Four Deaths and an Anniversary

Abstract

AbstractThe celebration of Constantine’s Vicennalia (twenty-year anniversary of his reign) concluded in Rome in August 326. It was preceded by important religious milestones, such as the Council of Nicaea, but also by disturbing happenings within the Constantinian family, including Constantine’s murder of his brother-in-law Licinius and his nephew Licinianus, the execution of his son Crispus, and the disappearance and probable death of his wife Fausta. This chapter discusses the reasons for and connections between these events as well as their effect on the representation of surviving imperial women, especially in the city of Rome, and on Helena’s position at court during the last years of her life.