One’s view of an emperor was based on one’s religion, political views, and where one lived. To many Roman pagans, Constantine was a bad emperor that wasted tax money on ridiculous endeavors such as building churches and supporting the less fortunate. Many thought beggars took advantage of him. John Firth wrote, “Men used to say that for the first ten years of his reign Consantine was a model sovereign, for the next twelve he was a brigand, and for the last ten a spendthrift heir, so called because of his preposterous extravagance.” As many other Roman emperors of his time left a legacy through the building they built and the rules they made, he built churches in major parts of the Roman Empire such as Constantinople, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Antioch.
Before Constantine’s victory at Milan Bridge, he was only the emperor of the western half of Rome. Because of the great victory, Constantine became the emperor of all Rome. Christians had been persecuted for 300 years by Roman emperors who had taken away most of their inalienable rights. After Milan Bridge, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which described Christianity as a legal and acceptable religion, thus protecting Christians from people’s persecution. Constantine stood for many of Christian values like giving money to those in need. His passion for harmony and agreement made him highly respected among his fellow leaders. This legacy continues as people struggle for religious freedom.