Licinius I

Latin Roman Name: Valerius Licinianus Licinius

Reigned as Roman Emperor / Caesar: Reign 11 November 308 - 311 as Augustus in the west, with Galerius in the east in 311 - 313 (joint Augustus with Maximinus) 313 - 324 as Augustus in the east, with Constantine in the west and in 314 and 324 in competition with Constantine

Dynasty / Historical Period: In 285 the Roman Empire was split in half by Diocletian - The Western Roman Empire and the other half became known as the Eastern Roman Empire or the Byzantine Empire.

Place and Date of Birth: c. 250 at Moesia Superior (Serbia)

Family connections / Genealogy
 *** Married: Flavia Julia Constantia
 *** Children: Licinius II

Place and Date of Death: Died 325 in Thessalonica

Name of next Emperor:  The successor to Licinius I was Constantine the Great

For the names of the next Roman emperors in the East and the West of the Empire refer to the Timeline of Roman Emperors  

Interesting facts about the life of Licinius I
Obtain a fast overview of the times of the Roman Emperor Licinius I from the following facts and information about his life. After the abdication of the joint emperors Diocletian and Maximianus, Galerius ruled the East together with the Caesar he had appointed, Maximinus Daza. Licinius was made an Augustus of the West on 11 November 308. On the death of Galerius in 311AD there were four men calling themselves Emperors - Licinius in Asia, Daza Maximin in Egypt, Maxentius at Rome, and Constantine in Gaul. Daza succeeded to the provinces of East in Asia together with Licinius.

They both fought to become sole emperor of the East. During the early summer of 311 Maximinus Daza met with Licinius at the Bosporus and they concluded a treaty, sharing the Eastern empire between them.  The peace treaty was relatively short lived and Daza met Licinius in battle in 313AD. Licinius was victorious and Daza fled to Tarsus where he was killed on the orders of Licinius, who also ordered that his wife and children should also be killed. Licinius cemented his position by marrying the sister of the Emperor Constantine the Great (now Augustus of the West), called Constantia. Licinius and Constantia had one child named Valerius Licinianus Licinius. It was a marriage of convenience, Licinius was unfaithful and this resulted in a battle between the two emperors. Constantine was victorious, but the civil war was draining the Roman armies and so a peace treaty was made. Tension between the two emperors continued to grow. Licinius angered Constantine still further in 320 by turning on the Christians in his realm and yet another war broke out between them in 321AD. Licinius was finally defeated by Constantine at Chrysopolis on 18 September 324. Licinius fled to Nicomedeia which Constantine began to besiege. Licinius quickly abdicated and was sent to Thessalonica, where he was kept under house arrest. Licinius was put to death by hanging in 325. It is believed that he had attempted yet another rebellion against Constantine the Great as an ally of the Goths.