4th century

The century IV d. C. (fourth century AD) or IV century and. c. (fourth century of the Common Era) began on January 1, 301 and ended on December 31, 400. In the West, the first part of the century was shaped by Constantine the Grande, who became the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He recovered the unity of the empire. He was also noted for reestablishing a single imperial capital, choosing the site of ancient Byzantium in 330 (discarding the contemporary capitals, which had been established by Diocletian's reforms at Milan to the west, and Nicomedeia to the east) to build. the new capital, soon named Nova Roma (New Rome); it was later renamed Constantinople in his honor. It is called the "century of the Fathers of the Church."

Global map (except America) around the year 300.

Global map (except America) around 400.

Century in which Christianity is tolerated (313) and later other religions are prohibited and Christianity is made official (380). In this century the construction of great Roman monumental works continues, such as the Arch of Constantine (magnificently preserved) and the grandiose Basilica of Maxentius (partially preserved). On the other hand, a new architectural phenomenon begins that will give a definitive imprint to the city, that is, the transformation of both private Christian houses and Roman basilicas into Christian churches. On the other hand, Roman art slowly incorporated Christian elements or else they merged, as can be seen in works preserved in museums: thus the little gods that accompany Bacchus are transformed into little angels, the gods of hell into demons, the gods themselves into archangels etc

Many Roman myths and even those of other religions are absorbed by Christianity and sometimes transformed into dogmas. Polytheism remains disguised in Santerías, the myth of the mother who must be a virgin to give birth to gods or demigods is the same, the horror of Christian hell was already in Virgil. The Roman soul will change and although the causes are many, Christianity is one of the main ones.

Philosophies such as Aristotelian, Stoic and Epicurean will disappear from Western culture for centuries. The most dramatically opposed to Christian sensibility is Epicureanism: Epicurus, a Greek philosopher from the fourth century BC. C. affirmed that there is no providential God, that there is no Afterlife and that life must be enjoyed, being the only beginning and end of life pleasure understood mainly as the absence of pain. In this century there will be 23 emperors, including simultaneous ones: 9 were assassinated, 3 died in battle (including Maxentia, drowned), 2 or 3 committed suicide, some due to fevers or suspicious illnesses, and 4 by natural death (Constantine, Theodosius, Arcadius and onerio). The previous century had ended with an empire ruled by 4 Augusts, but in the year 305 two of them, Diocletian and Maximian, resigned. After Diocletian's resignation (who, moreover, would reject a second coronation years later) Constantine and Massensio (Maxentius) remain in the square and a war ensues between them with Constantine's victory between the Milvio Bridge and an area called Saxa Rubra.

Constantine, who would be called the Great, sympathized with the Christians under the influence of his daughter Constance who was a Christian and in the decisive battle this emperor carried the cross as an insignia. But Constantine goes down in history for several other reasons: he moved the capital of the empire to Byzantium, an ancient Greek colony, which changes its name to Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) and therefore Rome becomes just an important city; he represents the apogee of divine absolutism formalized by the solemnity of ceremonial and costumes and concretized with measures such as the reduction of the Senates of Rome and Constantinople to simple municipal councils; he divided the empire into 4 prefectures and various dioceses and provinces, designating the city of Milan as the capital of Italy, thereby further diminishing Rome's status; he organized a Crown Council with various ministers (justice, chancery, religious affairs, finance, treasury) to increase the concentration of power in his hands; and, finally, most importantly, he authorized the free exercise of the Christian religion (edict of Milan, year 313) with which the irrepressible power of the church begins and Christians, shortly, go from persecuted to persecutors (fot. Model of Rome at this time).

At his death, he was succeeded by his son, Constantius II, a Christian, who imposed Arianism (the doctrine according to which Christ is different from the Father although both have a similar substance because Christ is "created" and God has always "been") which entails some problems for the doctrine of the incipient Christianity, such as, for example, the designation of a pope of such a doctrine who would later be disqualified and declared an antipope, a situation of antipopes that would be repeated a lot throughout the history of the church.. The next emperor is Julian, called the apostate, for depriving Christians of some privileges. But all these emperors and the others in this fourth century, have to deal not only with internal problems, but with great wars on the borders pressured by Goths. Some of these peoples are pushed by others who come from Asia, like the Huns. Others seem to know the weakness of the Empire and aspire to become independent and end their situation as frontier towns. The next emperor, Theodosius, goes down in history for decisions that will change Western culture: in 380 he prohibits Arianism and in 391 he declares that the official religion of the empire will be Catholic Christianity and all other "pagan" cults are prohibited.. From this moment on, the Christian religion will exercise its powerful influence on all political and cultural events in Rome, Italy, Europe and, later, in much of the world. On the death of Theodosius, in the year 395, the empire is formally and definitively divided between his sons Arcadius, who receives the eastern one, Constantinople being the capital, and Honorius, who receives the western one but transfers the capital to Ravenna, also in the north of Italy: the Roman Empire has ended. Now we have two empires, the Western Roman Empire (capital Ravenna) which will last barely a century and the Eastern Roman Empire (capital Constantinople) which, instead, will last 10 centuries. Rome is only the seat of the bishop of the West.

Christianity, which from this fourth century will be part and essence of the City, holds two important Councils: that of Nicaea and that of Ephesus. In the first, among other topics, the equality of the 4 patriarchates is proclaimed: Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem and Rome, a subject that will always be controversial in the history of the Church. The other, fundamental for the dogmas, is the problem of the substance of Christ that comes to be considered divine. There are important ideologues such as Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin, Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, and Augustine, author of highly sensitive books such as Confessions, the most intimate, and The City of God. Churches are built. There are 10 popes, with 2 martyrs, and 2 antipopes in this fourth century. Some martyrs and illustrious men will begin to be declared blessed or saints: the beatification process corresponds to divinization in Roman times, such as Romulus, a son of Emperor Maxentius whose temple in 309 AD. C. is in the Roman Forum. Romulus died very young, seriously affecting his father, who would lose the great battle against Constantine a short time later.

