Historian (History Society) TCD

Meet the Committee!

Cathal Byrne as Bill Clinton Following the well-worn path from librarian to auditor, Cathal Byrne is no stranger to society politics. A long-time society sweetheart, Cathal is no doubt hoping to emulate the charismatic diplomacy and energetic leadership of his political idol, and has even taken up the saxophone like Bill did and has promised us an exciting evening of freeform jazz as one of our society events later in the year. However, while he is eager to keep the high approval rating that he gained from his popular ‘library hours’ coffee mornings last year, Cathal assures the committee that his leadership won’t be all style and no substance. To this end, Cathal has spent all summer working in Trinity, not just to be closer to his dear society, but also to get a head start on making the 86th session of DU History as wildly exciting as the 42nd presidency of the United States.

Béibhinn Breathnach as Fawn Hall When it came time to elect a new secretary, Béibhinn Breathnach was first on all our minds for one good reason, she’s been dressing the part for years. Indeed, Béibhinn’s iconic workwear has already won her several CSC style awards, and continues to raise the bar for society secretary style throughout the college. This year Béibhinn will be hoping to help Cathal avoid charges of high treason, just as her secretarial idol Fawn Hall did for Oliver North and Ronald Reagan. Although she is handy with a shredder, her secretarial skills certainly don’t stop there. Thanks to Béibhinn, all of our inter-society communications are written with the confident eloquence of Hall’s testimony to congress. While Béibhinn herself doesn’t subscribe to the ‘great men’ theory of history, this year she might just prove that behind every great auditor, stands a great secretary.

Katie Hastings as Wallis Simpson Having gathered enough social capital in her role as Social Secretary last year, Treasurer Katie Hastings now has her eyes set on the cold hard cash (credit) of the society. Just like her idol Wallis Simpson, Katie has always had her eyes set on a royal prize, namely Prince Harry, and was equal parts devastated and delighted by his wedding earlier this year to Meaghan Markle. Realising that marrying into royalty is no longer an option, Katie is now determined to be a self-made woman, and has decided that she might as well practice her money management skills with DU History’s considerable investment portfolio. Whether or not Katie will persevere in her money-making missions, or just settle for marrying a lesser Duke is yet to be seen.

However, if she puts half as much effort into her role as treasurer as she did into her Royal Wedding brunch and cocktail party, this editor thinks we’ll be just fine.

Ruairí Lafferty as George Best Newcomer and PRO Ruairí Lafferty shares more just than a silly haircut and an indecipherable northern accent with legendary footballer George Best. He also has a deep love for the beautiful game in common with Best and can often be found shouting at the TVs in the Pav, or watching the match in the library when he should be studying. Best was nicknamed “The fifth Beatle” during his meteoric rise to fame, and while Ruairí is more of a Stones fan, he’s more than happy to embrace the nickname as well as the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle it entails (he even pierced his ear this summer). The committee hopes that this devil may care attitude of Ruairí’s will assist him in his role as Public Relations Officer, where Ruairí hopes to show the ‘kids’ that history is in fact ‘groovy’.

James Conroy as Vincent van Gogh Enigmatic. Tortured. Red-haired. These are all words that could be used to describe this year’s Social Secretary James Conroy, admittedly with varying degrees of accuracy between them. What can be said for certain about James is that he is surprisingly sound for a History and Politics student. As anyone who knows him will tell you, James is a natural fit for the position of social secretary, having been a memorable presence at all of the Society’s social events and trips this year, except for the annual Apollo ball at which he was sorely missed.

This year James hopes to be able to attend Apollo Ball, particularly because it will be his responsibility to organise it.

Cillian Goan as Éamon de Valera While some might question whether Cillian’s funky dance moves could be matched by de Valera, it is their shared outlook on life that makes this a match made in historical heaven. While Dev applied his puritanical leanings to nationalism and religion, for Cillian it is disco music and philosophy that require his stout defence.

Although he is a new face on the committee, Cillian considers himself the elder statesman of the group, imparting his wisdom on his younger colleagues with a dour pessimism that Dev could only aspire to. Whenever fun threatens to break out, Cillian is on the scene, insisting that “you can’t give me Squidward Tentacles or Eeyore the Donkey, they’re not historical figures.” Nonetheless, Cillian is an exciting addition and will be one to watch as he occupies the library in Room 9. If he learns to make a decent cup of tea his society career could be as successful as the political career of his historical alter-ego.

