Much of Constantine I's claim to lasting fame rests upon his sponsorship of Christianity, and many works have been published assessing whether his apparent conversion was a real religious experience or a cynical political manoeuvre.

Ian Hughes specializes in Late Roman history and is the author of Belisarius, the Last Roman General (2009); Stilicho, the Vandal who Saved Rome (2010); Aetius: Attila's Nemesis (2012); Imperial Brothers: Valentinian, Valens and the Disaster at Adrianople (2013); Patricians and Emperors (2015); and Gaiseric, the Vandal Who Destroyed Rome (2017). A former teacher whose hobbies include football, wargaming, and restoring electric guitars, Ian lives near Barnsley in South Yorkshire.