1. Eusebius Yessed Himself Into Constantine’s Good Favor
Not all conniving schemers who disgraced themselves into the good graces of those in power were seductive women. Eusebius was a theologian in the fourth century who was keen to use religion to legitimize his views with Emperor Constantine. He was excommunicated from the church in 325AD at the Council of Antiochia and was undoubtedly eager to restore himself, both to the church and to the Roman Empire. Enter Constantine, an ambitious young ruler who was seeking to solidify his grasp over a land that was more and more leaving the traditional Roman religions in favor of Christianity. The stage was ripe for Eusebius to make his move.
Eusebius became the court theologian for Constantine. Before him, the prevailing attitude among Christians was that the Roman Empire was wicked for its mass persecutions of Christians, often using incredibly cruel and torturous means. To cozy up to Constantine, though, Eusebius advocated that the Roman Empire and the Church be both the products of God’s blessings for humanity and would be used to bless the world. He took that idea further by decreeing that the church should be organized into a polity that resembled the political structure of the Roman Empire (which explains the system of popes, cardinals, and so on within the established church).
However, Eusebius’ influence went further than that. Constantine allegedly converted to Christianity before the Battle of Milvian Bridge after seeing a cross in the sky. However, architecture that he commissioned to commemorate the successful battle indicated that the emperor was still firmly pagan. It was actually Eusebius who came up with the story that Constantine became a Christian and was therefore given victory by God. Also, that is the story that is still told in history textbooks today. Talk about a yes man.
Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“Sir John Posonby Conroy, first baronet (1786-1854),” by Elizabeth Longford. HistoryHome. 1993.
“Beltran de la Cueva.” Wikipedia.
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“Princess Viktoria dies ‘lonely and alone.'” November 13, 1929.
“Karin Mansdotter.” Wikipedia.
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“Cleopatra Seduces Antony, 41 BC.” Eyewitness to History. 2006.