Hayley Douglas as Betty Friedan Acting as the society’s very first social media officer, Hayley Douglas will be tweeting up a storm on our society account whenever she isn’t busy with her personal vendetta against Ryanair customer service. After steering DU History through what was probably its most challenging (and in this editor’s opinion, enjoyable) European trip ever, former auditor Hayley knew that her work as auditor was done, and then promptly created a new position on this year’s committee to suit her skills. Hayley is almost as devoted to her feminism as she is to DU History and will be using her finely honed communication skills to promote DU History events as well as to deconstruct hegemonic masculinity just like her idol Betty would have wanted her to. After all, if burning an effigy of Michael O’Leary made from cancelled boarding passes outside a Czech airport doesn’t contradict the feminine mystique, then I’m not sure what does.

Leah Gaynor as Nadia Comaneci Just as Romanian Gymnast Nadia Comaneci captured the world’s attention with the first perfect 10 ever awarded in Olympic gymnastics at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Rep Leah Gaynor hopes to capture the attention of Senior freshman History students with announcements about society events throughout the year. While Leah might share Comaneci’s small stature, she needn’t worry about her voice being lost in the in crowd during her announcements, as her experience coxing (shouting at men on boats) will no doubt stand to her in this regard.

Thankfully, we won’t have to worry about Leah trying to defect to America like Comaneci did, firstly because she’s a loyal and trustworthy member of the committee, and secondly because those passport machines in the airport don’t think she looks like herself anyways.

Gráinne Sexton as Catherine the Great Having sampled several courses in Trinity, our second second year rep Grainne Sexton has finally settled in course she’s comfortable with: TSM History and some other subject that doesn’t matter at all. Grainne, like Catherine the Great is a natural leader, with a keen interest in European affairs. Given her extensive experience in running European youth Parliament events, we at DU History decided we had to have her. After a freak snowstorm stranded Grainne in Prague with the society, last year’s committee set about indoctrinating her to our cause. Now instead of herding secondary school students with a love for debating and European politics into auditoriums, she will be herding senior freshman history students into nightclubs and onto buses and planes.

Sarah-Kate Brown as Bernadette Devlin Frankly, there are many similarities between third year rep Sarah-Kate Brown and Northern Irish Politician Bernadette Devlin. Their delightful Fermanagh and Tyrone accents are almost indistinguishable from one another, and both are determined, hardworking women with a keen sense of justice. While friends are quick to remind Sarah-Kate that she will need to hurry up if she wants to be an MP by 21 like Bernadette was, she felt that her position as third year rep was too important to give up. Her political career postponed for now, Sarah-Kate will instead be spending this year keeping junior sophister students up to date on DU History events. When Sarah-Kate isn’t studying or fighting injustice, she can usually be found in a café somewhere on Dawson Street, discussing the finer points of modern Irish politics with any Barista that will listen.

Cian Kelly as Marco Polo Here at DU history we have a sneaking suspicion that in just a few years’ time, the name of fourth year rep Cian Kelly will be just as synonymous with travel as that of Marco Polo himself. Truly a citizen of the world, Cian’s travels have taken him as far as Rome, Warsaw and even the Greek Island of Zante. Not content with merely exploring the Mediterranean however, Cian began learning Chinese last year while on Erasmus in the Italian City of Siena, and so will surely go on to explore Asia just like Marco Polo did, speaking Chinese with an Italian accent. While Cian is yet to publish his diaries like Marco did, I’m sure we’ll all hear plenty from him this year about ‘This one time on Erasmus…..’.

Ciaran Sunderland as Hunter S Thomson OCM Ciaran Sunderland was hoping for a short break from the stresses of juggling student life and his journalistic responsibilities for Trinity News when he signed up for the Society’s trip to Prague last year.

Instead he was thrust head first into his most challenging assignment yet, documenting the stranding of 50 history students in a Czech hostel while Dublin was under 6 feet of snow. Having tested his journalistic mettle to its very limits in a 5 storey mega-club on the river Vltava, Ciaran made it back to Ireland in one piece and is now determined to finish the story he started during that fateful week. Continuing in the tradition of Gonzo Journalism pioneered by his personal hero Hunter S. Thompson, Ciaran decided that joining the committee was the best way to get to the real scoop in DU history. Whether or not he will expose the dark secrets at the heart of the Society remains to be seen, but either way Ciaran’s talents are a welcome addition to the committee.

