In the Roman Empire, Christians have experienced different waves of persecution since the burning of Rome under the Roman Emperor Nero in 64 AD. Emperor Galerius, although himself a persecutor of these believers during his reign publishes, on his deathbed and without having first consulted the tetrarchs with whom he governs (Constantine, Lucinius, Maximin Daïa), on April 30, 311, the edict of Sardica. This text, also known as the "edict of tolerance", recognizes the existence of this new religion and tacitly puts an end to the persecutions as well as to the veneration of the cult of the Roman emperor for Christians, who must, in exchange , pray for the salvation of the empire.
313
Characters
Constantine I st
Lucinius
Galley
Procedure
Succeeding Galerius, Emperor Constantine continued the religious policy of tolerance that had been undertaken by his predecessor. The only emperor of the West, Constantine allies himself with Lucinius who leads part of the Eastern Empire (the other being governed by Maximin Daïa). So they meet in Milan to establish religious peace in the Empire. On June 13, 313 they thus granted by a circular, the improperly named "Edict of Milan", the freedom of worship of each individual throughout the Roman Empire. This text is therefore founding because it legitimizes the different religions and in particular the Christian religion. It also implies the return to Christians of goods that have been confiscated from them (properties, books, etc.). This circular also implements the edict of Galerius, hitherto not respected.
Consequences
The edict of Milan, published on June 13, 313, marks a profound upheaval of the Roman Empire because not only does it confirm the end of the persecutions of Christians (officially prohibited since the edict of Galerius) and it authorizes the freedom of their worship but above all, by granting this freedom, this edict makes religion a personal, private matter, and no longer an identity marker of belonging to a people. Religion is thus dissociated from citizenship. Moreover, if for Lucinius the edict of Milan is a culmination, for Constantine, on the contrary, it marks the beginning of the reforms that he undertakes to make and that he will carry out in particular when he will lead the reunited empire (council of Nicaea in 325, etc.).