15. You Did Not Want to be This Emperor’s Kin
Roman Emperor Constantine the Great (272 – 337 AD) had many admirers in his era, particularly Christians grateful to him for taking Christianity out of the catacombs and into the palace. He also gave the Roman Empire a new lease on life, relocated the capital from Rome to the newly built Constantinople, and laid the foundations for an Eastern Roman Empire whose remnants survived into the fifteenth century.
However, Constantine’s admirers seldom mentioned his shortcomings. One such was a mercurial temper that led him to kill his eldest son, Crispus (circa 299 – 326) – a dutiful and capable son who would have made any father proud. Crispus was not the only close kin killed by Constantine: the great emperor also killed his wife, Fausta.