Theodosius I

  • Theodosius I (379-395 CE) was the Last Roman Emperor to Rule both the Eastern and Western Roman Empire.
  • He passed the Edict of Thessalonica (380 CE) which enforced Christianity as the Roman State Religion and banned all other Religions, including the Olympic Games.

1. BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS

  • NAME:
    • Flavius Theodosius
    • As Emperor: Flavius Theodosius Augustus
  • THEODOSIUS I’ DATES OF REIGN AS EMPEROR:
    • As Eastern Emperor: 19 January 379 CE to 15 May 392 CE
    • As Emperor of East and West: 15 May 392 CE to 17 January 395 CE
  • FAMILY DYNASTY:
  • THEODOSIUS I’ DATE OF BIRTH AND DEATH:
    • Born 11 January 347 CE, Died 17 January 395 CE.
  • PLACE OF BIRTH AND DEATH:
  • THEODOSIUS I’ PREDECESSOR:
  • THEODOSIUS I’ SUCCESSOR:
  • THEODOSIUS I’ RIGHT HAND MAN:
  • HEIR TO THE THRONE BECAUSE:
    • Gratian appointed Theodosius I as Emperor in the East in 379 CE.
  • THEODOSIUS I’ FATHER:
    • Theodosius the Elder
  • THEODOSIUS I’ MOTHER:
    • Thermantia
  • THEODOSIUS I’ WIVES AND CHILDREN:
  • DIED PEACEFULLY OR ASSASSINATED:
    • Theodosius died from a disease.
  • WHERE BURIED:
  • THEODOSIUS I WAS FAMOUS BECAUSE:

2. GOOD OR BAD EMPEROR

Massacre of Thessalonica (April 390 CE)

    • Theodosius was responsible for 7,000 of the town’s population being executed in retaliation for a Riot in which Butheric, the Gothic Magister Militum of Illyricum, had been killed along with other Roman Officials.
    • Theodosius was obliged to apologise to Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, and repent. Ambrose obliged Theodosius to pass a new Edict giving a 30 day delay after a death sentence had been issued.

St. Theodosius

    • He is known as St. Theodosius in the Orthodox Church for his Edict of Thessalonica making Christianity the State Religion.

3. REIGN OF THEODOSIUS I

  • THEODOSIUS I’ MILITARY CAMPAIGNS:
    • Battle of Frigidus (5-6th Sept 394 CE)
      • Fought against the western Emperor Eugenius, after which Theodosius I ruled both halves of the Empire. This was really a battle between the old Pagan Senators of Rome and the new Christian Emperors.
    • The Goths:
      • He was obliged to accept the settlement of the Goths south of the Danube, and use them as recruits in the Roman Army, however they acted as Foederati under their own Commanders. As their loyalty varied in battles against other Germanic invasions, this ultimately weakened the Roman Empire’s ability to defend itself.
  • THEODOSIUS I’ RELIGIOUS REFORMS:
    • From 380 CE, Theodosius began persecuting the old Roman Pagan Religion.

Edict of Thessalonica (27 Feb 380 CE)

    • This banned all other forms of Christianity apart from the Nicene Creed.
    • The Edict ended the worship of the Ancient Egyptian Religion in Egypt, and the Cult of Isis. The end of the Egyptian Priesthood also ended the use of Egyptian Hieroglyphs, which became a lost language until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone and Champollion.
    • It ended the worship of the Ancient Roman Pagan Religion.
    • It ended the worship of the Ancient Greek Religion.
    • Theodosius then ordered the destruction of three famous Pagan Temples:
      • Serapium of Alexandria 391 CE
      • Temple of Apollo in Delphi destroyed in 390 CE
      • Temple of the Vestal Virgins in Rome 394 CE
    • Eleusinian Mysteries were ended in 392 CE by closing all their Sanctuaries, as being too Pagan.

First Council of Constantinople (381 CE)

4. CONSEQUENCES OF THEODOSIUS I’ REIGN

  • EXPANSION OR CONTRACTION UNDER THEODOSIUS:
  • Battle of Frigidus (5-6 Sept 394 CE)
    • Against the western Emperor Eugenius, after which Theodosius I reunited both halves of the Empire. This was really a battle between the old Pagan Senators of Rome and the new Christian Emperors.
  • Settlement of the Goths:
    • He was obliged to accept the settlement of the Goths south of the Danube, and use them as recruits in the Roman Army,
    • However they acted as Foederati under their own Commanders. As their loyalty varied in battles against other Germanic invasions, this ultimately weakened the Roman Empire’s ability to defend itself.
  • After his Death in 385 CE, the Roman Empire was permanently divided.
  • THEODOSIUS I’ MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS:

5. THE SUCCESSION

  • Theodosius I’ two sons inherited the Empire:
    • Arcadius
      • At the age of 12 in the East.
      • His Guardian was the Magister Militum in the West, Stilicho.
    • Honorius
      • At the age of 8 in the West.
      • His Guardian was technically Stilicho, but his Praetorian Prefect in the East was Rufinas who had more influence.

Stilicho (359-408 CE)

Rise to Power:

Magister Militum in the West:

  • In 395 CE he was appointed by Theodosius I to act as Regent for the Emperor Honorius, who was too young to rule. He also claimed to have been appointed to act as Regent for Arcadius, Honorius‘ brother in the Eastern Empire.
  • He was therefore Supreme Commander of the Western Roman Armies in all but name, and had influence in the Court of the Eastern Empire.

Rufinus, Magister Militum in the East

  • His rival was Rufinus, the Praetorian Prefect of the East, who held the same power as Stilicho because Arcadius was also too young to rule.

6. BUILDINGS AND MONUMENTS TO VISIT

7. BIBLIOGRAPHY

  • CLASSICAL SOURCES:
    • Zosimus Historia Nova
    • Edward Gibbon: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

 

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