In historical significance the Battle of Milvian Bridge is often enough quite commonly overlooked by historians, especially feverant Constantinian admirers for the fact of Constantine's first loss to Maxentius. The character of both Constantine and Maxentius were both quite common for their time period, high belief in superstition during this general period of what appeared to be a general decline of the magnificence of Rome. Both men courted both Pagan and Christian gods and accepted what divine help was offered and if it worked they would support it enthusiasticly. In this Constantine is said before the battle to have recieved a vision from the Christian God in a dream in which he was looking at the sky and words appeared in the clouds telling him that if he painted the image of the Christian Chi (X) Ro (P) or Christos or Christ. While Maxentius had similarly reicved a favorable augurs that he would be victorious against Constantine. Towards this for Maxentius his usualy strategy was to force Constantine into a outright siege of Rome which he had fortified and stocked supplies and destroyed all the bridges across the Tiber...except one, the Milvian Bridge where he planned to meet Constantine in b attle as he fully believed that his forces would be able to defeat Constantine's army.
In this he is partially true, as the battle commenced the forces of Constantine and Maxentius met on the banks of the Tiber River, gradually it appeared that Constantine would be able to exact a crushing victory against Maxentius as his foe's forces slowly gave ground back to the river. A particular charge by Constantine's calvalry did force Maxentius to call a retreat but in a orderly manner, Maxentius's managed to not only bring the bulk of his forces successfully over the river but also inflict heavy casulties on Constantine's forces that persued Maxentius's army having believed that they could totally rout the enemy. Alas this force was caught on the bridge and decimated by Maxtenius's regrouped army and successfully held off Constantine's attacks.
Following the battle Constantine was furious, blaming the defeat on the lies of the Christian god that had promised him undefeatability in the battle and to quickly defeat Maxentius instead of ahving to persue him to Rome. It is said that he ordered for those that had painted the XP on their shields and banners to scrape and pull them off. That night Constantine once again had a dream, this being the result of either divine intervention as today's religious would say or perhaps a fitful subconcious, he dreamed again that he was looking into the sky but this time he saw a clear sky with the sun shining its radience across Rome and over the entire world and Constantine did not flinch as he basked in the sun's warmth. Following this he would become quite enamoured with Sol Invictus as had been his own father.
-The Emperors of the Sun, 1736 SE (2010 CE).
The Solarian Empire as described by modern academics a time period of its own, despite the fact that those who made up this so called empire still called themselves Romans and considered them still a continuous set of the Roman Empire. Nonetheless the period of the so called Late Roman Empire is considered a cultural and political epoch that even I agree needs separation then the classical period of the Roman Empire. So the question is begged: When did the so called ‘Solarian Empire’ begin? Given the Solar Calendar one could say it began 0 SE with the Emperor Aurelian who introduced the Cult of Sol into the higher echelons of Roman Government thus starting a period of integration in which the Cult of the Sun would be instated as the State Religion of the empire. One could say it began years later with the triumph of Constantine in Rome in the year considered 41 SE or perhaps at the founding of the city of llioupoli/Heliopolis/Constantinople in 59 SE. Another could easily say it began with the official instatement of His Holiness Pontifex Maximus Titinius or why not the fall of Rome! The problem chiefly with defining this period as beginning either with the reign of Aurelian or Constantine is that it was the Emperor Diocletian between them that instated a number of reforms towards the structure of the Roman Empire thus one could say this period should be referred after him!
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The First Great Solarian Emperor (by popular reckoning): Emperor Aurelian 0 SE - 4 SE
The Second Great Solarian Emperor: Emperor Constantine 41 SE - 66SE
Proceeding Solarian Emperors:
Constantinie II and Dalmatius (66 SE- 94 SE)
Constantine III (94 SE-121 SE)
Valentinian I (129 SE-138 SE).....
-Rise of the Sun (1689)