The First Millenium

[Vince]

333

Constantine widens the gap between Christianity and Judaism, decreeing that Christians of Jewish heritage will either break all ties with Judaism or be executed. It seems that some Christians were still celebrating Old Testament feasts. The first Christians had been a Jewish sect, and Constantine wanted to completely end that relationship.

The Emperor Constantine appoints Flavius Dalmatius as consul, and puts him in charge of security in the eastern Empire. Flavius protects Athanasius of Alexandria, whom the Arians want to kill.

Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, is born. A pious Catholic, she was married by her parents to an older pagan, whom she later converted to Christianity. Augustine was one of their three children.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 334.

Here's a new one. Rome's new allies, the Goths, defeat the Vandals in a battle in Germany.

Calocaerus held the title "Lord of the sheep and camels" in Cyprus. He procliams himself Emperor. Flavius Dalmatius, who is in charge of security in the eastern part of the Empire, defeats him.

Having banned gladitorial combat, the Emperor Constantine permits it again.

Che Hou, a barbarian king, gains control of much of China. He executes his sons after they fail to assassinate him. Meanwhile, Shi Hu seizes control of Later Zhao (one of the "Sixteen Kingdoms") and executes all his rivals. Cheng Han, another of the Sixteen Kingdoms, begins to decline after the deceased Emperor is replaced by his incompetent grandson.

 

[Vince]

And now we have reached the year 335.

The Emperor Constantine orders that the Temple of Aphrodite in Jerusalem be torn down and a church built on the site. Stories begin that the tomb of Jesus was discovered there, and the building, which is shared be various Christian denominations today, is called the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Constantine orders the First Synod of Tyre to consider accusations against Athanasius of Alexandria, a vehement foe of Arianism. Accused of interfering with the sailing of the grain fleet to Constantinople, Athanasius is banished to Germany without a trial. One thing is becoming clear: the Emperor Constantine is an Arian who won't admit it.

Constantine appoints his nephew Dalmatius to the rank of "Caesar" and puts him in charge of the Greek area.

Samudragupta the Great, one of the great military geniuses of Indian history, begins his forty year reign over the Gupta Empire. Shortly after taking the throne, he begins attacking his neighbors.

Pope Sylvester 1 dies. Later legends have Constantine and Sylvester confirming each other as rulers, but actually, little is known about him.

 

[Vince]

Hard to believe it's already the year 336.

The Emperor Constantine reconquers most of Dacia, a former Roman province that covers modern Hungary and Romania.

Mark is elected Pope and dies of natural causes the same year.

Arius, priest at Alexandria and founder of Arianism, dies. Considered a heretic by most of Christianity, he is regarded as a hero by the Jehovah’s Witnesses for his denial of the Deity of Christ, teaching instead that Jesus was the highest of all created beings.

 

[Vince]

I posted an article on 337 last year, and it disappeared.

On his deathbed, the Emperor Constantine agrees to be baptized--by an Arian. He dies, leaving the Empire under the joint reign of his three sons.

The three Emperors begin a purge, killing the descendents of former Emperors and tetrarchs, as well as officials loyal to them. All three later deny any involvement.

Shapur II had become king of Persia while his mother was still pregnant with him. When he came of age, he had attacked various Arab tribes that had been raiding Persia. Shortly before Constantine dies, he decides to break the forty year peace and invades the Roman Empire.

Julius I becomes Pope. He demands that the bishops in the East must obey him. The bishops in the east hold a synod and depose him as Pope, but the bishops in the West retain him.

Paul the Confessor becomes patriarch of Constantinople. During his tenure he will be exiled by the Emperor for not being an Arian, restored by order of the Pope, and the Roman general sent to arrest him will be murdered by a mob of Christians. The city of Constantinople will erupt into several brief civil wars between the Arians and the Trinitarians while he is patriarch. Paul eventually dies in exile.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 338.

Having been beaten by Rome's Visigoth allies, the Goths form an alliance with Rome.

Constantius II had been made Emperor of the eastern part of the Empire in his father's will. He hurries to battle against Shapur II, King of Persia, who had invaded the Empire. But Shapur II is not that smart. Advancing into the Empire, he stops in order to besiege powerful Roman fortresses, and he actually gains little territory as a result.

The Roman Empire begins some persecution of pagans.

Samudragupta the Great, ruler of the Gupta Empire in central India, begins to expand southward. He follows a surprising policy of conquering a kingdom, and then allowing the king to remain on his throne and pay tribute. This brings stability to India, as the conquered nations no longer fight each other.

Eusebius of Nicomedia is made Patriarch of Constantinople, the most powerful position in the Church. A strong Arian, it was Eusebius who had baptized the Emperor Constantine on his deathbed. Related to the Emperor's family, Eusebius puts Arians in every major position that he can. He soon turns the entire eastern part of the Empire to Arianism.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 339.

For the second time, Athanasius of Alexandria is banished by the Arians. He flees to Rome, where Constans, a son of the late Emperor Constantine, is Emperor. Pope Julius I orders him reinstated, but the bishops of the East ignore him.

