THEODOSIUS I
Flavius Theodocius was born on January 11th, 347 in Cauca, Spain and became sole emperor of the Eastern and Western empires at the age of 32. After his reign ended in 395, the Western and Eastern empires separated permanently. Also known as Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great, he was responsible for making Christianity the official religion of the empire.
Theodosius' father, Theodosius the elder, was a senior military officer and he too became a military commander. In 374 he commanded the small province of Moesia located at the lower Danube. Shortly after his father's death during the same year, Theodosius chose to retire from the military and stayed at his hometown Cauca.
It is unclear whether he retired because of his father's death or if he was relieved from the post after his two legions, the legion of Pannonia and the legion of Moesia, lost in a battle against Sarmatians in the province of Valeria.
During this time, the empire was being ruled by two emperors, Valentinian I and Valens. After the emperor Valentinian I died, Theodosius decided to remain in retirement and lived the life of an aristocrat.
Valentinian was replaced as Western Emperor by his son Valentinian II and another emperor Gratian. After the emperor of the East, Valens died in the Battle of Adrianople in 378, Gratian appointed Theodosius to become Eastern emperor.
As emperor of the Eastern Empire, Theodosius had to deal with the Goths that were ravaging the Easter Balkans. The influence of the Goths had spread to Macedonia and Dacia, provinces that were under the control of the Western Empire.
This prompted Gratian to temporarily surrender control of these provinces to Theodosius until the problems with the Goths had been settled. In 379, a general under Theodosius, Modares had won an important battle against the Goths but decisions made by Theodosius at the latter part of the year resulted in defeats in 380.
Theodosius hired Barbarians to fight with the Roman army and these new recruits naturally had very little loyalty to the Romans or their cause. Many of these recruits defected to the other camp.
On November 24th, 380, Theodosius entered Constantinople for the first time. While in Constantinople, he wrote to Gratian and requested for assistance to drive the Goths out of Illyricum. Gratian first sent his generals Bauto and Arbogast but later on went there to battle out against the Goths himself. Theodosius and Gratian successfully defeated the Goths and drove them out of Illyricum into Thrace in 381.
The following year, Theodosius was able to reach a settlement with the remaining Goths. The Goths were allowed to settle in the diocese of Thrace right along the Danube and were given a certain amount of autonomy. How this settlement was reached is still unclear. Many of these Goths even served the Roman army so they posed as a constant threat to internal security.
Theodosius married twice, first to Aelia Flavia Flacilla but she died in 386. They had three children, Arcadius, Honorius and Pulcheria. In 387 he married Galla, the daughter of Valentinian I. They had three children, Gratian, Galla Placida and John. Galla died while giving birth to John. John also did not survive.
Theodosius fought two civil wars, one headed by Eugenius and another headed by Magnus Maximus. After Gracian's death in 383 and the death of Valentinian in 392, Theodocius became sole ruler of the whole empire. Theodosius I died of Oedema in Milan on January 7th, 395. After ten months, on November 8th, 395, he was laid to rest in Constantinople.Original Authors: Doods Pangburn
Edit Update Authors: M.A.Harris
Updated On: 22/07/2008
