Theodosius II, who ruled the Eastern Roman Empire, did so
for 42 years, which made him the longest ruling emperor throughout the Empire’s
history.
Theodosius was born in April 401, the son of Emperor
Arcadius and his formidable wife Aelia Eudoxia, who had been the real power
behind the throne and had even had herself declared Augusta.
However, Eudoxia died from a miscarriage when Theodosius was
aged only three and his father died in 408, meaning that parentless Theodosius
became emperor at the age of seven. This might have been thought a recipe for
chaos but that was not to be, thanks to efforts of Anthemius, the Praetorian
Prefect, who proved to be an extremely able administrator.
One of Anthemius’s lasting contributions was to strengthen
the defences of Constantinople by building a substantial wall across the peninsula
on which the city was built. This wall served to protect Constantinople from
invasion for the next 800 years and portions of it have survived to the present
day.
Theodosius had an older sister, Aelia Pulcheria, who was
proclaimed regent in 414, despite being only 15 years old, and she promptly had
Anthemius replaced due to her personal dislike of him.
Pulcheria refused to marry but became intensely religious.
It was due to her that the Church adopted the cult of the Virgin Mary, but she
was also responsible for anti-semitic acts such as the burning of synagogues.
Her influence on her brother meant that the empire and the Church became
inextricably linked.
Theodosius married Aelia Eudocia in 421, she being Pulcheria’s
choice for his bride, but the two strong-willed women soon became rivals. The
palace intrigues were encouraged by the ambitious eunuch and chamberlain
Chrysaphius Zstommas, with the result that Pulcheria was forced to retire from
public life, leaving Eudocia as the main influence on Theodosius.
However, Zstommas’s attention then turned towards Eudocia,
who was eventually forced into exile in 441 after a charge of adultery was
brought against her. She ended her days in Jerusalem. Zstommas was now the most
powerful adviser at court.
But what of Theodosius himself, who seems to have taken a
back seat in the affairs of state? The truth is that he much prefered to deal
with matters of the intellect, such as founding a university in Constantinople
and codifying the laws. The latter effort led to the Codex Theodosianus,
completed in 438, comprising 16 books of decrees and enactments that preserved
the nature of Roman law.
Theodosius did have to deal with foreign affairs eventually,
for example by negotiating a peace treaty with the Persian Empire that stayed
in effect for more than a century. He was less successful when keeping the Huns
at bay, with the initial policy – promoted by Zstommas – being to buy them off
with huge subsidies that nearly bankrupted the treasury. Towards the end of
Theodosius’s reign much of the Danube region was ravaged by barbarians, led by
the formidable Attila.
Relations between the two halves of the empire improved with
the placing of Valentinian III (son of Honorius) on the western throne in 425. Theodosius
travelled to Ravenna to crown Valentinian and in 437 he gave his daughter
Licinia Eudoxia to Valentinian as his wife.
Zstommas`s failed policy of buying off the Huns at vast
expense led to a revolt by the army generals, who overthrew him early in 450,
with Pulcheria returning to a position of power.
Theodosius died in July 450 after falling from his horse. He
had already stated that a general named Marcian was his preferred heir and, in
order to retain her position, Pulcheria promptly married him while still
maintaining her vow of chastity.
© John Welford
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