Licinius | |||||
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58th Emperor of the Roman Empire | |||||
Coin of Licinius
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Reign | 11 November 308 – 311 (as Augustus in the west, with Galerius in the east); 311–313 (Augustus in the west, with Maximinus in the east) 313–324 (Augustus in the east, with Constantine in the west – in 314 and 324 in competition with him) |
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Predecessor | Severus | ||||
Successor | Constantine I | ||||
Born | c. 263 Moesia Superior, near Zaječar in modern-day Serbia |
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Died | Spring of 325 (aged 61-62) Thessalonica |
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Wife | |||||
Issue | Licinius II | ||||
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Full name | |
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Gaius Valerius Licinianus Licinius Augustus |
Licinius I (Latin: Gaius Valerius Licinianus Licinius Augustus; c. 263–325) was a Roman emperor from 308 to 324. For most of his reign he was the colleague and rival of Constantine I, with whom he co-authored the Edict of Milan that granted official toleration to Christians in the Roman Empire. He was finally defeated at the Battle of Chrysopolis, before being executed on the orders of Constantine I.
Born to a Dacian peasant family in Moesia Superior, Licinius accompanied his close childhood friend, the future emperor Galerius, on the Persian expedition in 298. He was trusted enough by Galerius that in 307 he was sent as an envoy to Maxentius in Italy to attempt to reach some agreement about the latter's illegitimate political position. Galerius then trusted the eastern provinces to Licinius when he went to deal with Maxentius personally after the death of Flavius Valerius Severus.
Upon his return to the east Galerius elevated Licinius to the rank of Augustus in the West on November 11, 308. He received as his immediate command the provinces of Illyricum, Thrace and Pannonia. In 310 he took command of the war against the Sarmatians, inflicting a severe defeat on them and emerging victorious. On the death of Galerius in May 311, Licinius entered into an agreement with Maximinus II (Daia) to share the eastern provinces between them. By this point, not only was Licinius the official Augustus of the west but he also possessed part of the eastern provinces as well, as the Hellespont and the Bosporus became the dividing line, with Licinius taking the European provinces and Maximinus taking the Asian.