On the eve of what history would record as the Battle of Milvian Bridge, the Emperor Constantine had a vision. Accounts differ on the specifics of the vision, but most accounts agree that afterwards, Constantine converted to Christianity and commanded that his soldiers paint the Cross onto their shields. Constantine had been told, in his vision, “in hoc signo vinces” (usually translated as ‘in this sign, you shall conquer’), and he heeded this message.
The following day, Constantine’s forces were indeed victorious over those of Maxentius, and over the next dozen years, Constantine would defeat the other two members of the Tetrarchy, until he was the sole ruler of the Roman Empire. In February of 313 CE, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which decriminalised Christianity in the Empire, and was a major step in the eventual Christianisation of Europe.
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