Theodosius II

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There was also a Theodosius II of Abkhazia.

Theodosius II
Emperor of the Roman Empire
Bust of Theodosius II
Reign	January 402 - 1 May 408 (with Arcadius); 1 May 408 – 28 July 450 (alone, with his sister acting as regent from 408 to 416)
Full name	Flavius Theodosius Augustus
Born	10 April 401
Died	28 July 450(450-07-28) (aged 49)
Predecessor	Arcadius
Successor	Marcian
Wife	Aelia Eudocia
Issue	Licinia Eudoxia
Father	Arcadius
Mother	Aelia Eudoxia

Theodosius II (Latin: Flavius Theodosius Junior Augustus;^[1] 10 April 401 – 28 July 450),^[2] commonly surnamed Theodosius the Younger,^[3] or Theodosius the Calligrapher, was Roman Emperor from 408 to 450. He is mostly known for promulgating the Theodosian law code, and for the construction of the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople. He also presided over the outbreak of two great christological controversies, Nestorianism and Eutychianism.

Life

Theodosius was born in 401 as the only son of Emperor Arcadius and his Frankish-born wife Aelia Eudoxia. Already in January AD 402 he was proclaimed co-Augustus by his father, thus becoming the youngest person ever to bear this title in Roman history.^[4] In 408, his father died and the seven-year-old boy became Emperor of the Eastern half of the Roman Empire.

Government was at first by the Praetorian Prefect Anthemius, under whose supervision the Theodosian land walls of Constantinople were constructed.

In 414, Theodosius' older sister Pulcheria was proclaimed Augusta and assumed the regency. By 416 Theodosius was declared Augustus in his own right and the regency ended, but his sister remained a strong influence on him. In June 421, Theodosius married Aelia Eudocia, a woman of Greek origin.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9] The two had a daughter named Licinia Eudoxia.

Theodosius' increasing interest in Christianity, fueled by the influence of Pulcheria, lead him to go to the war against the Sassanids (421–422), who were persecuting Christians; the war ended in a stalemate, when the Romans were forced to accept peace as the Huns menaced Constantinople.^[10]

In 423, the Western Emperor Honorius, Theodosius' uncle, died and the primicerius notariorum Joannes was proclaimed Emperor. Honorius' sister Galla Placidia and her young son Valentinian fled to Constantinople to seek Eastern assistance and after some deliberation in 424 Theodosius opened the war against Joannes. On 23 October 425, Valentinian III was installed as Emperor of the West with the assistance of the magister officiorum Helion, with his mother acting as regent. To strengthen the ties between the two parts of the Empire, Theodosius' daughter Licinia Eudoxia was betrothed to Valentinian.

University and Law Code

In 425, Theodosius founded the University of Constantinople with 31 chairs (15 in Latin and 16 in Greek). Among subjects were law, philosophy, medicine, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music and rhetoric.

In 429, Theodosius appointed a commission to collect all of the laws since the reign of Constantine I, and create a fully formalized system of law. This plan was left unfinished, but the work of a second commission that met in Constantinople, assigned to collect all of the general legislations and bring them up to date was completed, and their collection published as the Codex Theodosianus in 438. The law code of Theodosius II, summarizing edicts promulgated since Constantine, formed a basis for the law code of Emperor Justinian I, the Corpus Juris Civilis, in the following century.

Wars with the Huns, Vandals, and Persians

The war with Persia proved indecisive, and a peace was arranged in 422 without changes to the status quo. The later wars of Theodosius were generally less successful.

The Eastern Empire was plagued by raids by the Huns. Early in Theodosius II's reign Romans used internal Hun discord to overcome Uldin's invasion of the Balkans. The Romans strengthened their fortifications and in 424 agreed to pay 350 pounds of gold to encourage the Huns to remain at peace with the Romans. In 433 with the rise of Attila and Bleda to unify the Huns, the payment was increased to 700 pounds.

When Roman Africa fell to the Vandals in 439, both Eastern and Western Emperors sent forces to Sicily, intending to launch an attack at the Vandals at Carthage, but this project failed. Seeing the Imperial borders without significant forces, the Huns and Sassanid Persia both attacked and the expeditionary force had to be recalled. During 443 two Roman armies were defeated and destroyed by the Huns. Anatolius negotiated a peace agreement; the Huns withdrew in exchange for humiliating concessions, including an annual tribute of 2,100 Roman pounds (ca. 687 kg) of gold.^[11] In 447 the Huns went through the Balkans, destroying among others the city of Serdica (Sofia) and reaching Athyra (Büyükçekmece) on the outskirts of Constantinople.