Meaghan Ní Raghlaigh as Boudica Meaghan Ni Raghlaigh is the third SS student on our committee and is returning to the committee as an OCM. Don’t the let the ordinary in ordinary committee member fool you though, as Meaghan is anything but. As both a final year student and a returning committee member, we expect Meaghan to hold the society to the high standards she herself has come to expect. Just as Boudicca took no nonsense from the Romans, Meaghan won’t take any nonsense from any fresh-faced Senior Freshman or Junior sophister students that have managed to land themselves a spot on the committee. Having said that, we certainly hope she won’t lead an army of 100,000 angry Celts to burn down the committee offices as her Historical role model did to London in AD 60. Having said that, maybe the threat of armed rebellion is exactly what this committee needs to whip it in to shape.

Calling all First Years!

We are now recruiting two first year reps to complete our committee. In order to be a first year rep you must be studying Single Honors History or History and Political Science or be reading History through a Two-Subject Moderatorship. Keep a close eye on our emails and follow our Facebook page for more details so you don’t miss out.

Editor Cillian Goan Creative Director Ruairí Lafferty

Supported by The Trinity Association and Trust The Trinity Association & Trust provides grant support for a wide variety of College projects where funding is not available from mainstream resources.

One of the main sources of funding for the Trinity Association & Trust comes from the TCD Affinity Credit Card. With over 10,000 cardholders to date, a percentage of the annual turnover on these cards is donated back to College by Bank of Ireland.

Apply online for a TCD Affinity Credit Card:

https://www.tcd.ie/alumni/services/affinity-credit-card/

Letter From the Auditor To our returning friends and to new faces, It is an honour to welcome you to the 86th session of DU History. We are looking forward to another exciting year as one of the most active and vibrant societies on campus. As a committee we aim to provide a unique programme of weekly events, be they our famed socials and club nights, engaging academic talks and discussions, exciting trips at home and abroad or helpful workshops.

Our most important aim however is to ensure DU History is a welcoming and friendly place for all our members and friends. We cater to all academic disciplines - whether you’re a history student, a nurse or a theoretical physicist; if history is what gets you excited, DU History is the society for you.

In the past our imaginative event schedule has brought us to such amazing locations as the Christ Church Crypt, the Freemasons Hall and EPIC – the Irish Emigration Museum. This year we will have a renewed focus on our social media, so stay tuned to our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds, along with our weekly emails to keep up to date on our events and happenings.

In joining DU History this year, I hope you will find the same friendship, opportunity and joy that it has brought to thousands of members before you. DU History is a place for exciting academic events, fun and funky social nights and plenty in between, but mostly it is a place for making lifelong friends. The committee and I are looking forward with huge excitement to getting to know you and we urge you to get involved!

I look forward to seeing you all soon, Cathal Byrne Auditor, DU History

First World War Memorials in Ireland

Preserving the Memory of a Vital Part of Our History

Seán Ó Riain Senior Sophister Single Honors History

At eleven a.m. on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, Germany signed an armistice, bringing the fighting of the First World War to an end. An exception to this was Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, who surrendered on 25 November 1918, two weeks after the signature of the armistice in Europe, at Abercorn in Northern Rhodesia, the last German commander of the war to do so. With the centenary of the signing of the armistice fast approaching, I believe it is important to reflect on the legacy of the First World War in Ireland.

Despite the argument of a collective ‘amnesia’ in Ireland towards the memory of the First World War, it cannot be argued that the war has been completely forgotten in Ireland. From the Irish National War Memorial Gardens in Islandbridge, to local ones such as the Great War Memorial situated in Kilgobbin, County Dublin, reminders of Ireland’s involvement in the war still remain very much in plain sight. This article will discuss the significance of three particular memorials that keep the legacy of Ireland’s involvement in the First World War in the public’s mind: the Irish National War Memorial Gardens in Islandbridge, the statue of Thomas Kettle in St. Stephens Green and the Great War Memorial situated in Kilgobbin, County Dublin. Each will be discussed in terms of their significance towards the legacy of the First World War in Ireland.