The Jewish rabbi Abaye dies. Leader of a rabbinical school in Babylon, some of his teachings are part of the Talmud.

Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea and great church historian , dies. Although an Arian, he is not the same Eusebius who had baptized the Emperor Constantine and been made Patriarch of Constantinople.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to the year 340 AD.

Prospering under its Emperor Constantius, Constantinople passes Rome in population, and is now the largest city in the world.

Constantine II had been made Emperor of France, Spain and Britain, but he had also been made guardian of his younger brother Constans. Emperor of Italy, Africa, and south-central Europe, Constans came of age and demanded that Constantine II give him full authority. Refusing, Constantine II invaded Italy and was killed. His two surviving brothers then peacefully divided the Empire between themselves.

Acacius of Caesarea becomes bishop of Ceasarea. A close ally of the Emperor Constantius, he becomes the "Voice of Arianism," deposing rival bishops and even being involved in a later deposing of a Pope.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to the year 341.

Emperor Constans passes the death penalty for pagan rituals and magic, and then heads north to battle the Franks.

Losing its war with Rome, the Persian Empire begins mass persecution of Christians.

When the Arian patriarch of Constantinople dies, the people restore Paul I, who had been deposed by the Emperor. A strong Trinitarian, Paul faces almost immediate civil war when the Arians elect their own bishop.

 

[Vince]

You've always wondered what happened in 342.

Paul I, Patriarch of Constantinople, is deposed and replaced with Macedonius I. (342-346). An Arian, he was placed in power violently, practiced persecution and warfare, and was hated by the common people. His persecution of the Novationists was so strong that they violently rebelled to protect themselves. He was eventually exiled to a small church.

Kang becomes emperor of China. He fights a few battles with the rebels, gets sick, declares his one-year-old son the new emperor, and dies.

The Xianbei, northern nomads who have conquered northern China, have been forming six kingdoms. Murong Huang had founded Former Yan, one of those kingdoms, and by a series of alliances, betrayals, and wars, and expanded. This year, he invades the northern Korean kingdom of Goguryeo, forcing the kingdom to become a vassal to him.

Santa Claus dies. St. Nicholas, a strongly Trinitarian bishop in modern Turkey, had become a legend for his generosity in providing gifts to the poor during his lifetime. Sixteen centuries later, the legends are still growing..

 

[Vince]

Let's look at 343.

Chuai (343-346) becomes Emperor of Japan. Rejecting his wife’s vision that he is to invade Korea, he dies suddenly, and she invades Korea herself. After conquering a small portion of the Korean peninsula, the Japanese are driven out.

Having driven the Persians out of the Empire, Rome invades Persia.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 344 AD.

With her one-year-old son Mu as the emperor of China, the empress takes command and does a great job. She defeats a variety of rebels and establishes a large area of stability in China. Conflicting reports have her resigning when her son turned thirteen, while others say that her son died at the age of nine.

Shapur II leads his Persian armies to victory over the invading Romans.

Eustorgius, a powerful Trinitarian, becomes bishop of Milan. He builds a series of churches and cathedrals and expands the power of the Catholic Church in his area.

 

[Vince]

It's time for the year 345.

It's a very quiet year.

Pachomius dies. Drafted unwillingly into the Roman army, he had converted to Christianity and become a monk. Living a solitary life, like most monks, he founded "cenobitic monasticism," in which the monks lived in communities. Called "Abba" (Father) by his followers, the term eventually became "Abbot," the leader of a group of monks. A vehement foe of Arianism, he nonetheless refused to become a priest.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 346.

Goguryeo, the kingdom in northern and central Korea, had been made a tributary state to China. But it quietly begins expanding, absorbing nearby tribes, and initiating military reforms.

Geunchogo ascends to the throne of the Korean kingdom of Baekje, on Korea's southwestern coast, beginning the peak of Baekje's power.

Ulfilas converts large numbers of Visigoths to Arian Christianity. As Christianity spreads among the Germans, it becomes easier for Rome to accept them.But as a whole, the Germans never become loyal to the Empire.

The Arians and the Trinitarians keep busy deposing each other's bishops.

 

[Vince]

Here we are in 347.

The two Emperors, Constans and Constantius II call for The Council of Sardica, to be held in modern Bulgaria. As bishops were being deposed and re-instated by Arians and Trinitarians, the two Emperors wanted to settle the matter. Another purpose of the council was to unify the various creeds in circulation.

Outnumbered by the western bishops, the eastern bishops declared that one council cannot repudiate the decisions of another council, and withdrew. They formed their own nearby Council of Philippopolis, which excommunicated the Pope and all of the western bishops who had attended the Council of Sardica.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to the year 348.

Rome is beating Persia so badly that the Persians start putting women into the army in supporting roles.

