constantine. Further it was agreed that Licinius wouldreturn property to the Christian church which had been confiscated inthe eastern provinces.

As time went on Constantine should become ever more involved with theChristian church. He appeared at first to have very little grasp ofthe basic beliefs governing Christian faith. But gradually he musthave become more acquainted with them. So much so that he sought toresolve theological disputes among the church itself.
In this role he summoned the bishops of the western provinces toArelate (Arles) in AD 314, after the so-called Donatist schism hadsplit the church in Africa. If this willingness to resolve mattersthrough peaceful debate showed one side of Constantine, then hisbrutal enforcement of the decisions reached at such meetings showedthe other. Following the decision of the council of bishops atArelate, donatist churches were confiscated and the followers of thisbranch of Christianity were brutally repressed. Evidently Constantinewas also capable of persecuting Christians, if they were deemed to bethe 'wrong type of Christians'.

Problems with Licinius arose when Constantine appointed hisbrother-in-law Bassianus as Caesar for Italy and the Danubianprovinces. If the principle of the tetrarchy, established byDiocletian, still in theory defined government, then Constantine assenior Augustus had the right to do this. And yet, Diocletian'sprinciple's would have demanded that he appointed an independent manon merit. But Licinius saw in Bassianus little else than a puppet ofConstantine. If the Italian territories were Constantine's, then theimportant Danubian military provinces were under the control ofLicinius. If Bassianus was indeed Constantine's puppet it would havement a serious gain of power by Constantine. And so, to prevent hisopponent from yet further increasing his power, Licinius managed topersuade Bassianus to revolt against Constantine in AD 314 or AD 315.
The rebellion was easily put down, but the involvement of Licinius,too, was discovered. And this discovery made war inevitable. Butconsidering the situation responsibility for the war, must lie withConstantine. It appears that he was simply unwilling to share powerand hence sought to find means by which to bring about a fight.

For a while neither side acted, instead both camps preferred toprepare for the contest ahead. Then in AD 316 Constantine attackedwith his forces. In July or August at Cibalae in Pannonia he defeatedLicinius larger army, forcing his opponent to retreat.
The next step was taken by Licinius, when he announced AureliusValerius Valens, to be the new emperor of the west. It was an attemptto undermine Constantine, but it clearly failed to work. Soon after,another battle followed, at Campus Ardiensis in Thrace. This timehowever, neither side gained victory, as the battle proved indecisive.

Once more the two sides reached a treaty (1 March AD 317). Liciniussurrendered all Danubian and Balkan provinces, with the exception ofThrace, to Constantine. In effect this was little else butconfirmation of the actual balance of power, as Constantine had indeedconquered these territories and controlled them. Despite his weakerposition, Licinius though still retained complete sovereignty over hisremaining eastern dominions. Also as part of the treaty, Licinius'alternative western Augustus was put to death.

The final part of this agreement reached at Serdica was the creationof three new Caesars. Crispus and Constantine II were both sons ofConstantine, and Licinius the Younger was the infant son of theeastern emperor and his wife Constantia.

For a short while the empire should enjoy peace. But soon thesituation began to deteriorate again. If Constantine acted more andmore in favour of the Christians, then Licinius began to disagree.From AD 320 onwards Licinius began to suppress the Christian church inhis eastern provinces and also began ejecting any Christians fromgovernment posts.
Another problem arose regarding the consulships. These were by nowwidely understood as positions in which emperors would groom theirsons as future rulers. Their treaty at Serdica had hence proposed thatappointments should be made by mutual agreement. Licinius thoughbelieved Constantine favoured his own sons when granting thesepositions.
And so, in clear defiance of their agreements, Licinius appointedhimself and his two sons consuls for the eastern provinces for theyear AD 322.
With this declaration it was clear that hostilities between the twosides would soon begin afresh. Both sides began to prepare for thestruggle ahead.

In AD 323 Constantine created yet another Caesar by elevating histhird son Constantius II to this rank.

If the eastern and western halves of the empire were hostile towardsone another, then in AD 323 a reason was soon found to start a newcivil war. Constantine, while campaigning against Gothic invaders,strayed into Licinius' Thracian territory.
It is well possible he did so on purposely in order to provoke a war.Be that as it may, Licinius took this as the reason to declare war inspring AD 324.
But it was once again Constantine who moved to attack first in AD 324with 120'000 infantry and 10'000 cavalry against Licinius' 150'000infantry and 15'000 cavalry based at Hadrianopolis. On 3 July AD 324he severely defeated Licinius' forces at Hadrianopolis and shortlyafter his fleet won victories at sea.

Licinius fled across the Bosporus to Asia Minor (Turkey), butConstantine having brought with him a fleet of two thousand transportvessels ferried his army across the water and forced the decisivebattle of Chrysopolis where he utterly defeated Licinius (18 SeptemberAD 324).
Licinius was imprisoned and later executed.
Alas Constantine was sole emperor of the entire Roman world.

Soon after his victory in AD 324 he outlawed pagan sacrifices, nowfeeling far more at liberty to enforce his new religious policy. Thetreasures of pagan temples were confiscated and used to pay for theconstruction of new Christian churches. Gladiatorial contests wereoutruled and harsh new laws were issued prohibiting sexual immorality.Jews in particular were forbidden from owning Christian slaves.

Constantine continued the reorganization of the army, begun byDiocletian, re-affirming the difference between frontier garrisons andmobile forces. The mobile forces consisting largely of heavy cavalrywhich could quickly move to trouble spots. The presence of Germanscontinued to increase during his reign.

