070 - Which Roman was acclaimed as Emperor by his troops in Eboracum (The Roman name for the modern city of York) in 306AD? - Constantine! He is commemorated by this statue situated outside York Minster.
Constantine was the first Emperor to become a Christian, and during his rule, an edict was passed which stated that Christians should be allowed to follow the faith without oppression. This was a remarkable change, for only a few years before Constantine became Emperor, Christians had faced one of the most severe periods of persecution.
Placing this statue outside York Minster is most appropriate, since in Constantine's time this was the site of the Roman headquarters building, and it would have been somewhere near here where he was acclaimed Emperor.
York might now be a small relatively quiet city, but in 309AD it was at the centre of Roman politics, and the decision made then had great impact on both the Empire, and on the growth and development of the Christian church
I really appreciate the historical background of your history rich images! I'm a former history and geography teacher and am very curious about the images seen on this site!
Thank you Lydia, I'm glad that you are enjoying these pictures. It's an interesting challenge to show a well known place like York without too many of the traditional tourist shots!
I too am keen on history and geography, and spend hours studying photographs and maps old and new.
Thank you Lydia, I'm glad that you are enjoying these pictures. It's an interesting challenge to show a well known place like York without too many of the traditional tourist shots!
I too am keen on history and geography, and spend hours studying photographs and maps old and new.
I'm glad that you both like it!