In 306 AD, Constantine rose to emperor after the death of his father Constantius. Maxentius (his brother-in-law) and he were bitter rivals as co-emperors of the west. Before the battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 AD, Constantine had a vision of Christ, telling him to put his symbol on their battle standards. Constantine obliged, and was victorious over Maxentius. Constantine took on to support of Christianity, even though he still believed in his pagan sun god. Constantine felt he owed his victory to the God of the Christians, and pushed forward for an imperial policy to advance its cause. Some people argued that Constantine only converted for political reasons, but this may not be true, even though Constantine only got baptized right before death. Tax exemptions were given to Christians, and money from the imperial treasury was granted to rebuild churches. After Constantine died, his three sons had different religious views, and created political instability. Nevertheless, Christianity came to dominate the western world.
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