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Career[edit]
The eldest son of Constantine the Great and Fausta,[a] Constantine II was born in Arles in 316 and raised as a Christian.[3]
Caesar[edit]
On 1 March 317, he was made caesar.[3] In 323, at the age of seven, he took part in his father's campaign against the Sarmatians.[3] At age ten, he became commander of Gaul, following the death of his half-brother Crispus. An inscription dating to 330 records the title of Alamannicus, so it appears that his generals won a victory over the Alamanni.[3] His military career continued when Constantine I made him field commander during the 332 winter campaign against the Goths. The military operation was successful and decisive, with 100,000 Goths reportedly slain and the surrender of the ruler Ariaric.[4][3] He was married prior to 336, although his wife’s identity remains unknown.[5]
Augustus[edit]
While Constantine I had intended for his sons to rule together with their cousins Dalmatius and Hannibalianus, soon after his death the army slaughtered almost all of their male relatives, including Dalmatius and Hannibalianus.[6] Burgess observed from numismatic evidence that Constantine II and his brothers “not only seem not to have fully accepted the legitimacy of Dalmatius and viewed him as an interloper, but also appear to have communicated with one another on this point and agreed on a common response.”[7]
He was soon involved in the struggle between factions rupturing the unity of the Christian Church.[3] The Western portion of the empire, under the influence of the Popes in Rome, favoured Nicene Christianity over Arianism, and through their intercession they convinced Constantine to free Athanasius, allowing him to return to Alexandria.[3][8] This action aggravated Constantius II, who was a committed supporter of Arianism.[9]
The three brothers were not named as Augusti until 9 September 337,[1] when they gathered together in Pannonia[3] and divided the Roman territories