Flavia Julia Constantia
293-330
Born: Rome
Died: Romano, Torino, Piemonte, Italy
<p><strong>Flavia Julia Constantia</strong>, (after 293 – c. 330), was the daughter of the Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus and his second wife, Flavia Maximiana Theodora.</p><p>In 313, Emperor Constantine I, who was half-brother of Constantia, gave her in marriage to his co-emperor Licinius, on occasion of their meeting in Mediolanum. She bore a son, Valerius Licinianus Licinius, in 315, and when the struggle between Constantine and Licinius began in 316, she stayed on her husband's side. A second war started between the two emperors in 324; after Licinius' defeat, Constantia interceded with Constantine for her husband's life. Constantine spared Licinius life, and obliged him to live in Thessalonica as a private citizen, but the following year (325), he ordered that Licinius be killed. A second blow for Constantia was the death, also by order of Constantine, of her son Licinianus.</p><p>In the following years, Constantia lived at her brother's court, receiving honors (her title was <em>nobilissima femina</em>). She converted to Christianity,<sup>[1]</sup> supporting the Arian party at the First Council of Nicaea (325).<sup>[2]</sup></p>
<strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand" size="2">Constantina (daughter of Constantine I)</font></strong><font face="Comic Sans MS"><strong><font size="2">by </font>Michael DiMaio, Jr.</strong></font><p> </p><font face="comic sans ms,sand">Salve Regina University</font><p> </p><font face="comic sans ms,sand"><hr></font><p> </p><font face="comic sans ms,sand">Also named Constantia and Constantiana in sources, Constantina was the daughter of </font><strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand">Constantine</font></strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand"> and </font><strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand">Fausta</font></strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand">. In 335, the emperor gave Constantina's hand in marriage to his nephew </font><strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand">Hannibalianus</font></strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand"> and made her an <em>Augusta</em>; although he named his nephew <em>Rex Regum et Ponticarum Gentium</em> in 337 probably to replace the King of Persia if his planned campaign against that nation was successful, </font><strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand">Hannibalianus</font></strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand"> was put to death in late summer 337 in the purges of the imperial family that occurred after the death of </font><strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand">Constantine</font></strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand">. At this point, Constantina disappears from the historical record for more than a decade. </font><p> </p><p align="left"><font face="comic sans ms,sand">In 350, when </font><font face="comic sans ms,sand"><strong>Magnentius</strong> </font><font face="comic sans ms,sand">revolted against her brother </font><font face="comic sans ms,sand"><strong>Constantius II</strong> </font><font face="comic sans ms,sand">, she convinced </font><strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand">Vetranio </font></strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand">to rise up against him. In fact, at this point in time, </font><font face="comic sans ms,sand"><strong>Magnentius</strong> </font><font face="comic sans ms,sand">offered to marry his daughter to the Emperor </font><font face="comic sans ms,sand"><strong>Constantius</strong> </font><font face="comic sans ms,sand">and to marry Constantina in turn in order to secure peace with him. The offer was rebuffed. In 351, in order that he could deal with the revolts of </font><font face="comic sans ms,sand"><strong>Magnentius</strong> </font><font face="comic sans ms,sand">and </font><strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand">Vetranio</font></strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand">, the emperor named his cousin </font><strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand">Gallus</font></strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand"> a Caesar and gave him Constantina as his wife; both were dispatched to the east ern frontier in Syria to keep the Persian menace in check. In any case, Constantina subsequently bore </font><strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand">Gallus</font></strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand"> a daughter whose name is unknown.</font></p><p align="left"><font face="comic sans ms,sand">Constantina's and her husband's performance in Antioch was far from stellar and led to an open breach between the emperor and his Caesar; Constantina is said to have been very mean spirited and to have urged her husband to be ruthless in his dealing with his subjects. When </font><font face="comic sans ms,sand"><strong>Constantius</strong> </font><font face="comic sans ms,sand">finally summoned </font><strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand">Gallus</font></strong><font face="comic sans ms,sand"> to return to his presence with a ruse in 354, the Caesar dispatched his wife to meet with her brother in order that she might win over the Emperor to their side. Constantina, however, died <em>en route</em> to her brother's side at Caeni Gallicani in Bithynia the same year. Her remains were subsequently laid to rest near the Via Nomentana in Rome.</font></p>