Theodosius I

1. REDIRECT Template:Infobox royaltyTheodosius I (11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. He was a general in the Roman army and the son of another general, Theodosius the Elder. When the emperor Valens died in battle fighting the Goths, Valens' nephew, the emperor Gratian, made Theodosius emperor. Theodosius married Gratian's sister. While emperor, Theodosius overcame three civil wars in the empire. Gratian and his brother the emperor Valentinian II both died young, and Theodosius made his own sons Arcadius and Honorius emperors. Theodosius made Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire and made other religions illegal.

Early life

Where Theodosius (Latin: Flavius Theodosius) was born is unknown. According to Hydatius and Zosimus, Theodosius was born in what is now Coca, Spain. However, Marcellinus Comes writes that he was from Italica, Hispania (now in Spain). His father was a military officer.

Death

Theodosius died in Milan on January 17, 395. When he died he was made into a god. Parts of the Christian Church name Theodosius a saint.

Christianity as religion of Roman Empire

Theodosius made the Nicene Creed the official belief system of the Roman Empire. Prior to that, many different creeds were believed. The Nicene Creed states that that Jesus, the Son, is equal to God the Father. Other people, such as Arius, said that Jesus was inferior to the Father. Theodosius affirmed the faith that the Council of Nicea agreed on.

Theodosius I Media

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  Theodosius was commander of the army in Moesia I in 374. His dismissal may have been connected to the accession of the emperor Valentinian II, which took place at Aquincum (Budapest) in nearby Pannonia Valeria, in 375.

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  The administrative divisions of the Roman Empire in 395, under Theodosius I.

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  Solidus of Valentinian II showing Valentinian II and Theodosius I on the reverse, each holding a mappa

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  Roman provinces along the Ister (Danube), showing the Roman dioceses of Thrace, Dacia, Pannonia and Italia Annonaria on the empire's northern frontier

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  Solidus of Theodosius, showing both him and his co-emperor Valentinian II (r. 375–392) enthroned on the reverse, each crowned by Victory and together holding an orb victoria augg ("the Victory of the Augusti")

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  Marble fragment of monumental column to emperor Theodosius I

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  Anthonis Van Dyke's 1619 painting of St. Ambrose blocking the cathedral door, refusing Theodosius' admittance, a "pious fiction" invented by Theodoret (National Gallery).

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  Missorium of Theodosius, found in 1847 in Almendralejo, Spain

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  View of the Hippodrome of Constantinople with the surviving Obelisk of Theodosius

Other websites

• De Imperatoribus Romanis, Theodosius I Archived 2015-03-15 at the Wayback Machine