Скачать или смотреть 13th June 313: The Edict of Milan formally ends the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire

The Edict of Milan was the result of a political agreement between the two Roman emperors at the time. Constantine I, ruler of the Western Roman Empire, met Licinius, ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire, in the city of Milan where they agreed to formally change policies towards Christians.

Although the emperor Galerius had previously issued an Edict of Toleration towards Christians, the Edict of Milan went further by establishing religious freedom throughout the empire and granting Christians the right to practice their religion without interference or persecution. Prior to this, Christians had faced periods of state-led persecution, including imprisonment, property confiscation, and executions. The new edict even ordered the return of properties and places of worship that had been taken from Christians. This marked a formal and legal recognition of Christianity within the Roman state.

Constantine had already adopted a more tolerant approach to Christianity following his victory at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312, but the Edict of Milan signified a broader and more unified imperial policy. However, it was not a written decree but rather a declaration of policy sent out in letters to governors across the empire. A surviving version of the edict is preserved in the writings of Lactantius, a Christian author of the time, and in the church history written by Eusebius of Caesarea.

By ending the state-sanctioned persecution of Christians, the edict contributed to the gradual transformation of Christianity from a marginalised religion to the dominant religion of the empire.