Events last weekend when the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol was torn down and thrown in the harbour, as part of a Black Lives Matter protest, set me thinking about statues in York. There are many statues in churches, often as part of memorials, but there are very few in public places in the city. I could only think of one within the walls of the old city, and it is this one of the Roman Emperor Constantine.
Constantine came to Britain with his father, the emperor Constantius, in 305. Constantius died in July the following year in York. The system of succession at the time demanded that another Caesar should become emperor but the soldiers in York immediately proclaimed Constantine their leader. It proved to be a pivotal moment in history. He is known as Constantine the Great for very good reasons.
After three generations of political fragmentation, Constantine united the whole of the Roman Empire under one ruler. By 324 he had extended his power and was sole emperor, restoring stability and security to the Roman world.
Constantine was the first Emperor to become a Christian, at a time when Christianity was a minor faith in the Roman empire and when Christians were persecuted. His faith led to the end of persecution and a major growth of Christianity.
This bronze statue of Constantine the Great was commissioned by York Civic Trust to commemorate his accession as Roman Emperor in AD306. It was designed by Philip Jackson, placed near the south transept of the Minster and unveiled in 1998.
I find it disconcerting, this modern trend of judging history by current standards. The awfulness of bringing court cases against people who were only doing or saying what was normal for the era, but people disagree with their sentiments now.
Personally, I think you sort out current issues as you meet them, but judging the past by standards that differ from what was normal then is ludicrous. Injustice should always be challenged and dealt with, but throwing glass bottles and fireworks at policemen and throwing statues into the river would seem to utterly undermine the cause as it fights one wrongdoing with another one. I hope it reaches a peaceful conclusion and constructive change can be made where they are needed.
Great capture of this amazing statue...Great narrative...In the USA, it seems our history is being erased with every statue torn down by those who probably don't even know factual America history.
Beautiful capture and statue. And a very interesting history lesson. Unfortunately the masses of people have changed from one extreme to another. Destroying historical sites will not erase what happened in the past which was considered good for the time.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
I fully agree with Casablanca, we can't judge the past by the standards of today. As for demonstrators demolishing statues, that doesn't remove past injustices and it makes resolving todays issues more difficult.
I wrote about the positives of Constantine yesterday, but there was another side to the story. The Roman empire was largely built on slavery. It depended on slaves to a larger extent than any previous people had. Although their conditions were improved a little under Constantine, they were still slaves. On a personal level, Constantine had his son Crispus and his wife the Empress Fausta (stepmother of Crispus) killed. So, a man of great achievement and evil.
I always say hello to him when I go past. Maybe I should try to remember my Latin!
I find it disconcerting, this modern trend of judging history by current standards. The awfulness of bringing court cases against people who were only doing or saying what was normal for the era, but people disagree with their sentiments now.
Personally, I think you sort out current issues as you meet them, but judging the past by standards that differ from what was normal then is ludicrous. Injustice should always be challenged and dealt with, but throwing glass bottles and fireworks at policemen and throwing statues into the river would seem to utterly undermine the cause as it fights one wrongdoing with another one. I hope it reaches a peaceful conclusion and constructive change can be made where they are needed.
( the plane is a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter)
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
I fully agree with Casablanca, we can't judge the past by the standards of today. As for demonstrators demolishing statues, that doesn't remove past injustices and it makes resolving todays issues more difficult.
I wrote about the positives of Constantine yesterday, but there was another side to the story. The Roman empire was largely built on slavery. It depended on slaves to a larger extent than any previous people had. Although their conditions were improved a little under Constantine, they were still slaves. On a personal level, Constantine had his son Crispus and his wife the Empress Fausta (stepmother of Crispus) killed. So, a man of great achievement and evil.
Ian
Thank you Bri - he is probably wondering where all the tourists have gone!
Ian
Thank you Vesna. I love the stories of those who are commemorated with statues.
Ian