Britannica Sources used in this answer

How did Constantius I’s rise to power affect Constantine I’s early life?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The rise of Constantius I to the rank of Caesar in 293 CE significantly altered the early life of Constantine I.12

As part of the political restructuring of the tetrarchy, Constantius I separated from Constantine’s mother, Helena, in 289 CE to marry a stepdaughter of the emperor Maximian. Consequently, rather than remaining with his father in the West, Constantine was sent to the Eastern Empire. He was raised at the court of the senior emperor Diocletian in Nicomedia, where he spent his youth as a member of the imperial entourage.12