Title: What if Constantine had stayed in Rome?
Headings: What if Constantine had stayed in Rome?
What if Constantine had stayed in Rome?
What would have happened if Constantine never moved to Constantinople?
Civil unrest in Rome throughout the fourth century
The Western Roman Empire would have remained intact into the sixth or seventh century
The eastern Mediterranean would have been overrun by Muslims by the seventh century
The religious makeup of the Mediterranean would have been vastly different
The Franks would have been a weaker version of what they became in the eighth and ninth centuries
The Vikings might have been wiped off the map by the early ninth century
A decision that changed history
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Content: What would have happened if Constantine never moved to Constantinople? We know the aftermath of Constantine’s crucial decision: a permanent shift in power to the Eastern Roman Empire, a sustained Christian presence in the eastern Mediterranean which would provide a bulwark for Europe for over a millennium, and the development of a rich Byzantine cultural tradition. There is little doubt that this move served Rome well (the empire moreso than the city), but it still leaves a tempting question: what would have happened to Rome had Constantine (and his successors) never left? Let’s speculate with some generalities. Civil unrest in Rome throughout the fourth century
The decline in population that the empire suffered beginning in the third century and the growing threats from barbarians to the north in the fourth century would have made Rome a turbulent place to live. Constantine’s Christianity would have continued to ruffle feathers with the pagan elites of the time, and this could have ballooned into ongoing civil problems. We already know that Constantine faced opposition from other Romans prior to his move to Constantinople, and if he never made the move there we can imagine this opposition would have worsened. Eventually this unrest could have subsided, but likely under authoritarian rule by the governing emperors who succeeded Constantine.