Who invaded roman territory in the third century? what crises nearly caused economic collapse in the empire? how did diocletian and constantine give new life to the late roman empire? where did constantine locate the empire's new capital city? how did constantine and diocletian fight inflation? when did the visigoths and vandals invade rome? where did the visigoths and vandals come from? who finally sacked rome, and which emperor did he depose? i will take any basic answer for and sorry it is a lot!

Constantine I was Roman emperor from 306 to 337 CE. Realizing that the Roman Empire was too large for one man to adequately rule, Emperor Diocletian (284-305 CE) split the empire into two, creating a tetrachy or rule of four. While he ruled the east from Nicomedia as an “augustus” with Galerius as his “caesar,” Maximian and Constantius the Pale ruled the west. It was the son of Constantius, Constantine, who would one day rise to defeat all challengers to the throne and reunite the split empire, moving the capital away from Old Rome and build a new capital, a capital that one day would bear his name, Constantinople.

EARLY LIFE

Although sources vary on the exact year of his birth, Constantine (Gaius Flavis Valerius Constantinus) was born at Naissus in present day Serbia as early as 272 CE or as late as 285 CE. Since his father was not only a military commander but also the caesar of the west, Constantine lived his entire early life in the imperial court, eventually serving as a high ranking staff officer for Diocletian. Even in his youth, those around him saw Constantine as a man of boundless energy. Under the emperor’s tutelage, he learned that a ruler’s job was to defend the empire from any external force and create a just and ordered society - something Constantine would put into practice when he became emperor himself.