The Irish National War Memorial Gardens in Islandbridge are significant as a dedication to the memory of 49,400 Irish soldiers who died during the First World War. The names of all the soldiers are contained in manuscripts in the granite bookrooms in the gardens. Despite the huge significance of an all-embracing memorial to the Irish soldiers who died during the First World War, the delicacy of peace in Ireland in the decades after the war meant the gardens were not officially opened until 1 July 2006: the ninetieth anniversary of the battle of the Somme. Despite the memorial being regarded as an anathema by many in the decades after the war, evidently this attitude has changed to one of acceptance if not endorsement in recent times.

The Irish National War Memorial Gardens

The statue of Thomas Kettle in St. Stephens Green is significant as a representation of the Irish soldier who fought in the First World War for his beliefs. Other common motivations were those who fought in order to receive the ‘King’s shilling’, or to satisfy their desire for adventure, such as Gunner Tom Barry, the Corkman who would later become an iconic guerrilla fighter in West Cork during the Irish War of Independence. Barry described his motives for joining up in his memoirs, ‘I went to the war for no other reason than that I wanted to see what war was like, to get a gun, to see new countries and to feel a grown man. Above all I went because I knew no Irish history and had no national consciousness.’ Kettle fought in the First World War as both a Redmondite aiming to secure ‘Home Rule’ for Ireland after the conclusion of the war and for the morale cause of fighting against the German Army. The German invasion of France and Belgium was followed within days by the news that German troops had committed atrocities against civilians. The destruction of the University of Louvain, which housed an Irish seminary and a collection of Celtic manuscripts, deeply upset Kettle, who witnessed the ruins. There were also reports of the rape of nuns and the shelling of churches and cathedrals. At the bottom of his statue is the quote; ‘Died not for flag, nor King, nor Emperor,— But for a dream, born in a herdsman’s shed, And for the secret Scripture of the poor’.

It is from Kettle’s sonnet, ‘To my Daughter Betty’, which he wrote only five days before his own death in action on the Somme. In these final lines Kettle encapsulated his motivation for fighting in the First World War. The Great War Memorial situated in Kilgobbin, County Dublin is significant as a representation of local commemoration of Irish fallen soldiers of the First World War. Despite permission being granted to erect the Kilgobbin monument on 7 June 1924, on which only twenty-nine of the thirty-nine names were on display, it was not until the late 1990s during a much-needed restoration of the monument that a second plaque was added, bringing the total to thirty-nine Irish fallen soldiers of the First World War from the locality commemorated. A great-uncle of Ken Kinsella, author of Out of the Dark 1914-1918: South Dubliners who fell during the Great War, whose name is commemorated on the war memorial in Kilgobbin, was a fallen Irish soldier of the First World War. This was a well-kept family secret until Kinsella was in his forties. A rededication ceremony took place at the memorial in 2008.

Kinsella noted that ‘more than a hundred people, including many relatives of the commemorated men attended the very moving ceremony’. This highlights the importance of the remembrance of the Irish fallen soldiers of the Great War. The recognition of them by the locality and the State gives future generations the opportunity to properly recognise the brave deeds and sacrifices made by these men. As stated on the homepage of the Irish War Memorials website: ‘Let those who come after see to it that their names be not forgotten’.

These memorials preserve the legacy of the fallen Irish soldiers of the First World War. While it is true that collective ‘amnesia’ has greatly hindered the commemoration of these fallen Irish soldiers, the many memorials around Ireland play a vital role in ensuring a major part of Ireland’s history is not forgotten.

Apollo Ball Near, far, wherever you are, DU History’s annual Apollo Ball is an event not to be missed. A chance to air your tux and live up to your Trinity stereotype, this occasion promises to take you to the stars, with its lavish theme and venue.

Taking inspiration from the Golden Age of sea-faring and Ireland’s long history of emigration, the 2018 Ball adopted a White Star Line theme, swapping the Harland and Woolf dominated skyline of Belfast for the Dockland vaults of EPIC; The Irish Emigration Museum.

Breaking the ice, the evening began with a reception in the atmospheric basement of EPIC, were those in attendance recreated the glitz and the glamour of those First Class ticket holders onboard the most famous and fateful of the company’s ships. A buffet style meal was also served with guests filling up on miniature dishes of curry and bite-size burgers as they mingled and enjoyed their surroundings.

