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Battle of the Milvian Bridge

Type Event Region Europe Time 312

On October 28, 312 CE, Constantine the Great defeated the usurper Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge outside Rome, seizing control of the Western Empire.

Timeline

  1. 306–312Italy · ItalyAfter the abdication of the Tetrarchy the empire fell into a new round of civil war; Maxentius seized Italy and declared himself emperor, while Constantine marched south from Gaul, the two sides in a long standoff until a decisive battle became inevitable in 312.
  2. 312Milvian Bridge · RomeConstantine's forces attacked near the Milvian Bridge over the Tiber; Maxentius's army routed and Maxentius drowned in the river, giving Constantine control of Rome and all of Italy.
  3. 312–313Rome · LazioAfter entering the city Constantine halted the persecution of Christians, met with the eastern emperor Licinius, and jointly advanced a policy of religious tolerance, laying the groundwork for the Edict of Milan the following year.

Sources