Niš in the context of "Constantine the Great"

⭐ In the context of Constantine the Great, Niš is historically significant because it was the city where Constantine was born, placing him within which Roman province?

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⭐ Core Definition: Niš

Niš (/ˈnʃ/; Serbian Cyrillic: Ниш, Serbian pronunciation: [nîːʃ] ; names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in the southern part of Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city proper has a population of 178,976, while its administrative area has a population of 249,501 inhabitants.

Several Roman emperors were born in Niš or used it as a residence: Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor and the founder of Constantinople, Constantius III, Constans, Vetranio, Julian, Valentinian I, Valens; and Justin I. Emperor Claudius Gothicus decisively defeated the Goths at the Battle of Naissus (present-day Niš). Later playing a prominent role in the history of the Byzantine Empire, the city's past would earn it the nickname Imperial City.

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👉 Niš in the context of Constantine the Great

Constantine I (27 February 272 – 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, or known mononymously as Constantine, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a pivotal role in elevating the status of Christianity in Rome, the Edict of Milan decriminalising Christian practice and ceasing Christian persecution. This was a turning point in the Christianisation of the Roman Empire. He founded the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul) and made it the capital of the Empire, which it remained for over a millennium.

Born in Naissus, a city located in the province of Moesia Superior (now Niš, Serbia), Constantine was the son of Flavius Constantius, a Roman army officer from Moesia Superior, who would become one of the four emperors of the Tetrarchy. His mother, Helena, was a woman of low birth, probably from Bithynia. Later canonised as a saint, she is credited for the conversion of her son in some traditions, though others believe that Constantine converted her. He served with distinction under emperors Diocletian and Galerius. He began his career by campaigning in the eastern provinces against the Persians, before being recalled to the west in AD 305 to fight with his father in the province of Britannia. After his father's death in 306, Constantine was proclaimed as augustus (emperor) by his army at Eboracum (York, England). He eventually emerged victorious in Civil wars of the Tetrarchy against the emperors Maxentius and Licinius to become the sole ruler of the Roman Empire by 324.

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Niš in the context of Battle of Nish (1443)

The Battle of Nish (early November 1443) was fought between the Crusaders led by John Hunyadi and Đurađ Branković and the Ottoman Empire led by Kasım Pasha. It saw the Crusaders capture the Ottoman stronghold of Nish (Niš) in Serbia, and defeat two armies of the Ottoman Empire. The Battle of Nish was part of Hunyadi's expedition known as the long campaign. Hunyadi, at the head of the vanguard, crossed the Balkans through the Gate of Trajan, captured Nish, defeated three Ottoman pashas, and after taking Sofia from the Ottomans, united with the royal army and defeated Sultan Murad II at Snaim (Kustinitza). The impatience of the king and the severity of the winter then compelled him (in February 1444) to return home.

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Niš in the context of Nišava District

The Nišava District (Serbian: Нишавски округ, romanizedNišavski okrug, pronounced [nîʃaʋskiː ôkruːɡ]) is one of administrative districts of Serbia. It lies in the southeastern parts of Serbia. According to the 2022 census, it has a population of 343,950 inhabitants. The administrative center of the district is the city of Niš. After South Bačka District, it is the second largest District in Serbia.

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Niš in the context of Niš Declaration

The Niš Declaration (Serbian: Niška deklaracija, Serbian Cyrillic: Нишка декларација) was a document issued on 7 December 1914, in the midst of World War I, in which the government of the Kingdom of Serbia formally declared its wartime objectives. Published during the Battle of Kolubara as a defensive declaration seeking to attract support from the South Slavs living in Austria-Hungary, it contained a promise to work for the liberation of South Slavs from foreign rule and the establishment of a common South Slavic state after the war. As the Serbian government had withdrawn from Belgrade earlier in the conflict, the declaration was adopted in the temporary Serbian capital of Niš.

The Triple Entente did not accept the objectives set out in the Niš Declaration because they supported the preservation of Austria-Hungary. In subsequent years, Allied support for a separate peace with Austria-Hungary and trialist reform proposals such as the May Declaration of 1917 motivated the Serbian government to cooperate with the Yugoslav Committee. Negotiations between the Serbian government and the Yugoslav Committee led to the Corfu Declaration of 1917, in which the two sides agreed to the creation of a common South Slavic state once the war had ended.

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Niš in the context of Socialist Party of Serbia

The Socialist Party of Serbia (Serbian: Социјалистичка партија Србије, romanizedSocijalistička partija Srbije, abbr. SPS) is a social democratic and populist political party in Serbia. Ivica Dačić, the former prime minister of Serbia, has led SPS as its president since 2006.

SPS was founded in 1990 as a merger of the League of Communists of Serbia and Socialist Alliance of Working People of Yugoslavia with Slobodan Milošević as its first president. In the 1990 general elections, SPS became the ruling party of Serbia while Milošević was elected president of Serbia. During Milošević's rule, SPS relied on the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) from 1992 to 1993 while it later led several coalition governments with SRS, New Democracy, and Yugoslav Left. Mass protests against SPS were held in 1991, and after being accused of falsifying votes in major urban cities, such as Belgrade and Niš, 1996–1997 protests were also organised. The Democratic Opposition of Serbia coalition defeated SPS in the 2000 general elections but Milošević declined to accept the results. This resulted in Milošević's overthrow.

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Niš in the context of Southern Serbia (geographical region)

Southern Serbia (Serbian: Јужна Србија, romanizedJužna Srbija) or sometimes referred to as South Serbia, Southeastern Serbia, Southern Pomoravlje, South of Central Serbia, historically known as New Territories, is a historical and geographical region in Republic of Serbia which most often refers to the territories of Nišava, Toplica, Jablanica, Pčinja and Pirot Districts. This region occupies about 14,000 square kilometers and is home to about 877.000 people. More than a quarter of the population in the region lives in the city of Niš. People from Southern Serbia are commonly known as Southerners.

Southern Serbia is not an official subdivision of Serbia, nor are its borders precisely defined. The region is characterized by the South Morava river, which flows almost entirely through Southern Serbia and which has historically connected the peoples who lived in its basin. The region is defined by a common history and culture.

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