14,779 views
On October 28, 312, a decisive battle took place on the Via Flamina, north of Rome, between the armies of Maxentius and those of Constantine. Both were "Augustus", both were emperors. Before the battle, both entrusted their fate to the gods. After a dream or an apparition witnessed by the army itself, Constantine decided to address the "one God". After the battle that he won, he imposed on his army the Christian sign, the chrism (which represents the Greek letters Chi and rho, the first two letters of the word Christ). For the first time in history, an emperor became a Christian. Who was he? What really happened at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge? What did the famous Edict of Milan of 313 represent, which gave Christians freedom of worship? What was the imperial policy towards Christianity going to be? To answer these questions, Christophe Dickès welcomes historians Claire Sotinel and Vincent Puech.