Setting sail across the city, the afterparty was held in The Soundhouse with many from below decks joining those in their finery. While perhaps lacking a string quartet, music was provided by Evan Lynch as all danced into the small hours, some even finding the Jack to their Rose, if only for the night.

Remaining afloat into the early hours, the event thankfully broke from her maritime theme and was deemed a resounding success. As the photographs show, a grand time was had by all with some possibly requiring immediate assistance the following morning; a Titanic event in the DU History calendar.

-Sarah-Kate Brown, Third-Year Rep

Lahinch

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Reading Week with DU History is best spent living it up in a random Irish town, far removed from the Trinity library.

Similar to birds migrating for winter, students join DU History’s annual Irish trip for survival as rural Ireland is notoriously warmer than the Berkeley in November.

The 2017 trip was to Lahinch, County Clare, a quaint seaside town which the DU History legend said was founded by Francois La Hinch. Setting off from Trinity to the West Coast, our first stop on the journey was Barack Obama Plaza in Moneygall, Co. Offaly. The bizarre combination of petrol station, food court and museum arguably set the tone for the days to follow.

Our hostel on the coast was self-proclaimed to have “house party vibes” but it seemed that perhaps the owner was just keen to party with a college group. Our first evening was spent sampling the local nightlife and we were pleasantly surprised to find live music and a much younger age demographic than anticipated.

Waking up bright and early the next morning was perhaps more of a struggle than it sounds. Nonetheless DU History set off to see the surrounding areas onboard a tour bus. However, our tourguide was too busy proposing to the secretary of the 85th Session to offer any historical information.

During the tour we saw the Poulnabrone Dolmen, apparently the second-most visited site in the Burren. After snapping some pictures, we were off to visit the number one site- The Cliffs of Moher.

Our final night in the hostel was spent bonding and, as we arrived at Barack Obama Plaza on our journey back to Dublin, we entered the mismatched petrol station with more familiar faces beside us. DU History’s Michaelmas Term trip always promises history and interesting experiences… Lahinch did not disappoint!

-Béibhinn Breathnach, Secretary

The 85th 2017-

h Session -2018

Trip to Prague In the tradition of many DU History trip’s before, our trip to Prague began bright eyed and early in Dublin Airport of a Sunday morning. Ready to spend reading week with old friends and new, DU History set out for the Czech Republic. Koruna in one hand (or Czechy boys as they fondly came to be known) and boarding pass in the other, our eager tourists arrived in the Czech capital later that morning. Upon arrival to our hostel we were informed that it had unfortunately flooded and we were consequently moved to a sister hostel for the duration of our stay. Unfazed by the news, we made the journey for accommodation and as suitcases battered off cobblestones, a level of excitement was maintained. Historians young and old were excited to take in the city and hit the town.

The following Monday morning we enjoyed a walking tour of Prague in what might have been the coldest temperature ever recorded on a DU History trip. We took in the sites of the beautiful city and some of us visited the KGB Museum, documenting Prague’s Soviet History, and others visited the Kampa Modern Art Museum. After this, we had a great night of dancing and some crowd-surfing ensued, definitely a first for a DU History trip.

Tuesday was marked by a visit to the beautiful Prague Castle and the long journey across Charles Bridge. This gave our travellers the opportunity for that perfect insta shot of Prague in all of its (freezing) glory and we certainly enjoyed getting to see all of the different sides of Prague’s long history. After what we believed to be a final dinner in Prague, we embarked out in the city for our last night which was full of lots of dancing and laughter and as many years before us, DU History bonds were made.

Bright and early the next morning, we ‘Czeched’ out of our cosy hostel and as we sat down for breakfast we received news that, alas, our flight home had been cancelled. The Beast from The East had swept into Dublin and Emma left us stranded in Prague – a first for any DU History Committee. We regrouped and got through the worst of it, and with the steely resolve of many History students before us, decided that we were better off enjoying our time in Prague for as long as we may be there. After a few more visits to Karlovy Lazne and soaking up the last bits of Czech culture that we missed, we finally started to make our way home by the end of the week. Some took rather unorthodox routes home, including complex lists of connecting flights. Let the lesson from the 85th Session be to never trust Ryanair, but definitely make the most of whatever situation you find yourself in. You’ll never be too far from home.