Over in India, Samudragupta the Great, ruler of Gupta in central India, is expanding his kingdom. He issues eight different types of gold coins telling his exploits, from which historians get much of their information. To the east, Rudrasena, ruler of Bengal (which includes the western part of modern Bangladesh and a large part of eastern India) organizes seven other kingdoms to resist the kingdom of Gupta's expansion. But Samudragupta the Great defeats them.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 349.

It's a very quiet year. Northern China had been controlled by non-Chinese nomads who had formed their own kingdoms. From these various groups, the proto-Mongols, who survived until the seventeenth century, are formed.

Unaware that conspiracies are being formed against him, Constans, the western Emperor, continues to tolerate Jews while suppressing the Donatists in Africa.

The eastern Emperor, Constantius II, rules quietly, having defeated the Persians and driven them out. An uneasy stalemate continues between the two. Constantius is suspicious about problems elsewhere in the Empire, and he is unwilling to commit his troops to a major war.

 

[Vince]

350

Ethiopia invades Nubia, a kingdom south of Egypt, and Nubia permanently collapses. Three minor kingdoms eventually emerge in its former territory. Today, southern Egypt and much of Sudan include Nubia’s former territory.

It happened so quickly that it is hard to explain. In eastern France, Roman troops proclaim Magnentius to be Emperor. Almost immediately, the rest of France, Spain, England, and Italy rally to Magnentius. Caught by surprise, the western Emperor Constans finds that only his household retainers (who didn't know about the conspiracy) remain loyal to him.

Magnentius, the new western Emperor, quickly grants more freedoms to the common people, and by putting his supporters in key positions in Africa, he gains control there. Then, leading an army into Germany against the Romans (not the Germans), where the troops declare Vatranio, their general, to be Emperor of the West.

Meanwhile, Nepotian, a member of Constantine's family, leads a group of gladiators into Rome and seizes the city, declaring himself Emperor. But a general loyal to Magnentius kills him 28 days later, and Emperor Magnentius begins a bloody purge of Nepotian's followers.

Learning the news, eastern Emperor Constantius II abandons his war with Persia and heads west.

It looked like a lucky break for the Persians, but suddenly they are invaded by the Huns, which helps the Romans.

In northern China, the Wei-Jie War begins. The non-Chinese nomads who had set up kingdoms in northern China rebel against the native Chinese, who had come into power the previous year. The bloody two-year war includes the massacre of hundreds of thousand of peasants, but when it is over, ethnic Chinese rule northern China.

 

[Vince]

351 is another busy year.

A German named Ulfilas, who was converted to Arian Christianity in Constantinople, has turned forty. He has translated the Bible and is doing missionary work among his fellow Goths outside the empire. As a result, Goths entering the empire are largely Christian.

As Constantius II prepares to avenge his brother's murder and regain the western half of the Empire from Magnentius, he appoints Constantius Gallus as Ceasar of the eastern part of the Empire, and then heads west. Almost immediately, there is a Jewish revolt against Gallus.

The revolt was mostly the fault of the Catholic Church, which had practiced persecution against both pagans and Jews. Angry mobs had been stirred up to legally destroy temples and synagogues. Seizing a Roman garrison in a surprise attack, the Jews were well-armed enough to seize three small cities, making one of them their capital. They began massacring Gentiles and Jewish converts to Christianity. The Romans destroyed two of the cities and razed the new Jewish capital to the ground, massacring several thousand Jews in the process. A permanent garrison was then assigned to Galilee, restricting Jewish learning and activities.

Heading west, the Emperor Constantius II is met by the Roman army stationed in Germany, which was fleeing Magnentius's much larger army. Adding them to his forces, Constantius II continues towards Rome, defeating Magnentius and driving him back west. But the victory is not enough to remove Magnentius from power.

About this time, someone in India figures out how to extract sugar from sugar cane.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 352.

Western Emperor Constantius II had defeated eastern Emperor Magnentius last year, but the victory had been costly. Constantius stays in Germany, where he suffers an initial defeat from the Germans, but then gains control of the entire area. He prepares to move into northern Italy, where Magnentius has gathered an army. Seeing that Constantius is winning, the Italians begin switching their allegiance to him. Various cities expel Magnentius's garrisons, and Magnentius takes his army to France. Unopposed, Constantius gains control of Italy.


Liberius (352-366) becomes Pope. According to the Catholic Church, he is the 36th Pope, and the first one not to be declared a saint. One of his first acts was to attempt to get the Emperor Constantius II to condemn Athanasius of Alexandria, pope of Alexandria, who had taken a strong stand against Arianism. The Emperor, who was an Arian himself, refused and later exiled Liberius.

Felix, regarded as an antipope by the Catholic Church today, was declared Pope in his place. After two years in exile, Liberius was brought back to Rome as “co-Pope,†after he had softened his stand against the Arians. But the Roman Christians drove Felix out of the city, making Liberius the only Pope. He took a moderate stand towards the Arians, allowing some of them into the Catholic Church.

During Liberius' papacy, the Arians split into various factions and their influence declined.

Chinese scientists report seeing a supernova, the earliest surviving record of one.