Minervina was either the first wife or concubine of
Constantine I
Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...
, and the mother of his eldest son and future ''caesar''
Crispus. Little is known of her life. Her birth and death dates are unknown.
Life
Constantine spent his early life in
Nicomedia
Nicomedia (; , ''Nikomedeia''; modern İzmit) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek city located in what is now Turkey. In 286, Nicomedia became the eastern and most senior capital city of the Roman Empire (chosen by the emperor Diocletian who rul ...
as a
political hostage in
Diocletian's court.
[Barnes, Constantine and Eusebius, 3; Lenski, "Reign of Constantine" (CC), 59–60; Odahl, 56–57.] Constantine had a relationship with Minervina. Ancient historians
Aurelius Victor and
Zosimus refer to Minervina as a
concubine. On the other hand, a
panegyric delivered around 310 states that Constantine was married at a very early age, around the year 290. Barnes, Woods and
PLRE view the panegyric as proof that Minervina was married to Constantine, while Pohlsander considers the possibility of the panegyrist not being entirely truthful.
Crispus's year of birth is nowhere outright stated, she must have given birth to him before 307.
[Hans Pohlsander]
Crispus Caesar (317–326 A.D.)
/ref> Constantine provided a formal education to his son and Crispus was elevated to the rank of '' princeps iuventutis'' as well as holding the office of Consul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...
three times.marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
. When Constantine wanted to strengthen his alliance with the other Tetrarchs, in 307 AD he married Fausta, the daughter of the emperor Maximian
Maximian (; ), nicknamed Herculius, was Roman emperor from 286 to 305. He was ''Caesar (title), Caesar'' from 285 to 286, then ''Augustus (title), Augustus'' from 286 to 305. He shared the latter title with his co-emperor and superior, Diocleti ...
. Minervina might have already been dead by 307, but it is possible that Constantine set her aside or initiated a divorce with her. Minervina does not appear in the historical record after 307 AD.
See also
* Christianization of the Roman Empire
The growth of early Christianity from its obscure origin AD 40, with fewer than 1,000 followers, to being the majority religion of the entire Roman Empire by AD 400, has been examined through a wide variety of Historiography, historiogra ...
References
Sources
*
*
Pohlsander, Hans, "Constantine I (306 – 337 A.D.)"
''De Imperatoribus Romanis'' site.
*
*
4th-century Roman empresses
Constantinian dynasty
Constantine the Great
{{AncientRome-bio-stub