ABSTRACT
After the failed experiment of the tetrarchy, for nearly 60 years, the Constantinian dynasty determined the fortunes of the Roman empire, bringing far-reaching changes. Fighting on more than one front required more than one emperor, but it was not easy to trust someone, even within the family. Christianity became accepted and spread into more and more fields, resulting in a shift in the spaces available for action; this affected, among others, spaces for women. In Constantinian times, imperial women were valued for their dynastic potential, playing a significant role in matrimonial policy, as was the case for instance of the two half-sisters of Constantine the Great, Anastasia and Constantia. This chapter begins with these women and moves on to discussing the two women closest to the emperor, Fausta and Helena (his wife and his mother, both honored with the title Augusta). Besides Constantine’s three ruling sons, his two daughters, Helena the Younger and Constantina, are also considered, as well as Eusebia, Constantine’s daughter-in-law and the wife of Constantius II, the sovereign for 25 years. Little by little, these women ceased to be invisible and gained influence on the political stage.