Theological disputes

Theodosius welcomes the relics of John Chrysostom. Miniature from early 11th century.

During a visit to Syria, Theodosius met the monk Nestorius, who was a renowned preacher. He appointed Nestorius Archbishop of Constantinople in 428. Nestorius quickly became involved in the disputes of two theological factions, which differed in their Christology. Nestorius tried to find a middle ground between those who, emphasizing the fact that in Christ God had been born as a man, insisted on calling the Virgin Mary Theotokos ("birth-giver of God"), and those who rejected that title because God, as an eternal being, could not have been born. Nestorius suggested the title Christotokos ("birth-giver of Christ") as a compromise, but it did not find acceptance with either faction. He was accused of separating Christ's divine and human natures, resulting in "two Christs", a heresy later called Nestorianism. Though initially supported by the emperor, Nestorius found a forceful opponent in Archbishop Cyril of Alexandria. At the request of Nestorius, the emperor called a council, which convened in Ephesus in 431. This council affirmed the title Theotokos and condemned Nestorius, who returned to his monastery in Syria and was eventually exiled to a remote monastery in Egypt.

Almost twenty years later, the theological dispute broke out again, this time caused by the Constantinopolitan abbot Eutyches, whose Christology was understood by some to mingle Christ's divine and human nature into one. Eutyches was condemned by Archbishop Flavian of Constantinople but found a powerful friend in Cyril's successor Dioscurus of Alexandria. Another council was convoked in Ephesus in 449, later deemed a "robber synod" by Pope Leo I because of its tumultuous circumstances. This council restored Eutyches and deposed Flavian, who was mistreated and died shortly afterwards. Leo of Rome and many other bishops protested against the outcome, but the emperor supported it. Only after his death in 450 would the decisions be reversed at the Council of Chalcedon.

Death

Theodosius died in 450 as the result of a riding accident. In the ensuing power struggle, his sister Pulcheria, who had recently returned to court, won out against the eunuch Chrysaphius. She married the general Marcian, thereby making him Emperor.

References and sources

References

↑ Consular diptych of 430
↑ "Theodosius II" in The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, New York & Oxford, 1991, p. 2051. ISBN 0195046528
↑ Gibbon, Edward. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Chapters 32 & 34
↑ http://www.roman-empire.net/constant/theodosius-II.html
↑ Duncan, Alistair (1974). The noble heritage: Jerusalem and Christianity, a portrait of the Church of the Resurrection. Longman. p. 28. ISBN 0-582-78039-X. "In 438 the Empress Eudocia, wife of Theodosius II, visited Jerusalem. On her return to Constantinople, after donating towards the building of new churches, she was displaced in court circles by her sister-in-law because of her Greek origin. Only one part of her churches remains."
↑ Morgan, Robin (1996). Sisterhood is global: the international women's movement anthology. Feminist Press. p. 270. ISBN 1-55861-160-6. "Greek women also were visible during the Byzantine period. In 421 CE, Emperor Theodosius II married a pagan Athenian woman, Athenais; after baptism she became Eudocia."
↑ Mahler, Helen A. (1952). Empress of Byzantium. Coward-McCann. p. 106. OCLC 331435. "Athenais, daughter of the Athenian scholar, Leontius. Before the wedding she would receive in holy baptism the name of his mother, the exalted Empress Eudoxia but because of Athenais' Greek origin the name would be pronounced Eudocia."
↑ Cheetham, Nicolas (1981). Mediaeval Greece. Yale University Press. p. 12. ISBN 0-300-10539-8. "Immensely proud of her Hellenic ancestry and culture, Eudocia dominated her…"
↑ Cuming, G. J. ; Baker, Derek ; Ecclesiastical History Society (1972). Popular belief and practice: Volume 8 of Studies in church history. CUP Archive. p. 13. ISBN 0-521-08220-X. "Eudocia herself, the daughter of a pagan Athenian philosopher, embraced the new faith in a mood of total acceptance. Very conscious of her Hellenic heritage, as her famous address to the citizens of Antioch showed,"
↑ Warren T. Treadgold, A history of the Byzantine state and society, Stanford University Press, 1997, ISBN 0-8047-2630-2, p. 90.
↑ Bury, J.B., History of the Later Roman Empire vol. 1, Dover, New York, 1958, p. 271f

Sources

S. Crogiez-Pétrequin, P. Jaillette, J.-M. Poinsotte (eds.), Codex Theodosianus V. Texte latin d'après l'édition de Mommsen. Traduction, introduction et notes, Brepols Publishers, 2009, ISBN 978-2-503-51722-3
Fergus Miller: A Greek Roman Empire: Power and Belief Under Theodosius II. University of California Press, Berkeley 2006.
Vasiliki Limberis, Divine Heiress: The Virgin Mary and the Creation of Christian Constantinople (London: Routledge, 1994) has a significant section about Theodosius II and his sister Pulcheria.
Hugh Elton, "Imperial politics at the court of Theodosius II," in Andrew Cain (ed), The Power of Religion in Late Antiquity: The Power of Religion in Late Antiquity (Aldershot, Ashgate, 2009), 133–142.

