Constans

Constans I, also known as Flavius Julius Constans, was a Roman emperor who ruled from 337 to 350 CE. The youngest son of Constantine the Great and his second wife, Fausta, Constans inherited his position during a complex and turbulent period of the Roman Empire's history. His reign is notable for its internal conflicts, military campaigns, and the growing dominance of Christianity within the empire.

Born around 320 CE, Constans was appointed Caesar by his father in 333 CE, granting him a role in imperial governance. Following Constantine's death in 337 CE, Constans became one of three co-emperors, sharing power with his brothers Constantine II and Constantius II. He governed the central and western regions of the empire, including Italy, Africa, and parts of Illyricum.

The division of power among the brothers quickly led to discord. In 340 CE, Constantine II launched an ill-fated invasion of Constans’ territories, resulting in his death in battle. This left Constans as the ruler of the western half of the empire, while Constantius II governed the east. Constans' reign saw significant military activity, including campaigns against the Franks and other barbarian tribes along the Rhine frontier. Despite these challenges, he managed to maintain relative stability in his territories.

Constans was also a devout Christian and an ardent supporter of Nicene Christianity, opposing Arianism, which had gained traction in parts of the empire. His efforts to enforce religious orthodoxy occasionally caused tension, particularly with pagan and Arian factions.

Constans' rule ended abruptly in 350 CE when he was overthrown by the usurper Magnentius. Fleeing for his life, Constans was captured and executed, marking a tragic conclusion to his reign. Though overshadowed by his father and brothers, Constans played a key role in the consolidation of Christianity and the defense of the empire's western borders.

Although not well known today, Constans ruled for a long time and his coins are not rare. His soldi are the first in a long line of fairly common coins as nice soldi from about 20 of the 30 or so 4th/5th century rulers of the Eastern and Western Empire fall into this category. These coins are superficially boring: the portraits are mostly generic and the reverses often are as well. Gold coins seem to have always been produced with more care and quality than silver issues, and these late empire soldi are often quite nice. Because gold is soft and does not corrode they are fairly easy to find well struck and the surfaces are usually not rough. However one must be careful when collecting soldi as they are often technically impaired. Scratches, clipping, edge filing, and repairs are common. Such issues are often not noticed or not reported in catalogues so in-hand inspection or third-party certification is important. The present coin has no technical issues or detracting features and is a very nice example of an early solidus.