Relevant events

Wars and Politics

• 306-337: Constantine I the Great, ends the persecution of Christians and establishes Byzantium as the new capital of the empire.
• 312: the battle of the Milvio Bridge occurs where the emperor Constantine defeats Majencio and establishes the end of the tetrarchy.
• 350: Huns invade the Sassanian Empire.
• 376: the Visigoths cross the Danube entering the territory of the Roman Empire at the pressure of the Huns.
• 378: In the battle of Adrianopolis the emperor Valente is defeated and killed, this battle changed the Roman battle strategy.
• 395: Theodosius I the Great dies and divides the Roman Empire between his two sons, Honorius and Arcade.

Religion

• 301: Armenia is the first nation in history to adopt Christianity as an official religion.
• 313: the Edict of Milan, also called Edict of Tolerance, promulgated by Constantine I, ends persecutions against Christians in the Roman Empire.
• 325: Constantine I calls the First Council of Nicaea to establish the new religion of the empire and to reunify the Catholic Church.
• 380: the Thessaloniki Edict, also called Edict of Officiality, promulgated by Theodosius I establishes Christianity as an official religion of the Empire.
• 381: The First Council of Constantinople is celebrated by Theodosius I where arianism and Macedonianism were condemned.
• 388: In the present Spain, the bishop Godo Ulfilas converts the Visigoths to Arrianism. In 589, the Visigoth king of the city of Toledo, Recaredo I (son of Leovigildo, accelerating follower of Arrianism) will definitively convert them to Christianity.

Culture

• 312: In Rome the Arch of Constantine is built to commemorate his victory over Majencio.
• Mausoleum of Santa Constanza is built in Rome.
• In northern India, Vatsiaiana writes the Kama-sutra.

Relevant characters

Politics

Constantine I the Great.

• Alarico I (370-410): Visigoth king who carried out the plunder of Rome of 410
• Arbogastes (f. 394): Roman military of barbaric origin who exercised magister militum of Valentiniano I
• Chandragupta I (319-335): king of Gupta dynasty
• Consequent II (317-361): Roman emperor, son of Constantine the Great
• Chlorine substance (250-306): Roman emperor and father of Constantine the Great
• Constantine I the Great (272-337): Roman emperor, considered the first Christian Roman emperor
• Stylicone (359-408): Roman military of barbaric origin
• Eugenio (Eugenio)ca. 345-394): Roman emperor
• Fritigerno (f. 380): King of the Visigoths, known for defeating the Emperor Valente in the battle of Adrianopolis
• Graciano el Joven (359-383): Roman emperor, known to be the first to reject the pagan attributes of his post
• Julian II (332-363): Roman emperor, known as Juliano "the Apostate"
• Magnenium (303-353): Roman usurper emperor
• Magnus Clement Maximum (355/340-388): Roman usurper
• Majencio (ca. 278-312): Roman emperor
• Sapor II (309-379): ruler of the Sassanian Empire
• Theodosius I the Great (347-395): Roman emperor, installed the Christian as an official religion of the Roman Empire and his death divided him between his two sons
• Valente (328-378): Roman emperor
• Valentinian I (321-375): Roman Emperor
• Valentinian II (371-392): Roman emperor

Philosophy and literature

• Amiano Marcelino (Amiano Marcelino)ca. 330-ca. 395/400): Roman historian
• Ausonio (310-395): Roman poet and rétor
• Aviene (?): author of the work Ora maritima
• Claudio Claudiano (370-405): Roman poet
• Eusebius of Caesarea (ca. 263-339): Bishop of Cesarea and author of the Ecclesiastical History
• Faltonia Betitia Proba (ca. 306/315-ca. 353/366): Roman poet
• Guo Pu (276-324): Chinese writer
• Jámblico (245/246/250-320): Greek philosopher, follower of neoplatonism
• Kumarajiva (344-413): Indian Hindu translator and writer
• Lactancio (Lactancio)ca. 245-ca. 325): Latin writer and apologee of African origin
• Temistio (Temistio)ca. 317-ca. 388): Greek philosopher and Roman politician
• Ulphiles (310-388): Godo bishop and translator

Religion

• Acisclo (f. 313): martyr and saint
• Ambrose of Milan (340-397): theologian and Archbishop of Milan
• Arius (250/256-336): religious whose doctrines inspired Arrianism
• Basilio Magno (330-379): Saint and Bishop of Cesarea
• Fa Xian (337-422): Chinese Buddhist pilgrim and monk
• Gregorio Nacianceno (329-389): Theologian and Archbishop of Constantinople
• Helena: Roman Empress, Mother of Constantine the Great and Saint
• Jerónimo de Estridón (ca. 340-420): holy and translator, considered one of the Fathers of the Church
• John Chrysostom (347-407): Patriarch of Constantinople and considered one of the Fathers of the Church
• Leocadia of Toledo (f. 303/305): Hispanic virgin and martyr
• Martin de Tours (316-397): Bishop, Pattern and Saint Gallorroman
• Nicolas de Bari (ca. 270-ca. 350): Bishop and saint
• Osio de Cordoba (256-357): Bishop of Cordoba and advisor to the emperor Constantine I the Great
• Prisciliano (ca. 340-385): Spanish-Roman bishop, precursor of the heresy of Priscilianism