Download Constantine: NAME: Flavius Valerius Constantinus OCCUPATION

Constantine:
NAME: Flavius Valerius Constantinus
DEATH DATE: March 22, 337
OCCUPATION: General, Political Leader,
PLACE OF BIRTH: Niš, Serbia
Religious Leader, Emperor
PLACE OF DEATH: Ancyrona, Turkey
BIRTH DATE: c. February 27, 280
AKA: Constantine the Great
Constantine was the first Christian Roman emperor. He lived in the Eastern Roman Empire, and chose his
capital to be the small town Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople. The western side of the empire,
which included the city of Rome, became less and less important to the Eastern Roman Empire. Byzantium
was located in a perfect position to trade with the east and the west. Rather than send traded goods onto to
Rome, Constantine kept most of the goods in his own half of the empire. He also took money from the Roman
treasury and used it to help build his city, Constantinople. This weakened the Western Roman Empire.
In 305 he was passed over in imperial succession, so Constantine fought a series of civil wars, finally becoming
the sole Roman emperor. He ascribed his success to his conversion to Christianity. He renamed Byzantium as
Constantinople and made it his capital.
He was a pagan most of his life, but his sense of justice, and his conviction of the growing importance of the
Christians, both as a moral and political element in the life of the Empire, had from the very first induced him to
protect them. As early as 313 he had granted them toleration, and since then continued to favor them more
and more decidedly. During the latter years of his life, Christianity became the state religion, the pagan temples
were closed, and sacrifices forbidden. Yet it was only a short time before his death which occurred 22nd July,
337, that he would allow himself to be a baptized christian.
As an Emperor, Constantine ranks very high. He was beloved by his people, for whose welfare he seems to have
honestly labored. Severe and even sanguinary towards individuals, he was just and moderate toward nations.
He conquered every enemy, organized a new and better mode of government for his vast dominions, crushed
all conspiracies and revolts, and passed the close of his life in peace.
Hannibal:
NAME: Hannibal
DEATH DATE: c. 183 BCE
OCCUPATION: General
PLACE OF BIRTH: near Gebze, Turkey
BIRTH DATE: c. 247 BCE
PLACE OF DEATH: Turkey
Carthage decided to fight Spain, and make up the land they had lost there. The general took his army and his nineyear-old son, Hannibal, and left for Spain. Before he left home, he made his son swear that as soon as he was old
enough, Hannibal would fight the Romans and make them pay for all the lives they had cost. Hannibal promised.
That was the beginning of the legend of Hannibal, military genius.
Over the next several years, while fighting in Spain, Hannibal learned to be a strong leader. His Dad and his men
had taught him well. But mostly, he was naturally tricky. Hannibal won most of his battles by coming up with clever
ideas.
One time, while fighting at sea, Hannibal had his men dump barrels full of live snakes onto the deck of an enemy
ship. The enemy had not expected Hannibal to do that. They weren’t prepared to fight snakes. Hannibal won that
battle easily.
A few years after his Dad died, the soldiers in Spain chose him to be their new general. He was only 26 years old at
the time. Hannibal did not hesitate. He took the job, married a Spanish princess, and started wars with several
cities in Spain. His plan was to conquer all of Spain.
Spartacus
NAME: Spartacus
BIRTH DATE: c. 109 BCE
OCCUPATION: Folk Hero, Warrior
DEATH DATE: c. 71 BCE
He was born a freeman. He joined the army, but he ran away. When he was caught, he was sold into slavery to
work as a gladiator. Some gladiators were freemen. But most, like Spartacus, were slaves, who had been sold to a
gladiator school. When these men were not fighting, they were locked up in the gladiator school, to make sure they
did not escape.
Rome sent an army of 3000 soldiers to capture the runaway slaves. Spartacus attacked from the rear. The Roman
army was defeated. Rome tried again. This time they sent 6000 men. Spartacus won that battle as well.
When other slaves first heard that Spartacus had escaped, some ran away and joined Spartacus. But when Spartacus
and his men defeated the Roman army, many slaves ran away to join him. The people knew Spartacus. He was a
gladiator. He was famous. Rome's slaves felt if they could reach Spartacus, Spartacus would keep them safe. In a
very short amount of time, Spartacus and his followers had swelled from 70 to over 100,000 people.
Catching Spartacus was not easy. Spartacus and his followers spent their first winter with plenty of good food that
they stole from the surrounding countryside. They prepared for battle. They made weapons. They drilled. The
gladiators taught others how to fight like a gladiator.
Spartacus and his followers were hunted for two years. They defeated every effort to capture them. When Rome
finally caught up with him, they killed Spartacus and everyone with him.
Julius Caesar was a great general and an important leader in ancient Rome.
NAME:Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus
DEATH DATE: 44 BCE
Augustus
PLACE OF BIRTH: Rome, Italy
OCCUPATION: General, Dictator
PLACE OF DEATH: Rome, Italy
BIRTH DATE: c. 100 BCE
During his lifetime, he had held just about every important title in the Roman Republic including consul, tribune
of the people, high commander of the army, and high priest.
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He suggested new laws, most of which were approved by the Senate.
He reorganized the army.
He improved the way the provinces were governed.
Allegedly the descendent of Trojan prince Aeneas, Julius Caesar's auspicious birth c. July 13, 100 B.C.,
marked the beginning of a new chapter in Roman history. By 31, Caesar had fought in several wars and
become involved in Roman politics. After several alliances, he became dictator of the Roman Empire.
This led to a senatorial coup, and Caesar's eventual assassination, on the Ides of March.
The Romans even named a month after him, the month of July for Julius Caesar. When Julius Caesar
said he had something to say, the people flocked to the Forum to hear his ideas. His ideas had been good ones.
The people trusted him. Julius Caesar told the people that he could solve Rome's problems.
Certainly, the Republic had problems. Crime was everywhere. Taxes were outrageous. People were hungry. Many
were out of work. It was easier to use slaves to do work than hire Roman people, but the dependency on slave
labor was causing Rome unemployment problem.