Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius was the son of Emperor Maximianus who ruled the Western Empire from 286 A.D. until he was forced to abdicate by Diocletian in 305 A.D. The next year, in 306 A.D., Emperor Galerius decided to tax the citizens of Rome who, until this point in history, were considered privileged and above taxation. Naturally, this decision incited a popular uprising. The citizens of Rome chose Maxentius and their leader and he encouraged his father to come out of retirement and join him on the throne. Together, they succeeded in seized control of the Italian peninsula. Soon after, Constantine, at their invitation, joined their rebellion. However, when Maxentius and his father had a falling out, Maximianus fled to the court of Constantine, seeking protection from his son’s wrath. Now with three factions fighting for control of the empire, the Roman world was on the verge of another civil war. Diocletian promptly organized a peace conference in 308 A.D. at Carnuntum. Although he was declared a public enemy, Maxentius managed to maintain control of Italy for four more years, until Constantine’s forces defeated him at the famed Battle at the Milvian Bridge, where Constantine’s victorious forces first fought under the sign of Christ. - (FJ.1421)