The praetorian guard who'd held such influence over the empire for solong, was finally disbanded. Their place was taken by the mountedguard, largely consisting of Germans, which had been introduced underDiocletian.

As a law maker Constantine was terribly severe.
Edicts were passed by which the sons were forced to take up theprofessions of their fathers. Not only was this terribly harsh on suchsons who sought a different career. But by making the recruitment ofveteran's sons compulsory, and enforcing it ruthlessly with harshpenalties, widespread fear and hatred was caused.
Also his taxation reforms created extreme hardship. City dwellers wereobliged to pay a tax in gold or silver, the chrysargyron. This tax waslevied every four years, beating and torture being the consequencesfor those to poor to pay. Parents are said to have sold theirdaughters into prostitution in order to pay the chrysargyron.
Under Constantine, any girl who ran away with her lover was burnedalive. Any chaperone who should assist in such a matter had moltenlead poured into her mouth. Rapists were burned at the stake. But alsotheir women victims were punished, if they had been raped away fromhome, as they, according to Constantine, should have no businessoutside the safety of their own homes.

But Constantine is perhaps most famous for the great city which cameto bear his name - Constantinople.
He came to the conclusion that Rome had ceased to be a practicalcapital for the empire from which the emperor could exact effectivecontrol over its frontiers.
For a while he set up court in different places; Treviri (Trier),Arelate (Arles), Mediolanum (Milan), Ticinum, Sirmium and Serdica(Sofia).
Then he decided on the ancient Greek city of Byzantium. And on 8November AD 324 Constantine created his new capital there, renaming itConstantinopolis (City of Constantine).
He was careful to maintain Rome's ancient privileges, and the newsenate founded in Constantinople was of a lower rank, but he clearlyintended it to be the new center of the Roman world. Measures toencourage its growth were introduced, most importantly the diversionof the Egyptian grain supplies, which had traditionally gone to Rome,to Constantinople. For a Roman-style corn-dole was introduced,granting every citizen a guaranteed ration of grain.

In AD 325 Constantine once again held a religious council, summoningthe bishops of the east and west to Nicaea. At this council the branchof the Christian faith known as Arianism was condemned as a heresy andthe only admissible Christian creed of the day (the Nicene Creed) wasprecisely defined.

Constantine's reign was that of a hard, utterly determined andruthless man. Nowhere did this show more than when in AD 326, onsuspicion of adultery or treason, he had his own eldest son Crispusexecuted.
One account of the events tells of Constantine's wife Fausta fallingin love with Crispus, who was her stepson, and made an accusation ofhim committing adultery only once she had been rejected by him, orbecause she simply wanted Crispus out of the way, in order to let hersons acceed to the throne unhindered. Then again, Constantine had onlya month ago passed a strict law against adultery and might have feltobliged to act. And so Crispus was executed at Pola in Istria.
Though after this execution Constantine's mother Helena convinced theemperor of Crispus' innocence and that Fausta's accusation had beenfalse. Escaping the vengeance of her husband, Fausta killed herself atTreviri.

A brilliant general, Constantine was a man of boundless energy anddetermination, yet vain, receptive to flattery and suffering from acholeric temper.

Had Constantine defeated all contenders to the Roman throne, the needto defend the borders against the northern barbarians still remained.
In the autumn of AD 328, accompanied by Constantine II, he campaignedagainst the Alemanni on the Rhine. This was followed in late AD 332 bya large campaign against the Goths along the Danube until in AD 336 hehad re-conquered much of Dacia, once annexed by Trajan and abandonedby Aurelian.

In AD 333 Constantine's fourth son Constans was raised to the rank ofCaesar, with in the clear intent to groom him, alongside his brothers,to jointly inherit the empire. Also Constantine's nephews FlaviusDalmatius (who may have been raised to Caesar by Constantine in AD 335!) and Hannibalianus were raised as future emperors. Evidently theyalso were intended to be granted their shares of power atConstantine's death.
How, after his own experience of the tetrarchy, Constantine saw itpossible that all five of these heirs should rule peaceably alongsideeach other, is hard to understand.

In old age now, Constantine planned a last great campaign, one whichwas intended to conquer Persia. He even intended to have himselfbaptized as a Christian on the way to the frontier in the waters ofthe river Jordan, just as Jesus had been baptized there by John theBaptist.
As the ruler of these soon to be conquered territories, Constantineeven placed his nephew Hannibalianus on the throne of Armenia, withthe title of King of Kings, which had been the traditional title borneby the kings of Persia.

But this scheme was not to come to anything, for in the spring of AD337, Constantine fell ill. Realising that he was about to die, heasked to be baptized. This was performed on his deathbed by Eusebius,bishop of Nicomedia.
Constantine died on 22 May AD 337 at the imperial villa at Ankyrona.
His body was carried to the Church of the Holy Apostles, hismausoleum.
Had his own wish to be buried in Constantinople caused outrage inRome, the Roman senate still decided on his deification. A strangedecision as it elevated him, the first Christian emperor, to thestatus of an old pagan deity.

Flavia married Constantine* Emperor ²Constantine* Emperor was born in 265^² and died in 337^² at age 72. Another name for Constantine* Emperor was The Great.

General Notes: [Master File.ftw]

[john gray.FTW]

During his time, St. Ninian comes to Whithorn and builds Candida Casa,a monastery. He brings christianity to much of caledonia.

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Ancestors of Frank E. Masland IV

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