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I am a great battle; long ago I took place,
The name is Nick though that wasn't always the case.

The King or the prince, which one was greater?,
Some said "The king!, The prince, he came later!"

In the end, the high king's faction lost,
And the emperor banished the leader of their host.

No blows were exchanged; not one single kill,
But my outcome is affirmed by millions now still.

What am I?

Hint #1:

The emperor was a real (i.e. not metaphorical) emperor.

Hint #2:

One line is much more helpful if understood phonetically instead of literally.

Hint #3:

The outcome is affirmed multiple times a month.

Hint #4:

I'm Not Relatively Inferior

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3 Answers 3

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This refers to

The First Council of Nicaea, I believe.

I am a great battle; long ago I took place,

It occurred in the 4th century AD.

The name is Nick though that wasn't always the case.

Nicaea is now called Iznik, Turkey.

The King or the prince, which one was greater?,

Debating over the primacy of The Father or the Son.

Some said "The king!, The prince, he came later!"

The presbyter Arius was in favour of sole primacy of God since Jesus came later.

In the end, the high king's faction lost,

The Father and the Son were affirmed by the Council to be worshipped on equal footing.

And the emperor banished the leader of their host.

Arius was banished by the convenir of the Council, the Emperor Constantine.

No blows were exchanged; not one single kill,

It was just a theological debate.

But my outcome is affirmed by millions now still.

Every weekend Catholics say the Nicene Creed, formulated and affirmed at this Council, during Mass.

Hint #1:

The emperor was a real (i.e. not metaphorical) emperor.

Hint #1 Resolution:

The emperor Constantine was indeed a real emperor.

Hint #2:

One line is much more helpful if understood phonetically instead of literally.

Hint #2 Resolution:

Nicaea and Nick sound phonetically similar.

Hint #3:

The outcome is affirmed multiple times a month.

Hint #3 Resolution:

The outcome (the Nicene Creed) is affirmed every weekend at Mass.

Hint #4:

I'm Not Relatively Inferior

Hint #4 Resolution:

This is a really amusing and helpful hint, and it’s pretty meta too (it’s what tipped me off to the answer!) The initials are INRI — short for Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews) — which was written on the wooden sign identifying him as he was crucified. It also refers to the fact that Jesus was not relatively inferior to God, as the Council of Nicaea affirmed that he was to be worshipped as an equal of God as part of the Holy Trinity.

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  • $\begingroup$ You got it! All the explanations are spot on as well! Good job! $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 17, 2018 at 13:41
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This is a stretch-and-a-half, but is this

The Geocentric-Heliocentric Debate?

I am a great battle; long ago I took place,

It took place in the 1500s.

The name is Nick though that wasn't always the case.

Nicolaus Copernicus?

The King or the prince, which one was greater?,

Sun-round-Earth or Earth-round-Sun?

Some said "The king!, The prince, he came later!"

Many argued Sun-round-Earth because it was an earlier theory.

In the end, the high king's faction lost,

Sun-round-Earth eventually lost

And the emperor banished the leader of their host.

However at the time, the emperor (Pope?) banished Galileo (the most vocal proponent of Earth-round-Sun) to house arrest.

No blows were exchanged; not one single kill,

Nobody was killed.

But my outcome is affirmed by millions now still.

But everybody believes in Earth-round-Sun now.

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  • $\begingroup$ Another good guess! You're on the right track in the sense that it was an ancient debate rather than a physical war. However, the emperor banished the leader of the losing side, not the winning one. The emperor is also a more literal emperor than the Pope. $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 14, 2018 at 22:02
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Could this be

The chicken vs egg debate? :P

I am a great battle; long ago I took place,

Surely was a great long debate

The name is Nick though that wasn't always the case.

?

The King or the prince, which one was greater?,

King is the chicken and prince is the egg?

Some said "The king!, the prince, he came later!"

They said the chicken came first, and the egg came later

In the end, the high king's faction lost,

It was finally decided that the egg came first

And the emperor banished the leader of their host.

?

No blows were exchanged; not one single kill,

I'm not sure, but I don't think any chicken or egg killed the other to make a point

But my outcome is affirmed by millions now still.

Now everyone believes the egg came first.

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Clever answer, and good explanation for most of the lines! Unfortunately, not correct. $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 14, 2018 at 15:47
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    $\begingroup$ I agree that this is a clever answer, but I wouldn't say that everyone agrees with this. Though technically by the theory of evolution, yes it has been proven. $\endgroup$
    – Taco
    Commented Sep 14, 2018 at 18:56

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