Licinius was a soldier and friend of Galerius. When Diocletian effected the Tetrarchy, Galerius became emperor of the East and he named his friend emperor of the West.

Licinius cohabited the west with the usurper Maxentius whom he was unable to expel; his own rival Constantine I later getting the job done.

When Galerius died in 311 Licinius moved out East becoming Galerius’s successor and leaving the West to be squabbled between Maxentius and Constantine.

Within another year Constantine would defeat Maxentius and Licinius the usurper Maximinus Daia.

From then on Licinius and Constantine would be on-again off-again enemies partly because Constantine was Christian while Licinius pagan and partly simply because each wished to be sole emperor.

In the end several battles fought and lost to Constantine had him on the run until he could gather no more armies, abdicated and though pardoned executed anyway some time afterwards on trumped-up conspiracy charges.

But hardly any tears were shed for Licinius was a cruel ruler with few redeeming qualities, in contrast to Constantine.