Question 1

True or false: Constantine claimed to have seen a cross of light in the sky before the Battle of Milvian Bridge.

Accepted Answer

True. He reported a vision of a cross with the words 'In this sign, conquer' (In hoc signo vinces), which inspired his victory in 312 AD.

Question 2

True or false: Constantine the Great was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity.

Accepted Answer

True. He converted on his deathbed in 337 AD, but his Edict of Milan (313) legalized Christianity, making him pivotal to its rise.

Question 3

True or false: Constantine founded Constantinople on the site of modern-day Athens.

Accepted Answer

False. He founded it on the site of Byzantium (modern Istanbul), not Athens, choosing it for its strategic location.

Question 4

True or false: Constantine was the first Roman emperor to be baptized as a Christian as a child.

Accepted Answer

False. He was baptized only on his deathbed in 337 AD by Eusebius of Nicomedia, delaying it as was common then.

Question 5

True or false: Constantine ordered the execution of his own son Crispus on suspicion of adultery.

Accepted Answer

True. In 326 AD, he had Crispus killed, likely due to accusations from his wife Fausta, whom he later executed too.

Question 6

True or false: Constantine abolished gladiatorial games throughout the Roman Empire permanently.

Accepted Answer

False. He restricted them but didn't abolish them; they lasted until roughly 404 AD under Honorius.

Question 7

True or false: Constantine never visited Rome after founding Constantinople in 330 AD.

Accepted Answer

True. He moved the capital to Byzantium (Constantinople) and only returned to Rome once afterward, in 326 AD, for his vicennalia.

Question 8

True or false: Constantine's mother, Helena, was a British princess who discovered the True Cross.

Accepted Answer

False. Helena was actually a Greek or Anatolian innkeeper's daughter; she did travel to Jerusalem and allegedly found the True Cross.

Constantine the Great Trivia Questions