External links

Media related to Theodosius II at Wikimedia Commons

Reign of Theodosius II (chapter of J. B. Bury's History of the Later Roman Empire)
Theodosian Code: Sections concerning religious observances (English)
George Long, "Codex Theodosianus"
Nathan, Geoffrey, "Theodosius II (408–450 A.D.)", De Imperatoribus Romanis
This list of Roman laws of the fourth century shows laws passed by Theodosius II relating to Christianity.

Regnal titles
Theodosius II House of Theodosius Born: April 401 Died: 28 July 450
Preceded by Arcadius	Roman Emperor 402–450 with Arcadius (402-408)	Succeeded by Marcian
Political offices
Preceded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Arcadius Augustus V, Imp. Caesar Flavius Honorius Augustus V	Consul of the Roman Empire 403 with Flavius Rumoridus	Succeeded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Honorius Augustus VI, Aristaenetus
Preceded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Arcadius Augustus VI, Anicius Petronius Probus	Consul of the Roman Empire 407 with Imp. Caesar Flavius Honorius Augustus VII	Succeeded by Anicius Auchenius Bassus, Flavius Philippus
Preceded by Anicius Auchenius Bassus, Flavius Philippus	Consul of the Roman Empire 409 with Imp. Caesar Flavius Honorius Augustus VIII Imp. Caesar Flavius Claudius Constantinus Augustus	Succeeded by Varanes, Tertullus
Preceded by Varanes, Tertullus	Consul of the Roman Empire 411	Succeeded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Honorius Augustus IX, Imp. Caesar Flavius Theodosius Augustus V
Preceded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Theodosius Augustus IV	Consul of the Roman Empire 412 with Imp. Caesar Flavius Honorius Augustus IX	Succeeded by Flavius Lucius, Heraclianus
Preceded by Flavius Constantius, Flavius Constans	Consul of the Roman Empire 415 with Imp. Caesar Flavius Honorius Augustus X	Succeeded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Theodosius Augustus VII, Flavius Iunius Quartus Palladius
Preceded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Honorius Augustus X, Imp. Caesar Flavius Theodosius Augustus VI	Consul of the Roman Empire 416 with Flavius Iunius Quartus Palladius	Succeeded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Honorius Augustus XI, Flavius Constantius II
Preceded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Honorius Augustus XI, Flavius Constantius II	Consul of the Roman Empire 418 with Imp. Caesar Flavius Honorius Augustus XII	Succeeded by Flavius Monaxius, Flavius Plinta
Preceded by Flavius Monaxius, Flavius Plinta	Consul of the Roman Empire 420 with Flavius Constantius III	Succeeded by Flavius Eustathius, Flavius Agricola
Preceded by Flavius Eustathius, Flavius Agricola	Consul of the Roman Empire 422 with Imp. Caesar Flavius Honorius Augustus XIII	Succeeded by Flavius Asclepiodotus, Flavius Avitus Marinianus
Preceded by Flavius Castinus, Flavius Victor	Consul of the Roman Empire 425 with Flavius Placidus Valentinianus Caesar Imp. Caesar Iohannes Augustus (only in Rome)	Succeeded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Theodosius Augustus XII, Imp. Caesar Flavius Placidus Valentinianus Augustus II
Preceded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Theodosius Augustus XI, Flavius Placidus Valentinianus Caesar, Imp. Caesar Iohannes Augustus (only in Rome)	Consul of the Roman Empire 426 with Imp. Caesar Flavius Placidus Valentinianus Augustus II	Succeeded by Flavius Hierius, Flavius Ardabur
Preceded by Flavius Florentius, Flavius Dionysius	Consul of the Roman Empire 430 with Imp. Caesar Flavius Placidus Valentinianus Augustus III	Succeeded by Flavius Anicius Auchenius Bassus, Flavius Antiochus
Preceded by Flavius Aetius, Flavius Valerius	Consul of the Roman Empire 433 with Petronius Maximus	Succeeded by Flavius Ardaburius Asparus, Flavius Areobindus
Preceded by Flavius Ardaburius Asparus, Flavius Areobindus	Consul of the Roman Empire 435 with Imp. Caesar Flavius Placidus Valentinianus Augustus IV	Succeeded by Flavius Anthemius Isidorus Theophilus, Flavius Senator
Preceded by Flavius Aetius II, Flavius Sigisvultus	Consul of the Roman Empire 438 with Anicius Acilius Glabrio Faustus	Succeeded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Theodosius Augustus XVII, Festus
Preceded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Theodosius Augustus XVI, Anicius Acilius Glabrio Faustus	Consul of the Roman Empire 439 with Flavius Rufius Postumius Festus	Succeeded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Placidus Valentinianus Augustus V, Anatolius
Preceded by Petronius Maximus II, Flavius Paterius	Consul of the Roman Empire 444 with Fl. Caecina Decius Aginatius Albinus	Succeeded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Placidus Valentinianus Augustus VI, Flavius Nomus

