Constantine immediately began a purge of anything related to Maxentius from his empire, over which he was now the sole Augustus. He released Maxentius’ prisoners, allowed those exiled by Maxentius to return to Rome, and returned Maxentius’ stolen property to its owners. He next began a thorough public shaming of Maxentius’ image. Constantine dismissed Maxentius as a tyrant: he removed awards and honors given out by Maxentius, he dedicated the Basilica of Maxentius to himself, and he erected a statue of himself holding a vexillum that displayed the Chi-Rho with the inscription “By this sign, Constantine had freed Rome from the tyrant.” Following the removal of Maxentius from Roman culture, Constantine, influenced by his divine experience, met with Licinius and issued the Edict of Milan, the ruling that forever changed the fate of Christianity in …show more content…
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