Constantine I

Constantine I (Latin: Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus; 27 February c. 272 – 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great or Saint Constantine was the Roman Emperor from 306 to his death, and is commonly seen as the founder of the Byzantine Empire.

After defeating the Emperors Maxentius and Licinius, Constantine became the Emperor of both the East and West Roman Empires, reuniting the two. Constantine was also the first Christian Roman Emperor, and was determined to establish the world's first Christian empire, which he did by making Christianity the official religion of the Empire.

In 324, he famously moved the capital of the Empire from Rome to the Greek city of Byzantium, allegedly due to a divinely inspired dream. He set about rebuilding what was then a provincial port city into a capital, his work concluding in 330. He then renamed the city Nova Roma, New Rome. Following his death, it became known as Constantinople in his honor.