Battle of the Milvian Bridge
Ponte Milvio, Rome
What happened
Constantine and Maxentius, rival Roman emperors who were also brothers-in-law, fought for control of Rome and the western empire. After Diocletian stepped down in 305 CE, rivalries in his system of shared rule split the empire into camps. Constantine overran northern Italy, winning battles near Turin and at Verona, and reached Rome. The two armies clashed at the Milvian Bridge over the Tiber, with the river too close behind Maxentius's troops. Constantine won a decisive victory, and Maxentius was lost in the Tiber.
Why it matters
Result: Constantinian victory. Leaders: Constantine the Great against Maxentius. Why it matters: Constantine started on the path that led him to end the shared rule of several emperors and become sole ruler of the Roman Empire. According to the Christian writers Eusebius and Lactantius, the battle also marked the beginning of Constantine's turn toward Christianity.
What came next
Maxentius's strongest military supporters, the Praetorian Guard and the Imperial Horse Guard, were disbanded. The following year, 313, Constantine and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan, which made Christianity an officially recognised and tolerated religion in the Roman Empire.
Did you know?
In 109 BCE a new stone bridge was built at this spot over the Tiber, and a bridge still crosses the river there today in Rome.
Timeline
- 1 May 305 CEDiocletian steps down, and rivalries begin among the emperors.
- 25 July 306 CEConstantine's father's troops proclaim him emperor at York.
- 28 October 306 CEMaxentius seizes the title of emperor in Rome.
- 28 October 312 CEConstantine defeats Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge.
- 313 CEThe Edict of Milan grants official tolerance to Christianity.