# Licinius is executed after the war, against the received amnesty story

Date: 325

## The fact

After Chrysopolis, Licinius was spared in a received amnesty then executed, conventionally in 325 at Thessalonica.

It is one event.

## Context

Palace killings are normal in the tetrarchic story. They remain extra-judicial. Medium confidence on motive (plot versus dynastic hygiene).

[Constantine the Great](/people/constantine-the-great)’s documented role is bounded by other offices and collaborators named in the sources below. Sharing a field with them is not a reason to drop a documented act, and it is not a reason to assign later consequences done in the name after death.

Received 325 killing of Licinius (and later his son) after captivity. Sources disagree on pretext. Not a public independent court.
Named person as heading of the dated public instrument. Later editors, museums, printers, or offices share publication. Complex where later carriers date the row.

## Evidence and sources

Livius and Britannica independently record Licinius’s death after defeat; Lactantius ends before this act, Eusebius is not a bench report.

Official or archival record: Livius — Constantine I (https://www.livius.org/articles/person/constantine-the-great/; Livius.org).

## Significance

An execution is not Nicaea’s creed. Keep 325 council separate even if the year overlaps.

## What is established and what is not

Established: received execution of Licinius after 324. Not established: a stenographic treason file.

What would change the picture: a contradictory original with a different date or name, or a measured series that can be argued, with lag and alternatives, as a consequence of this instrument rather than of later institutions.

The date is the date of this instrument, not a licence to back-date every later harm or benefit.

Established here: a sourced, dated public instrument with a named contribution by Constantine the Great.

What would change the picture: a contradictory original with a different date, signatory, or non-occurrence; a demonstrated forgery; or a measured series that can be argued, with lag and alternatives, as a consequence of this instrument rather than of other causes.

They are not a public rating.

## People

- Constantine the Great: https://factrail.ai/people/constantine-the-great

## Drivers

- Judicial independence erosion (court capture): https://factrail.ai/drivers/justice-judicial-independence-erosion

## Sources

- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Constantine-I-Roman-emperor
- https://www.livius.org/articles/person/constantine-the-great/

## Methodology

https://factrail.ai/methodology

Canonical: https://factrail.ai/facts/co-licinius-execution