Theodosius I "the Great" (11 January 347-17 January 395) was Eastern Roman Emperor from 19 January 379 to 15 May 392 (succeeding Valens and preceding Arcadius) and Roman emperor from 15 May 392 to 17 January 395 (succeeding Gratian and Valentinian II and preceding Arcadius and Honorius). He was the last Roman emperor to reign over a united Roman Empire, permanently dividing it into halves ruled by his sons. He also notably made Christianity the state religion of the empire in 380 AD.
Biography[]
Early career[]
A young Theodosius
Theodosius was born in Cauca, Gallaecia, Hispania (now Coca, Spain) in 347 AD, the son of the military officer Theodosius the Elder. He served under his father in Britannia before becoming Governor of Moesia in 373, fighting against the Sarmatians and Alemanni. In 374, he became dux (military commander) of Moesia, and he defended his province against the Sarmatians and Quadi with remarkable success. However, at the same time as the disgrace and execution of his father, he returned to Hispania, and, following the death of Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in 378, the new emperor Gratian invited Theodosius to take command of the Illyrian army. This effectively made Theodosius the co-ruler of the eastern half of the Roman Empire, and he became the Eastern Roman emperor in 379. From 379 to 382, he fought against the invading Goths, signing a peace treaty with the Goths on 3 October 382. Theodosius' victory led to the Goths becoming foederati, settling them in Illyricum.
Reign[]
An older Theodosius
In 380, Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessalonica, which declared Christianity to be the only legitimate imperial religion, and ended state support for pagan religions. He also oversaw the destruction of several pagan temples across the empire by Christian mobs, and he dissolved the Vestal Virgins of Rome. In 393, he would ban the Olympics in Greece due to their featuring of nude males taking part in a pagan sporting competition.
After Gratian was killed in a rebellion in 383, Theodosius appointed his son Arcadius to be co-ruler in the East. In 390, the people of Thessalonica revolted against their Gothic foederati garrison, so Theodosius had the Goths kill 7,000 Thessalonicans at the circus, leading to his excommunication. He went to war with the usurpers Magnus Maximus from 387 to 388 and Eugenius in 394, winning both of the destructive civil wars. Upon his death in 395, he divided the Roman Empire into western and eastern halves, ruled by his sons Honorius and Arcadius, respectively.
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