Princess Helena (69.html)

Fable by David KC COLE

Princess Helena

Constantine The Great

This is a story about 3 fathers:

Father: Old King Cole

Once upon a time, there was an old king of England with a beautiful daughter named Helena. This king was known as Old King Cole.

 Old King Cole
 Was a merry old soul
 And a merry old soul was he.
 
 He called for his pipe
 And he called for his bowl
 And he called for 
 His fiddlers three.		

One day, a Roman army invaded England. Constantius Chlorus led this huge army to attack Old King Cole's castle. But the war ended peacefully after Constantius married Princess Helena.

Father: Constantius Chlorus

Constantius Chlorus and Helena had a son, Constantine, (who was born around 272 AD). They decided to take their son to live in Rome. The boy was very intelligent and studied hard, especially about geography, philosophy and the military.

One of the strong rulers of Rome named Maximius (or Maximian) wanted Constantius to marry his step-daughter, Theodora. But there was a problem. . . . . Constantius was already married to Helena.

Helena knew that this might help their son, Constantine, achieve greatness and power. So she sacrificed her marriage and divorced Constantius. Then she went to live far away in a convent leaving Constantine behind to be raised in Rome, which was one of the most important cities of the world.

As the years went by, Constantius became a great ruler of Rome; he even arranged for Constantine to replace him after he died in the year 306 AD.

Father: Constantine

Constantine's real name was Flavius Valerius Constantinus. After his father's death, Emperor Constantine was given the important title Augustus. After his first wife died, Constantine married Fausta, the daughter of Maximius. Constantine always tried to be fair and to correct any wrongs that had been done to people in the past. His people loved him.

After Constantine saw a fiery cross in the sky one day in 310 AD, he became a devout Christian. He even invited his mother, Helena, to return from the convent so she could live and work with him. He conquered many countries and by 324 AD, became Emperor of the huge Holy Roman Empire (including all the countries around the Mediterranian Sea [see the map below]). Constantine ruled for many years. It was Constantine who decided that we should go to church each Sunday. He and his wife, Fausta, had 4 sons. Helena was their grandmother.

In those days, most kings and emperors died in battle. But Constantine died of old age in 337 AD. He arranged for his four sons to replace him, each ruling part of his empire.

Constantine was remembered as a very good ruler; and was known around the world as Constantine the Great.

During his rule, Constantine encouraged his mother, Helena, to go on crusades to many places. These included the land [now called Israel] where she discovered the actual Cross on which Christ had died. Helena died in 328 AD at the age of 80. During her lifetime, Helena had built many churches.

This story explains why little Princess Helena Cole was remembered as "Helen of the Cross."

The Holy Roman Empire (click on map to magnify)
The map came from this site.

St Helen`s Church (click on the picture to magnify)

The very old church in the picture above is in Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, England. It is the main church in the city where the author's grandfather was born and grew up. His grandfather was named Charles Percy Cole. Some of his relatives are buried in the St Helen Churchyard. This church is named after St. Helen. Like many other churches it was built in cruciform shape. Cruciform means the shape of a cross. But this church was probably built like that because St. Helen was known as "Helen of the Cross". The oldest part of St Helens church was built in 1280. No-one thinks that St Helen built this church.

This picture was taken by Mayor Roy Ransom Brockett of Kenmore, NY, in 1931.

Web Sources

COLE 200-1920

Constantine the great coins

Princess Helena Cole (68)