Constantius II was one of Constantine the Great's sons, and he inherited the easternmost part of the empire when his father died. Subsequently, the other two brothers died; Constantine II in warfare against his brother Constans, and Constans in warfare against the usurper Magnentius. Faced with the impossible task of ruling the entire empire, Constantius II had no choice but to elevate his cousin, Julian, to rulership of the east. The cousins eventually declared war when the army backed Juli ...click for details
Constantine I rose to power as one of the co-rulers in the Tetrarchy system established by the emperor Diocletian. Infighting among the Tetrarchy concluded with Constantine assuming sole rulership in 324 AD. The major events of his rule include the rebuilding of Byzantium into Constantinople, capital of the new Eastern Empire, which would persist until the 15th century. Constantine is also known as the first Christian emperor, setting the precedent for Christianity to become the dominant religio ...click for details
Diocletian ruled the Roman Empire from 284-305 AD. He brought critical stability to the Empire after a long series of disastrous coups, and his many reforms held it together for the following century. Among his better known accomplishments is the establishment of the Tetrarchy, an arrangement wherein rule was shared between two emperors in the east and west, along with a junior co-ruler for each. Although this system did not last, it provided the basis for splitting the empire into separate Roma ...click for details
Aurelian's short reign (270-275 AD) was characterized by exceptional military prowess that won back the vast majority of the Empire that had been lost due to rebellion and invasion under his immediate predecessors. He defeated many barbarian tribes, including the Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians, and Alamanni, as well as several rebel states (the "Palmyrene" and "Gallic" empires). Unfortunately, Aurelian was poised to potentially defeat the weakened Sassanid Empire in 275 wh ...click for details
Gordian III ("the pius") ruled the Roman Empire from 238-244 AD. Gordian III became emperor at the age of 13 with the support of the people, who held him in high esteem due to the principled resistance that his grandfather and uncle mounted against Maximinus I. By all accounts, he was a well-intentioned ruler who had some military successes against the Sassanid Persians prior to his death on campaign in 244 AD under mysterious circumstances. Phillip I (the Arab) succeeded him.
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Ferdinand and Isabella, the "Catholic Monarchs" of Aragon and Castille, respectively, created the Kingdom of Spain by uniting their separate realms in marriage. Among the more important events of their reign was the conquest of Grenada in 1492, which completed the expulsion of Muslim forces from Spain.
However, the Monarchs are probably best-known for funding the voyages of Christopher Columbus. Columbus ...click for details
Tired of Roman uncleaned coins? Chinese coins are a challenging, entirely different experience! These cash coins mostly date to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), but some are as old as the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). The best reference for attributing these is Schjoth, "Currency of the Far East."
The "urbs Roma" series of coins were issued by Constantine I to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the city of Rome. The feature the goddess Roma, patron deity of Rome, on the obverse. The reverse shows a she-wolf suckling the twins Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome in legends. Of course, Constantine is better known for moving the center of the empire east to Byzantium, which ultimately left the western empire centered at Rome to fend for itself.
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Castile became an independent kingdom in Spain during the 11th century A.D., and it served as the driving force behind the Reconquista, the reconquest of central and southern Spain from the Muslim rulers who had dominated the peninsula since the 8th century. After the 16th century, Castile became the dominant power in a united Spain.
The Sasanian empire began in 224 AD when the last Parthian ruler of Persia was defeated in battle. The Sasanians were ruled by a series of forty kings that engaged in nearly non-stop hostility with the neighboring Roman and Byzantine empires. The last successful Sasanian emperor was Khusro II, known as "the Victorious," who reigned from 590-627 A.D. Khusro II finally achieved the Sasanian dream of winning territories in Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt that finally provided a gateway to the ...click for details
