Unlike His Younger Half-Brothers, Constantine's Eldest Son Crispus Was Not Born

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Unlike his younger half-brothers, Constantine’s eldest son Crispus was not born “in the purple”—that is, his father was not emperor when he was born—so he was not a spoiled child. Indeed, his upbringing was similar to Constantine’s own. Thus it is no surprise that Crispus, named Caesar at age 17 and given control of the Gallic lands, proved himself in battles with the Goths. All of this made Crispus extremely popular among the Roman people. They saw him as a worthy heir to Constantine—and perhaps even an improvement. This made Constantine fear his son, and eventually hate him. By 326, the emperor viewed his son and heir as his greatest rival. And in ancient Rome, all rivals had to be eliminated. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Constantine’s reign, a grand festival was held in Rome. Crispus arrived and was whisked to a private audience with his father. The son was expecting some familial tenderness. Instead, he was accused of having sexual relations with Constantine’s wife, Fausta, and condemned to die. He was sent to Pola and executed. Constantine declared him damnatio memoriae, meaning all mention of him is scrubbed from the public record. This is a genuine ancient Roman bronze coin struck during the reign of Constantine the Great. The obverse is a portrait of Crispus. The various reverses feature mythological and military themes. W: 2.5-3.5 g |D: 18-20 mm. Box packaging available. Shown in AU The coin images used are not to scale and are for illustration purpose only. Available as a single NGC certified slab or beautifully displayed in a deluxe case. The box case is accompanied with a story card, certificate of authenticity, and a black gift box. * Available in various grades. * Slab box measures: 4 21/64" x 5 9/32 " x 1 3/8" .

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