Information about Licinius

Licinius
Augustus in the East
Coin featuring Licinius
Reign	11 November 308 - 311 (as Augustus in the west, with Galerius in the east); 311 - 313 (joint Augustus with Maximinus) 313 - 324 (Augustus in the east, with Constantine in the west - in 314 and 324 in competition with him);
Full name	Flavius Galerius Valerius Licinianus Licinius
Born	c. 250
	Moesia Superior
Died	325
	Thessalonica
Buried
Predecessor	Severus
Successor	Constantine I
Wife/wives	Flavia Julia Constantia
Issue	Licinius

For other Romans of this name, see Licinius (gens).

Flavius Galerius Valerius Licinianus Licinius (c. 250 - 325) was Roman emperor from 308 to 324.

Of Dacian peasant origin, born in Moesia Superior, Licinius accompanied his close friend the Emperor Galerius on the Persian expedition in 297. After the death of Flavius Valerius Severus, Galerius elevated Licinius to the rank of Augustus in the West on November 11 308. He received as his immediate command the provinces of Illyricum, Thrace and Pannonia.

On the death of Galerius, in May 311, Licinius shared the entire empire with Maximinus Daia, the Hellespont and the Bosporus being the dividing line.

In March 313 he married Flavia Julia Constantia, half-sister of Constantine, at Mediolanum (now Milan), the occasion for the jointly-issued "Edict of Milan" that restored confiscated properties to Christian congregations and allowed Christianity to be professed in the empire.

In the following month, on April 30, Licinius inflicted a decisive defeat on Maximinus at the Battle of Tzirallum, after Maximinus had tried attacking him. Then, Licinius established himself master of the East, while his brother-in-law, Constantine, was supreme in the West.

In 314, a civil war erupted between Licinius and Constantine, in which Constantine prevailed at the Battle of Cibalae in Pannonia (October 8, 314) and again two years later (after naming Valerius Valens co-emperor) in the plain of Mardia (also known as Campus Ardiensis) in Thrace. The emperors were reconciled after these two battles and Licinius had his co-emperor Valens killed.

Licinius' fleet of 350 ships was defeated by Constantine I's fleet in 323. In 324, Constantine, tempted by the "advanced age and unpopular vices" of his colleague, again declared war against him, and, having defeated his army of 170,000 men at the Battle of Adrianople (July 3, 324), succeeded in shutting him up within the walls of Byzantium. The defeat of the superior fleet of Licinius in the Battle of the Hellespont by Crispus, Constantine’s eldest son and Caesar, compelled his withdrawal to Bithynia, where a last stand was made; the Battle of Chrysopolis, near Chalcedon (September 18), resulted in Licinius' final submission. While Licinius' co-emperor Sextus Martinianus was killed, Licinius himself was spared due to the pleas of his wife, Constantine's sister, and interned at Thessalonica. The next year, Constantine had him killed, accusing him of conspiring to raise troops among the barbarians.

References

External links

• has media related to
• De Imperatoribus Romanis website: Licinius
• Socrates Scholasticus account of Licinius' end

Preceded by Flavius Valerius Severus

Roman Emperor 308-324 with Galerius, Constantine I, Maximinus Daia, Valerius Valens and Martinianus

Succeeded by Constantine I

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Dominate 284 AD - 1453 AD	284 AD - 395 AD Diocletian Maximian Constantius I Galerius Severus II Maxentius Maximinus II Daia Licinius Valerius Valens Martinianus Constantine I Constantine II Constans I Constantius II Magnentius Vetranio Julian the Apostate Jovian Valentinian I Valens Gratian Valentinian II Magnus Maximus Eugenius Theodosius I Western Empire (395 AD - 480 AD) Honorius Constantius III Joannes Valentinian III Petronius Maximus Avitus Majorian Libius Severus Anthemius Olybrius Glycerius Julius Nepos Romulus Augustus Eastern Empire (395 AD - 480 AD) Arcadius Theodosius II Pulcheria Marcian Leo I Leo II Zeno Byzantine Empire (480 AD - 1453 AD) Zeno Basiliscus Anastasius I Justin I Justinian I Justin II Tiberius II Constantine Maurice Phocas Heraclius Constantine III Heraklonas Constans II Mezezius Constantine IV and Justinian II Leontios Tiberios III Philippikos Anastasios II Theodosios III Leo III the Isaurian Constantine V Artabasdos Leo IV the Khazar Constantine VI Irene Nikephoros I Staurakios Michael I Rangabe Leo V the Armenian Michael II Theophilos Theodora I Michael III Basil I Leo VI the Wise Alexander Constantine VII Romanos I Romanos II Nikephoros II John I Tzimiskes Basil II Constantine VIII Zoe Romanos III Michael IV Michael V Constantine IX Theodora II Michael VI Isaac I Constantine X Michael VII Romanos IV Nikephoros III Alexios I John II Manuel I Alexios II Andronikos I Isaac II Alexios III Angelos Alexios IV Nikolaos Kanabos Alexios V Constantine Laskaris Theodore I John III Theodore II John IV Michael VIII Andronikos II Andronikos III John V John VI Matthew Andronikos IV John VII Andronikos V Manuel II John VIII Constantine XI