Battle for Rome

by Ian Ross Book 3 in the Twilight of Empire series.

First published 2016

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4.3(961)

AD 312. Constantine prepares to invade Italy and break the rule of Maxentius, who controls Rome and blocks his rival’s path to supremacy in the western empire. Aurelius Castus, now a tribune, is called back to active command and joins the campaign south from Gaul, even as suspicions about his marriage and the intrigues surrounding the imperial court make his private life increasingly unstable.

The military advance culminates at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, one of the defining clashes of Constantine’s career. Ross places Castus in the marches, assaults and intelligence work surrounding the campaign while also exploring the religious shift gathering around Constantine and the Christian sign associated with his victory. The result connects the brutal mechanics of civil war with the political and religious consequences of Maxentius’s defeat and Constantine’s entry into Rome.