Constantine II (January 316-340) was Roman emperor from 337 to 340, succeeding Constantine the Great and preceding Constans I. He was the second and last Catholic Byzantine emperor, as his successor and brother Constans was an Orthodox Christian.
Biography[]
Constantine was born in January 316 in Arelate, Viennensis (present-day Arles, Vienne, France), the son of Constantine the Great. He took part in his father's 323 campaign against the Sarmatians at the age of seven, and at age ten he was given command of Gaul. In 330, he was given the title "Alemannicus" for defeating the Alemanni, and in 332 he became a field commander during the campaign against the Goths. He succeeded his father as Roman emperor on his death in 337, and he began conflict with his younger brother Constans I, refusing to give power to him due to being accustomed to having control over him. Constantine led an army into Italia when his brother rebelled against him, but he was killed in a skirmish near Aquileia by Constans' Illyrian troops, and Constans took over the empire.