Res Gestae

Their armies were led to the plain of Cibalae.[*](Cf. Amm. xxx. 7, 2.) Licinius had 35,000 infantry and cavalry; Constantine commanded 20,000. After an indecisive contest, in which 20,000 of Licinius’ foot soldiers and a part of his mail-clad horsemen were slain, he himself with a great part of his other cavalry made his escape under cover of night to Sirmium.

From there, taking with him his wife, his son, and his treasures, he went to Dacia and appointed Valens, who was commander on the frontier, to the rank of Caesar. Then, having through Valens mustered a large force at Hadrianopolis, a city of Thrace, he sent envoys to Constantine, who had established himself at Philippi, to treat for peace. When the envoys were sent back without accomplishing anything, the war was renewed and the two rivals joined battle on the plain of Mardia. After a long and indecisive struggle, the troops of Licinius gave way and night aided them to escape.

Thereupon Licinius and Valens, believing that Constantine (as turned out to be the case), in order to follow up his advantage, would advance farther in the direction of Byzantium, turned aside and made their way towards Beroea.[*](A town of Thrace; cf. Amm. xxvii. 4, 12; xxxi. 9, 1.) As Constantine was eagerly pushing on, he learned that Licinius had remained behind him; and just then, when his men were worn out from fighting and marching, Mestrianus was sent to him as an envoy, to propose

Then Constantine, having returned to Serdica, arranged with Licinius, who was elsewhere, that Crispus and Constantinus, sons of Constantine, and Licinius, son of Licinius, should be made Caesars, and that thus the rule should be carried on in harmony by both emperors. Thus Constantine and Licinius became colleagues in the consulship.[*](In 319.)

In the regions of the Orient, while Licinius and Constantine were consuls, Licinius was stirred by sudden madness and ordered that all the Christians should be driven from the Palace.[*](Orosius uses the same language.) Soon war flamed out again between Licinius himself and Constantine.

Also, when Constantine was at Thessalonica, the Goths broke through the neglected frontiers, devasted Thrace and Moesia, and began to drive off booty. Then because of fear of Constantine and his check of their attack they returned their prisoners to him and peace was granted them. But Licinius complained of this action as a breach of faith, on the ground that his function had been usurped by another.

Finally, by using sometimes humble entreaties and sometimes arrogant threats, he aroused the deserved wrath of Constantine, During the interval before the civil war began, but while it was in preparation, Licinius

Now peace was broken by consent of both sides; Constantine sent Crispus Caesar with a large fleet to take possession of Asia, and on the side of Licinius, Amandus opposed him, likewise with naval forces.

Licinius himself had covered the slopes of a high mountain near Hadrianopolis with a huge army. Hither Constantine turned his march with his entire force. While the war went on slowly by land and sea, although Constantine’s army had great difficulty in scaling the heights, at last his good fortune and the discipline of his army prevailed, and he defeated the confused and disorganised army of Licinius;[*](324 A.D.) but Constantine was slightly wounded in the thigh.

Then Licinius fled to Byzantium; and while his scattered forces were on the way to the city, Licinius closed it, and feeling secure against an attack by sea, planned to meet a siege from the land-side. But Constantine got together a fleet from Thrace. Then Licinius, with his usual lack of consideration,[*](I.e., without consulting Constantine; cf. § 9, above.) chose Martinianus as his Caesar.

But Crispus, with Constantine’s fleet, sailed to Callipolis,[*](Modern Gallipoli, on the Hellespont.) where in a sea-fight he so utterly defeated Amandus that the latter barely made his escape with the help of the forces which he had left on shore. But Licinius’ fleet was in part destroyed and in part captured.

Licinius, abandoning hope on the sea, by way of which he saw that he would be blockaded, fled with his treasures to Chalcedon. Constantine

Later, when they saw Constantine’s legions coming in Liburnian galleys, the survivors threw down their arms and gave themselves up. But on the following day Constantia, sister of Constantine and wife of Licinius, came to her brother’s camp and begged that her husband’s life be spared, which was granted. Thus Licinius became a private citizen,[*](See note 1, on 5, 18, above.) and was entertained at a banquet by Constantine. Martinianus’ life was also spared.

Licinius was sent to Thessalonica; but Constantine, influenced by the example of his father-in-law Herculius Maximianus,[*](See note 4, on § 8 above. The second wife of Constantine’s father was a daughter of Maximianus; see 1, 2, above.) for fear that Licinius might again, with disastrous consequences to the State, resume the purple which he had laid down, and also because the soldiers mutinously demanded his death, had him assassinated at Thessalonica,[*](Cf. Eutr. x. 6, 1, contra religionem sacramenti privatus occisus est. ) and Martinianus in Cappadocia. Licinius reigned nineteen years and was survived by his wife and a son. And yet, after all the other participants in the abominable persecution[*](Of the Christians; see § 8, note 1, above.)

In commemoration of his splendid victory Constantine called Byzantium Constantinople after his own name; and as if it were his native city, he adorned it with great magnificence and wished to make it equal to Rome. Then he sought out new citizens for it from every quarter,[*](Hieronymus says that he nearly depopulated the other cities of the empire.) and lavished such wealth on the city, that thereon he all but exhausted the imperial fortunes. There he also established a senate[*](According to Zos. iii. 2, Julian established a senate at Constantinople; see Amm. xxii. 9, 2, and cf. Paneg. Lat. xi. 24 (Gratiarum actio Juliana), cum Senatui non solum veterem reddideris dignitatem, sed plurimum etiam novi honoris adieceris. ) of the second rank, the members of which had the title of clari.[*](The Roman senators were clarissimi. )

Then he began war against the Goths, rendering aid also to the Sarmatians, who had appealed to him for help.[*](In 334.) The result was that almost a hundred thousand of the Goths were destroyed by hunger and cold through Constantinus Caesar.[*](The son of Constantine the Great, afterwards Constantinus II; see § 19, above.) Then he also received hostages, among whom was Ariaricus, the king’s son.