Edict of Milan
The Edict of Milan in 313 CE was a letter from the co-emperors Constantine I and Licinius granting Christians and all others full religious freedom within the Roman Empire and ordering the return of confiscated church property. It extended and clarified the earlier Edict of Serdica (311 CE), under which Galerius had grudgingly ended the Diocletianic persecution, and went further in guaranteeing tolerance as a general principle rather than a temporary concession. Constantine had already demonstrated favor toward Christianity before the edict: he attributed his victory at the Milvian Bridge (312 CE) to the Christian God. The edict transformed Christianity's legal and social position from a persecuted sect to an imperially sponsored religion; within decades, church councils were convened by emperors, bishops received imperial patronage, and pagan temples were converted or demolished. The Edict of Milan is conventionally marked as the moment Christianity's eventual dominance of western civilization became probable rather than merely possible.
- Category: Cultural
