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Rating: 
Summary: Constantine the Great...the most influential human being...
Review: ...on the planet after Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammed. Why? Two things: Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, thereby establishing the foundations of an Europe we knows today AND moved the seat of power from Rome to a Greek city that bear his name: Constantinople, thus established a new empire that would keep the Persians, the Arabs and later Islam in check for centuries to come. Had not Constantine did this, Europe would have been an Islamic continent, eventually. There's more to Constantine's contributions: he organized a loose confederation of Christian churches, long disarrayed and disorganized by a pagan Roman Empire, into the classical world's most powerful religious organization-the Holy Apostlic Church of the Fathers, the forerunner of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
G.P. Baker wrote a well-written biography book, published in 1930 or 1931, his sources on Constantine were limited due to lack of published works about Constantine in Baker's times. He did his best, for what he researched and put together in the best way he could do at the times.
Constantine the Great (born Flavius Valerius Constantius) have preserved an Empire that was in danger of collapse but he could not save his own family all because of his scheming wife. A breezy read, with no heavy-handed scholaristic details and very few half-page footnotes. Few map illustrations in this book are very nice and helpful but no pics.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent work on the man and his time.
Review: A triumph! An excellent work! Covers, as suggested by the title, not simply the life of Constantine but also the time he lived in, the rise of Christianity, and the crisis of government that the Roman Empire found itself in.The author thoroughly lays the groundwork for Constantine's appearance on the world stage with the arrangements created by Diocletian for transfer of power as well as the struggle between Senate and Army in Roman politics. The author gives insight into Constantine the general that always struck quickly and decisively. Brilliantly covers the dynamics of the Roman world and the rise of Christianity and it's significance to the governing of the empire. The author shows how the commitment of Christians to their cause changed the way the Roman world looked upon itself. Shows Constantine, warts and all, as a great man in a pivotal time in world history. Gives insight into why, following in his father Constantius' footsteps, Constantine not only granted tolerance for Christianity but also brought Church and Empire together in a union that would last a thousand years. The military historian can profit from reading this book: Constantine was a man who, as Nathan Bedford Forrest would say, "got there firstest with the mostest" with a highly trained elite core (mobile striking force) that consistently defeated all opposition - even when outnumbered. Students of the history of Christianity can profit from this book by becoming more familiar with the period during the Church's history when it endured some of it's greatest tribulations and it's greatest achievements. Those interested in the Roman world will learn much about the time in which the power within the empire moved east and how much eastern political thought had changed the original Roman ideals of political power. G.P. Baker writes in an engaging, enjoyable style. Highly readable for the average reader as well as the serious historian. Mr. Baker had one other advantage in writing this book: he did so decades before the rise of the cultural-marxist "revisionists" with their concommitant hatred of Christianity. Ignore the revisionist reviews and buy this book! It's an excellent work on this period of change within the Roman Empire and a very enjoyable read!
Rating:
Summary: Divine Emperor
Review: Baker's narrative of the years of Constantinople, like his other great Roman biographies, applies his sprightly prose and incisive observations to the life of the first Christian emperor. We follow him through his tutelage at the feet of his father Constantius, and through the tortured process of civil war, coup and counter coup that saw him march from Britain across Gaul and ultimately to Rome, only to re-found the capital on the Bosphorus. While religion is clearly a big part of Constantine story, unfortunately the book is a little dated in that it assumes a some knowledge about Christian historical events (e.g. his first march under Christian banners, or the Edict of Milan) - knowledge that the reader of the 1920s would doubtless have picked up at Sunday School, but which the modern reader isn't as familiar with. This is more than compensated by Baker's insights into the historical trends associated with the Constantine era - the growth of dynastic succession, the rise of feudal land organization, the increased economic/trading role of the Eastern Mediterranean. Baker helps us understand why many historians regard Constantine as the first medieval king.
Rating:
Summary: Divine Emperor
Review: Baker's narrative of the years of Constantinople, like his other great Roman biographies, applies his sprightly prose and incisive observations to the life of the first Christian emperor. We follow him through his tutelage at the feet of his father Constantius, and through the tortured process of civil war, coup and counter coup that saw him march from Britain across Gaul and ultimately to Rome, only to re-found the capital on the Bosphorus. While religion is clearly a big part of Constantine story, unfortunately the book is a little dated in that it assumes a some knowledge about Christian historical events (e.g. his first march under Christian banners, or the Edict of Milan) - knowledge that the reader of the 1920s would doubtless have picked up at Sunday School, but which the modern reader isn't as familiar with. This is more than compensated by Baker's insights into the historical trends associated with the Constantine era - the growth of dynastic succession, the rise of feudal land organization, the increased economic/trading role of the Eastern Mediterranean. Baker helps us understand why many historians regard Constantine as the first medieval king.
Rating: 
Summary: I'd be careful with this book.
Review: This isn't the book for you if you're looking for an unbiased history of Constantine. It's very dated and Baker definitely has an agenda (there is a severe overstatement of Constantine's commitment to Christianity). This takes away from the book's impact. There are several other books and authors that I would recommend to the serious reader. This book can be useful, however, if one wants to chart how the "science" of history has progressed over the years. This book would not be able to be published in today's market -- it makes way too many assumptions, very rarely relies on or cites sources and does NOT do what a history should do -- provide an unbiased account of the events that took place.
Rating:
Summary: I'd be careful with this book.
Review: This isn't the book for you if you're looking for an unbiased history of Constantine. It's very dated and Baker definitely has an agenda (there is a severe overstatement of Constantine's commitment to Christianity). This takes away from the book's impact. There are several other books and authors that I would recommend to the serious reader. This book can be useful, however, if one wants to chart how the "science" of history has progressed over the years. This book would not be able to be published in today's market -- it makes way too many assumptions, very rarely relies on or cites sources and does NOT do what a history should do -- provide an unbiased account of the events that took place.
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