Constantine at the Bridge

Award-winning author Stephen Dando-Collins brings his renowned expertise to Constantine at the Bridge, where he unveils how the Battle of the Milvian Bridge marked the point of no return for Rome and shaped the Western world as we know it.

The AD 312 Battle of the Milvian Bridge, just outside Rome, marked the start of a monumental change for Rome and her empire. This battle was the figurative bridge between old pagan Rome and new Christian Rome. And once Constantine had crossed that bridge, there was no turning back.

Constantine the Great, after winning this battle against his brother-in-law Maxentius and taking power at Rome, and strongly influenced by his mother, forcefully steered Romans away from the traditional worship of their classical gods toward Christianity. This set Rome on two paths: the adoption of Christianity as the state religion, and the relegation of the city of Rome to obscurity as the Western Roman Empire collapsed within 175 years.

The book's title characterises its narrative thrust: this battle was the figurative bridge between old pagan Rome and new Christian Rome. And once Constantine had crossed that bridge, there was no turning back.