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There were many other Christian martyrs.  A Christian named "Valentine" was another one.  In A.D. 269, the Roman Emperor Claudius II ("Claudius the Cruel") banned marriages because he was having difficulty raising an army.  Valentine defied the order and performed Christian marriages in secret.  Inevitably Valentine was discovered, and he was sentenced to be beaten to death with clubs and beheaded.  The jailor's daughter visited him during his imprisonment and just before his death on February 14th, Valentine wrote her a letter that he signed, "From your Valentine."

There were many other Christian martyrs.  A Christian named "Valentine" was another one.  In A.D. 269, the Roman Emperor Claudius II ("Claudius the Cruel") banned marriages because he was having difficulty raising an army.  Valentine defied the order and performed Christian marriages in secret.  Inevitably Valentine was discovered, and he was sentenced to be beaten to death with clubs and beheaded.  The jailor's daughter visited him during his imprisonment and just before his death on February 14th, Valentine wrote her a letter that he signed, "From your Valentine."

The inspiration left by the Christian martyrs ultimately prevailed over the mighty Roman empire.  The persecutions of Christians continued until the Edict of Milan in A.D. 313, issued by the emperor Constantine.  This edict established Christianity as an acceptable religion to be practice in Rome, and in A.D. 391, emperor Theodosius declared Christianity to be the official religion of the Roman Empire and the worship of Roman gods was outlawed.  The only legal religions in the Roman Empire were then Christianity and Judaism.  All the Roman emperors after Constantine were Christian, with one exception (Julian "the Apostate").

The inspiration of the Christian martyrs ultimately prevailed over the mighty Roman empire.  Persecution of Christians continued until the Edict of Milan in A.D. 313, issued by the emperor Constantine.  This edict established Christianity as an acceptable religion to be practice in Rome, and in A.D. 391, emperor Theodosius declared Christianity to be the official religion of the Roman Empire and the worship of Roman gods was outlawed.  The only legal religions in the Roman Empire were then Christianity and Judaism.  All the Roman emperors after Constantine were Christian, with one exception (Julian "the Apostate").

Constantine built a new Christian capital in the East for the Roman empire that would be safe from the German invaders, and he called it Constantinople.  The city was located to benefit from the expanding trade with the East.  He built a beautiful Church of Holy Wisdom there, now known as the "Cathedral of the Hagia Sophia."  This city survived and thrived for another 1000 years, as '''the eastern portion of the Roman Empire did not decline and fall as the western portion did'''.  The architecture of this city, now known as Istanbul, Turkey, is a mixture of Christianity and Hellenistic classicism.  It is located on the Bosporus Strait at the point where Europe meets Asia, and was the wealthiest city in Europe throughout the Middle Ages.  Half the city is in Europe and the other half is in Asia.  It was sometimes called the "Queen of Cities."

Constantine built a new Christian capital in the East for the Roman empire that would be safe from the German invaders, and he called it Constantinople.  The city was located to benefit from the expanding trade with the East.  He built a beautiful Church of Holy Wisdom there, now known as the "Cathedral of the Hagia Sophia."  This city survived and thrived for another 1000 years, as '''the eastern portion of the Roman Empire did not decline and fall as the western portion did'''.  The architecture of this city, now known as Istanbul, Turkey, is a mixture of Christianity and Hellenistic classicism.  It is located on the Bosporus Strait at the point where Europe meets Asia, and was the wealthiest city in Europe throughout the Middle Ages.  Half the city is in Europe and the other half is in Asia.  It was sometimes called the "Queen of Cities."