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Aug 8, 2008 · He used his power to officially enforce orthodox Christianity, but ended up placing his power under that of the church, setting a standard for more than a millennium. Timeline 313
Theodosius was a strong adherent of the Christian doctrine of consubstantiality and an opponent of Arianism. He convened a council of bishops at the First Council of Constantinople in 381, which confirmed the former as orthodoxy and the latter as a heresy.
Feb 25, 2019 · This little-known Christian emperor would change the church in two ways. First, He called a Church Council at Constantinople and put an official end to the heresy of Arianism, codifying the Nicene Creed as we know it today, thus officially enforcing orthodox Christianity on the Empire.
- Overview
- Background and youth
- Early years as emperor
Theodosius I (born January 11, 347, Cauca, Gallaecia [now Coca, Spain]—died January 17, 395, Mediolanum [now Milan, Italy]) Roman emperor of the East (379–392) and then sole emperor of both East and West (392–395), who, in vigorous suppression of paganism and Arianism, established the creed of the Council of Nicaea (325) as the universal norm for C...
Theodosius was born in the province of Gallaecia in northwestern Spain. His father was to become the general Flavius Theodosius; his mother’s name is unknown. His grandparents, like his parents, were probably already Christians. Theodosius, who grew up in Spain, did not receive an extensive education but was intellectually open-minded and acquired a special interest in the study of history.
While on his father’s staff, he participated in campaigns against the Picts and Scots in Britain in 368–369, against the Alemanni in Gaul in 370, and against the Sarmatians in the Balkans in 372–373. As a military commander in Moesia, a Roman province on the lower Danube, he defeated the Sarmatians in 374. When his father was sentenced to death and executed as a result of political intrigues by enemies at court, Theodosius withdrew to his Spanish estates. At the end of 376, he married Aelia Flacilla, also a Spaniard. His first son, the future emperor Arcadius, was born in 377, and his daughter Pulcheria in 378.
Immediately after the catastrophic defeat of the emperor Valens, who perished at the hands of the Visigoths and other barbarians on August 9, 378, near Adrianople, the emperor Gratian unexpectedly summoned Theodosius to his court. When Theodosius had once again proved his military ability by a victory over the Sarmatians, Gratian proclaimed him co-emperor on January 19, 379. His dominion was to be the Eastern part of the empire, including the provinces of Dacia (present-day Romania) and Macedonia, which had been especially infiltrated by barbarians in the preceding few years.
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In 379 and 380 Theodosius resided chiefly in Thessalonica. He sought first to rebuild the army, the discipline of which was considerably impaired, and to consolidate Rome’s position on the Balkan Peninsula. Military unpreparedness could not be overcome by conscription alone, which applied only to certain classes. Theodosius therefore directed that large numbers of Teutons, who had been barred from military service, be accepted by the army. By 379, however, when foreigners had already intermingled extensively with the rest of the army, both among the troops and in all ranks of the officer corps, Theodosius did no more than many of his predecessors to encourage this process. In contrast to the West, in Theodosius’s provinces both Romans and Teutons were among the leading generals.
Recognizing that the barbarians, who had invaded the provinces as early as 375, could no longer be expelled by force and that he could count on Gratian for only limited assistance, Theodosius sought new possibilities for coexistence. This resulted in the friendly reception of the Visigoth Athanaric in 381 and the conclusion of a treaty of alliance, or foedus, with the main body of the Visigoths in the fall of 382. The Goths, who pledged themselves to lending military assistance, were assigned territory for settlement between the lower Danube and the Balkan mountains. Under this novel arrangement, an entire people was settled on imperial soil while retaining its autonomy. Theodosius may have hoped that the Goths would become integrated, as had a group of Goths who had settled near Nicopolis in Moesia circa 350; their leader, Bishop Ulfilas, undertook missionary work among the parties to the foedus of 382.
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Some historians have regarded Theodosius as biased in favour of the Goths. He has even been accused of having contributed decisively, through the treaty of 382, to the downfall of Rome. Yet, it should be noted that the policy of that treaty, which was undertaken in the justified expectation of raising Roman military strength and recultivating tracts of wasteland, by no means became customary. Instead, the emperor took strict measures against further invasions by Teutonic bands and did not permit any doubts to arise as to Roman claims of superiority over the barbarians.
Theodosius’s situation was complicated by the sharp antagonism that arose about 379 between disciples of the Nicene Creed (according to which Jesus Christ is of the same substance as God the Father) and several other Christian groups in his part of the empire. Theodosius himself, the first emperor who did not assume the title of pontifex maximus (supreme guardian of the old Roman cults), believed in the Nicene Creed, despite his baptism only after a serious illness in the fall of 380.
Apr 19, 2023 · One of the most significant actions of Theodosius’ reign was his efforts to establish Nicene Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire. He declared Nicene Christianity the state religion in 380 CE, and his reign saw the suppression of many pagan practices and beliefs.
Sep 23, 2021 · Theodosius was the first Christian Emperor to proscribe paganism and the famous Theodosian Decrees (379-382). These abolished the old Roman religion's last remaining practices and branded pagan rites and beliefs as witchcraft.
Life: AD 347 – 395. Bust believed to be of Theodosius I. Name: Flavius Theodosius. Born in AD 347 at Cauca in Spain. Became emperor on 19 January in AD 379. Wives: (1) Aelia Flavia Flaccilla (two sons; Arcadius; Honorius); (2) Galla (one daughter; Galla Placidia). Died in Mediolanum (Milan), January AD 395.