Having planned for three days and ended up going on a weeklong holiday, DU History’s trip to Prague will never be forgotten. Friendships were formed and romances kindled, and with the benefit of some mild PTSD from the whole experience, Dublin Airport never looked better.

- Hayley Douglas, Social Media Officer

Constantine, And the Battle of The Milvian Bridge Jonathan Keogh, Junior Sophister, Single Honors Mathematics During the third century in Rome, where no formal succession for the imperial throne was firmly set, stability crumbled, with rival claimants marching and plundering across the empire, from the plains of Caledonia to the sandy deserts of Syria, while cities along the Germanic and Persian frontiers had felt the wrath of a seemingly endless flood of barbarian invaders; justifiably this period has later been bestowed the title of ‘the Crisis of the Third Century’. In an attempt to stabilise, the empire was divided into many pieces, with appointed emperors and subordinates to administer each.

This was the state of Mediterranean world when, in 306, in the Britannia, Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus was proclaimed emperor by the legions left to him by his father upon his dying breaths and began consolidating power in the western half of the Roman Empire. In a Roman world that was administered by six different monarchs, Constantine wisely set about silently winning favour amongst the provinces of Hispania and Gallia. He won some of the people’s favour in decreeing an end to the former Christian persecution and reissuing the wealth that had been rapaciously taken. Throughout his life, Constantine was a believer in the traditional roman pantheon, but, by his ascension, he had a firm propensity for Christian worship.

Due East, Maxentius, a native to the city of Rome, had seized its throne, and its legions, in a coup with the Praetorian Guard, casting all of Italy and Africa under his dark influence. The provinces groaned under his contemptible rule; after crushing a slight rebellion in Africa, he put the cities of Carthage and Cirtha to the flame, and its people to the sword; the citizens were struck with horror at seeing the treasurers and prisoners of a roman province paraded in triumphal procession through the streets of their own capital.

Senator’s daughters and wives were subjugated to his licentious passions; when coercion was ineffectual, violence was used; some chose voluntary death over violation. It was only his soldiers he appeared to respect; they were given a free hand to inflict rapine and massacre onto the defenceless people. Amidst these sufferings, the senate and people had sent ambassadors to Constantine to deliver the city from a detested tyrant.

Constantine saw his moment and acted with vigour; he raised an army of 100,000 horse and foot, and set marching down the heartland of Italy, full of danger and glory. Some cities flocked to his standards, others shut their gates; at Verona, after a protracted siege, he submitted the populace, melting down all their swords and converting the metal into fetters for their captivity. Amidst wild clamour of indignation around the circus’ and the forums, Maxentius’ hand was forced into open battle. Before exiting the walls, he consulted the oracles of the Sibylline Books; they gave the prudent response “An enemy of Rome shall perish”.

Constantine and his army, on a march of destiny, it is said, suddenly beheld a shining cross in front of the sun, with the words “WITH THIS YOU SHALL CONQUER” beneath; ordering all standards of his troops to bolster the divine ‘Chi-Rho’, the first two letters of Christ in Greek overlaid, the two armies clashed at the Milvian Bridge. Maxentius stretched his infantry thin along the banks of the Tiber, the torrents raging at his back. Sagacious Constantine, seeing great opportunity, charged his body of cavalry personally; the move was irresistible, the horsemen of the tyrant being a slap-dashed mix of disloyal Moor’s and Numidian’s, and while some made an honourable last-stand, most were soon rushing back over the narrow bridge by the thousands, splaying out, pell-mell. Maxentius, under the weight of his armour, drowned, amidst the whirl of retreat.

Constantine entered the city in triumph. On arrival he snubbed the customary pagan rites of victory; he later issued an edict giving legal status to Christianity throughout his dominions. Defeating the remaining emperors, the Illyrian Conqueror became the undisputed master of the roman world. He founded the great city of Constantinople on the straits between Europe and Asia, making sure that only Christian basilicas were to be the only religious mark upon its streets; convening the Council of Nicea, he established early Christian Orthodoxy. There was no turning back; Christianity would burst onto the world stage, changing history forever.

Constantine became the first Christian emperor; delaying his baptismal rites until his last dying days. He left this world, absolved of earthly sin.