Theodosius And The Limits Of Empire

The emperor Theodosius I (AD 379–395) was one of the most remarkable figures of the late antique period. In the face of religious schism, political turmoil, and barbarian threats he managed to maintain imperial power and forge a political dynasty that would dominate both east and west for over half a century. This study, the first English language biography in over twenty years, traces his rise to power and tumultuous reign, and examines his indelible impact on a rapidly changing empire.

Theodosius II (AD 408–450) was the longest reigning Roman emperor. Ever since Edward Gibbon, he has been dismissed as mediocre and ineffectual. Yet Theodosius ruled an empire which retained its integrity while the West was broken up by barbarian invasions. This book explores Theodosius' challenges and successes. Ten essays by leading scholars of late antiquity provide important new insights into the court at Constantinople, the literary and cultural vitality of the reign, and the presentation of imperial piety and power. Much attention has been directed towards the changes promoted by Constantine at the beginning of the fourth century; much less to their crystallisation under Theodosius II. This volume explores the working out of new conceptions of the Roman Empire - its history, its rulers and its God. A substantial introduction offers a new framework for thinking afresh about the long transition from the classical world to Byzantium.

This thesis examines the official policies pursued by the imperial government towards Gothic tribes under Theodosius I, both those within and without Roman borders, and attempts to identify the interaction between the Roman populace and the Gothic settlers within Roman borders. It also attempts to identify the general attitudes of certain groups within the empire 6 senatorial aristocrats, imperial officials, soldiers, civilians 6 towards the policies pursued by the imperial government. Special weight has been given to those sources that are contemporary with the period. Sources that postdate the period have been employed carefully, with thought given to their biases, indicating where the sack of Rome and the events of the fifth century came to color accounts of the fourth. Finally, much consideration has been given to how religious struggles in the fourth and fifth centuries affected both the accounts of the events and the events themselves.

The division of the late Roman Empire into two theoretically cooperating parts by the brothers Valentinian and Valens in 364 deeply influenced many aspects of government in each of the divisions. Although the imperial policies during this well-documented and formative period are generally understood to have been driven by the religious and ideological aims of the emperors, R. Malcolm Errington argues that the emperors were actually much more pragmatic in their decision making than has previously been assumed. The division of responsibilities between the emperors inevitably encouraged separate developments and allowed locally varying and often changing imperial attitudes toward different forms of religious belief. Errington demonstrates that the main stimulus for action in this period nearly always came from below the level of the imperial government, and not from an imperial initiative. Extending the theory of Fergus Millar into the later empire, Errington argues that the emperors were fundamentally reactive to regionally supplied information, as Millar has asserted was the case for the High Empire. Thus, despite significant structural changes, the empire remained broadly traditional in its operations.

A comprehensive guide to the Theodosian Code which provides an invaluable source for the legal, social, religious and cultural history of the late Roman Empire. Written between 429 and 437 AD, the Code was a compilation of 3500 texts, of which more than 2700 survive, which published Roman imperial legislation from the reign of Constantine the great to Theodosius II. Matthews initially examines the political context for the Code and the events surrounding its actual composition before considering the contents of the Code, the Sirmondian Constitutions, the nature of the late Roman constitution and detailed editorial issues.

This book offers a fantastic history of the 80-year period before the fall of the Western Roman Empire, when it was being besieged at every turn by various barbarian tribes: the Ostrogoths, the Visigoths, the Huns and more. Lecture six of the text is devoted to Attila the Hun and his dealings with the Roman Empire.

Reproduction of the original: Roman Society by Samuel Dill

Theodosian Empresses sets a series of compelling women on the stage of history and offers new insights into the eastern court in the fifth century.