For what lie did the Roman emperor Constantine I the Great order the murder of his eldest son, whom he sincerely admired?

The name of Flavius ​​Julius Crispus, the eldest son of the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine the Great, exists in history in relative obscurity.

It is known that Crispus was the eldest and faithful son of Emperor Constantine the Great, as well as the heir to the most powerful empire! He was the favorite student of Lactantius, the most famous Christian apologist and orator of his time, who during the Renaissance was called the “Christian Cicero.”

It is well known from historical evidence that Constantine, like many other people, sincerely admired his eldest son. This is easy to understand from the fact that Crispus was not only given the title of Caesar by his father, but was also appointed sole ruler of Gaul, and then consul. In Galia, Crispus had to fight valiantly with the Franks, go through several significant battles and earn the name of a skilled and fair military leader, adored by his soldiers.

However, despite all the prospects of the young man, his military talent and the love of those around him, Crispus was executed on the orders of his own father.

For what kind of offense? Now we will tell you more about this in our new article:

Constantine the Great

Proclaimed emperor after the death of his father, Flavius ​​Valerius Constantius, Constantine began a protracted campaign to unite the divided imperial territories and in 324 became the sole and absolute ruler of the Roman state.

Through many positive reforms, including monetary policy and the establishment of a military structure, Constantine is perhaps best remembered for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity and moving the capital of Rome to the city of Byzantium, which was later named Constantinople.

And although Constantine was brought up from a young age (like the rest of the Romans) as a pagan, the murder of his own son forced him to convert to a new faith shortly before his own death.

The marriage that changed the history of Rome

Constantine left his first wife, Minervina, from whom he had a son, Crispus, in order to marry Flavia Maximus Fausta, daughter of Emperor Maximian, to seal the alliance concluded in the tetrarchy of Diocletian. In 310 AD, Fausta told Constantine about the plot that her father was plotting against Constantine and thereby killed her father and family, but earned her husband’s loyalty.

Fausta later bore Constantine three sons, Constantine II, Constantius II and Constans, who eventually became emperors, and three daughters, including Helen, who married the emperor Julian.

Empress Fausta was highly respected by Constantine throughout their marriage, and proof of this was that in 323 she was proclaimed Augusta, although she had previously held the title of Nobilissima Femina / “Most Noble Lady”.

But none of this saved her from Constantine’s wrath when he suspected Fausta of inappropriate relations with his son Crispus.

The Lie That Killed the Young Emperor

In 326, rumors began to circulate that Empress Fausta was involved in an illicit relationship with her stepson and Constantine’s eldest son, Crispus.

True or not, some historians suggest that Fausta personally spread this lie in an attempt to discredit the heir of Constantine, who was the main heir and stood in the way of power for her sons.

When Konstantin found out about this, he fell into a rage. The frightened Fausta, in tears, confessed to Constantine that his son Crispus had attacked and raped her several times against his will. To make her words sound more convincing, she even paid several guards and slaves who confirmed her words.

This is reported by the Greek historian Zosimus:

In a rage, Constantine killed his son Crispus, who had once been deemed worthy of the title of Caesar because he had brought upon himself the suspicion of sexual relations with his stepmother Fausta, not paying attention to the laws of nature. Konstantin’s mother, Elena, was upset by such an unfortunate event and refused to tolerate the murder of her grandson, constantly cruelly reproaching her son for what he had done. As if to appease his mother’s feelings, Konstantin tried to correct the evil with even greater evil: he ordered the baths to be heated above normal and his wife Fausta to be thrown into them, where she was boiled alive.

Emperor Constantine, after the murder of his wife, applied the “curse of memory” Damnatio memoriae to her. It is noteworthy that the sons of Fausta, who came to power, never canceled the order of their father.

Probably, later learning that his son had been slandered by Fausta, Konstantin was greatly gnawed at by what he had done. What he had to do with his own son did not leave his thoughts for many years, so he began to seek consolation and forgiveness from the gods, who could forgive his deeds. Since Constantine was a pagan, he knew that he was destined for a severe punishment from the gods of Olympus, similar to that which befell the mythical king Tantalus, doomed to eternal torment.

Having learned that the Christian God is able to forgive any person even the most serious sins, if he is really ready to atone for them and regret his deeds, Constantine decided to become a Christian. He canceled the policy of Diocletian, which almost immediately put an end to the persecution of Christians and the adoption of Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire.