The son of Constantius I, Constantine was proclaimed Augustus by his troops, but Galerius would not recognise his claim and offered him the position of Caesar. For a time Constantine accepted, and took control of Gaul. An alliance with Maxentius was eventually followed by war between the two, which ended with Constantine being in control of the entire Western Empire. From 313 the Empire was divided, with Licinius controlling the East. He ensured that several of his sons were raised to the rank of Caesar with the obvious intention that they should follow him in dynastic succession. Eventually there was war between the Augusti, and Constantine’s defeat of Licinius in 324 left him in sole possession of the empire until his death from illness at Nicomedia in 337. He is chiefly remembered for his conversion to, and promotion of, Christianity, which earned him the title ‘the Great’ from grateful Christian chroniclers.

The daughter of Maximian, she was married to Constantine I in 307. She was accused of adultery with her stepson Crispus and eventually executed.

In an effort to offset the promotion of Valerius Valens by Licinius, Constantine made his son, Crispus, Caesar.  In 326, he was accused of adultery with his stepmother Fausta, and was put to death.

A nephew of Constantine, he was made Caesar in 335. He was executed in the division of the empire by Constantine’s sons that followed their father’s death in 337.

Another nephew of Constantine, he was given the title King of Armenia. He died along with Delmatius in the purge of rivals that followed the promotion of Constantine II, Constantius II and Constans to Augustus.

Probably initiated for distribution at the ceremonies, presided over by Constantine on May 11, 330, celebrating the consecration of Constantinople as the Roman Empire's new capital. Striking continued uninterrupted until c.340, and then diminished down to 348. These issues concentrated on personifications of the twin capitals, Constantinople and Rome. The coins were minted equally across the empire, with no apparent division between Eastern and Western mints. The shift of political power to the East is indicated more subtly than that, i.e.: the absence of the sceptre of rule from Urbs Roma, and the triumphal figure of Victory being confined to the Constantinopolis reverses, whilst Roma's reverse, though significant, is historical, and indeed mythical.

The personification of the city of Constantinopolis is usually shown wearing a laurel wreath and a crested helmet, over her shoulder is a sceptre indicating her rule. The reverse shows winged Victory resting hand upon a shield, and holding a sceptre, once again indicating her rule. Her foot rests upon the prow of a ship indicating a significant source of her power.

The personification of the City of Rome, is likewise shown wearing an ornate crested helmet, but many of the emblems of authority and Victory are absent. The reverse illustrates the foundation myth of the city with the she-wolf suckling the infants Romulus and Remus.

The second son of Constantine I, he was proclaimed Caesar in 317. After his father’s death he became senior Augustus and continued ruling Gaul, Britain, and Spain. He quarrelled with his younger brother Constans, invaded Italy, and was killed at Aquileia in 340.

The third son of Constantine I, he became Augustus in the East after the death of his father. He spent much of his reign repelling Persian attacks. He marched westward to depose the usurper Magnentius in 351. He elevated his cousin Gallus to Caesar, but eventually had to remove him. Worried about the insecurity of the West, he appointed Julian as Caesar in Gaul in 355. Constantius II was seen by contemporaries as a ruler dominated by his courtiers and the Arian bishops. He died in Cilicia in 361 whilst marching to confront Julian, who had been raised to Augustus the previous year.

The fourth and youngest son of Constantine I, with his two surviving brothers, he became Augustus after their father’s death, and took control of Italy, Africa, and Illyricum. After defeating his brother Constantine II in 340, he assumed control of the entire Western Empire. He successfully campaigned against the Franks, and in 343 crossed into Britain, the last legitimate emperor to be seen there. His reign became unpopular with soldiers and civilians alike, and he was killed in a coup led by the general Magnentius.

A senior military commander under Constans, he revolted in 350 killing his Emperor, and rapidly won over the western provinces. He was defeated in battle by Constantius II, and his rebellion ended with his suicide in 353.

The brother of Magnentius, he was made Caesar by his brother. He too committed suicide once it became clear that they could no longer resist the military might of Constantius II.

A local military commander, he proclaimed himself Augustus in 350, and used his authority to stabilise the Balkans, in the process blocking Magnentius' eastward expansion. He abdicated to Constantius as the emperor came westward to restore his empire.

Usurped the title of Augustus at Rome, but his claim to the Empire lasted for only three months.

The half-brother of Julian, he was appointed Caesar in the east by Constantius II in 351. He was successful in resisting Persian attacks and a local Jewish rebellion. Recalled by Constantius, on his journey he was deposed and executed.

The fourth century was a time when Christianity gained considerable recognition, and grew in support across the Empire. However, the idea that the conversion of Constantine was immediately reflected by the majority of his subjects is false; likewise, the reversion to paganism by Julian is not so out-of-step with his time. Paganism and a plurality of beliefs and the symbols of belief still dominate the Empire, and are reflected in the coinage.

Appointed Caesar by Constantius II in 354, Julian wished to be recognised as Augustus in the West. Frustrated by Constantius’ refusal to recognise him, he began to march eastward, but news of the Emperor’s death averted a civil war. A convert to pagan Neoplatonism, on which he wrote extensively, a feature of Julian’s reign was his attempts to reintroduce pagan worship and suppress the spread of Christianity. He also led a purge of the Imperial court. A successful and highly popular military commander he led effective campaigns against the Franks, and was launching an extensive expedition against the Persians when he was wounded in a skirmish and died.

A staff officer serving on Julian’s Persian campaign, on the death of the emperor he was declared Augustus. In order to secure the army’s safe return from enemy territory, he made an unfavourable peace with the Persians, surrendering many lands held by the Romans since the days of Diocletian. He died shortly afterwards on the border of Bithynia and Galatia, overcome, according to one report, by the fumes from a charcoal stove.