v t e Roman emperors

Principate 27 BC – 235 AD	Augustus Tiberius Caligula Claudius Nero Galba Otho Vitellius Vespasian Titus Domitian Nerva Trajan Hadrian Antoninus Pius Marcus Aurelius with Lucius Verus Commodus Pertinax Didius Julianus Septimius Severus Caracalla Geta Macrinus with Diadumenian Elagabalus Alexander Severus

Crisis 235–284	Maximinus Thrax Gordian I and Gordian II Pupienus and Balbinus Gordian III Philip the Arab Decius with Herennius Etruscus Hostilian Trebonianus Gallus with Volusianus Aemilianus Valerian Gallienus with Saloninus Claudius Gothicus Quintillus Aurelian Tacitus Florianus Probus Carus Carinus Numerian

Dominate 284–395	Diocletian Maximian Constantius Chlorus Galerius Severus Maxentius Maximinus Daia Licinius with Valerius Valens and Martinianus Constantine the Great Constantine II Constans I Constantius II with Vetranio Julian Jovian Valentinian I Valens Gratian Valentinian II Theodosius I

Western Empire 395–480	Honorius with Constantine III Constantius III Joannes Valentinian III Petronius Maximus Avitus Majorian Libius Severus Anthemius Olybrius Glycerius Julius Nepos Romulus Augustulus

Eastern/ Byzantine Empire 395–1204	Arcadius Theodosius II Marcian Leo I the Thracian Leo II Zeno Basiliscus Anastasius I Justin I Justinian I Justin II Tiberius II Constantine Maurice Phocas Heraclius Constantine III Heraklonas Constans II Constantine IV Justinian II Leontios Tiberios III Philippikos Anastasios II Theodosios III Leo III the Isaurian Constantine V Artabasdos Leo IV the Khazar Constantine VI Irene Nikephoros I Staurakios Michael I Rangabe Leo V the Armenian Michael II the Amorian Theophilos Michael III Basil I the Macedonian Leo VI the Wise Alexander Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos Romanos I Lekapenos Romanos II Nikephoros II Phokas John I Tzimiskes Basil II Constantine VIII Zoe Romanos III Argyros Michael IV the Paphlagonian Michael V Kalaphates Constantine IX Monomachos Theodora Michael VI Bringas Isaac I Komnenos Constantine X Doukas Romanos IV Diogenes Michael VII Doukas Nikephoros III Botaneiates Alexios I Komnenos John II Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos Alexios II Komnenos Andronikos I Komnenos Isaac II Angelos Alexios III Angelos Alexios IV Angelos Alexios V Doukas

Empire of Nicaea 1204–1261	Constantine Laskaris Theodore I Laskaris John III Doukas Vatatzes Theodore II Laskaris John IV Laskaris

Eastern/ Byzantine Empire 1261–1453	Michael VIII Palaiologos Andronikos II Palaiologos Michael IX Palaiologos Andronikos III Palaiologos John V Palaiologos John VI Kantakouzenos Matthew Kantakouzenos Andronikos IV Palaiologos John VII Palaiologos Andronikos V Palaiologos Manuel II Palaiologos John VIII Palaiologos Constantine XI Palaiologos

Authority control	WorldCat VIAF: 46929243 LCCN: n93049411 ISNI: 0000 0001 2131 2669 GND: 118756885 BNF: cb13573325s

Persondata
Name	II, Theodosius
Alternative names
Short description	Roman emperor
Date of birth	10 April 401
Place of birth
Date of death	450-7-28 (aged 49)
Place of death

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.