Year 4 - History
Constantine's conversion to Christianity
The Romans: what is the story of Christianity's rise?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils learn about the history of early Christianity's changing fortunes: from a persecuted faith to the official religion of the Roman Empire. They also learn about three great centres of this religion: Western Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the East African kingdom of Aksum.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain why the Romans' acceptance of Christianity changed during Constantine's rule.
Key Notes
- By 312 CE, Constantine had become the emperor of the Western Roman Empire by defeating his rivals in many battles.
- Before one of these battles he had a vision of a cross; he ordered his soldiers to paint crosses on their shields.
- Constantine converted to Christianity, saying all religions could be practised and Christians should not be persecuted.
- In 324 CE, Constantine became sole emperor of the Roman Empire and in 330 CE created a new eastern capital.
- In 325 CE, Constantine brought together Christian bishops to try to agree the first set of rules about Christianity.
Vocabulary To Learn
- emperor: an emperor is a ruler of an empire
- convert: to convert to a new religion or belief is to change to a different religion or belief
- rival: a rival is a person who competes with someone else to get what only one of them can have
- vision: a vision is a dream or idea in your imagination
- bishop: a bishop is a religious leader in some Christian churches
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Constantine forced everyone in the Roman Empire to be Christian during his rule.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.
By 312 CE, Constantine had become the emperor of the Western Roman Empire by defeating his rivals in many battles. Before one of these battles he had a vision of a cross; he ordered his soldiers to paint crosses on their shields.
2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'emperor'
an emperor is a ruler of an empire.
3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.
Mistake: Constantine forced everyone in the Roman Empire to be Christian during his rule. Correction: Constantine issued a law, the Edict of Milan, that protected all faiths from religious persecution so that everyone in the Roman Empire could practise the religion they wanted.
More Lessons In This Unit
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