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Flavius Theodosius or Theodosius the Elder was a senior military officer serving in the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire

The Western Roman Empire refers to the western half of the Roman Empire, from its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, today widely known as the Byzantine Empire....
. He achieved the rank of Comes Britanniarum
Comes Britanniarum

Comes Britanniarum was a military post in Roman Britain, with command of the mobile field army from the mid 4th century onwards.It is listed in the Notitia Dignitatum as being one of the three commands in Britain, along with the Dux Britanniarum and Count of the Saxon Shore....
 (Count
Count

A count is a nobleman in European countries; The word count comes from French language comte, itself from Latin comes?in its Accusative case comitem?meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor"....
 of the province of Britannia
Britannia

Britannia was the term originally used by the Roman Empire to refer to the island of Great Britain. The term was later used to describe a Roman province covering much of the island, apart from the area beyond the Antonine Wall belonging to the Picts in the north, which was known as Caledonia....
) and as such, he is usually referred to as Comes (Count) Theodosius. He is credited with being the founding member of the Theodosian dynasty
Theodosian dynasty

The Theodosian dynasty was a Roman family that rose to eminence in the waning days of the Roman Empire....
. The names of his parents are not known, although there is some evidence that his father was called Honorius.

He married his wife Thermantia, probably sometime in the late 330s or early 340s.






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Flavius Theodosius or Theodosius the Elder was a senior military officer serving in the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire

The Western Roman Empire refers to the western half of the Roman Empire, from its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, today widely known as the Byzantine Empire....
. He achieved the rank of Comes Britanniarum
Comes Britanniarum

Comes Britanniarum was a military post in Roman Britain, with command of the mobile field army from the mid 4th century onwards.It is listed in the Notitia Dignitatum as being one of the three commands in Britain, along with the Dux Britanniarum and Count of the Saxon Shore....
 (Count
Count

A count is a nobleman in European countries; The word count comes from French language comte, itself from Latin comes?in its Accusative case comitem?meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor"....
 of the province of Britannia
Britannia

Britannia was the term originally used by the Roman Empire to refer to the island of Great Britain. The term was later used to describe a Roman province covering much of the island, apart from the area beyond the Antonine Wall belonging to the Picts in the north, which was known as Caledonia....
) and as such, he is usually referred to as Comes (Count) Theodosius. He is credited with being the founding member of the Theodosian dynasty
Theodosian dynasty

The Theodosian dynasty was a Roman family that rose to eminence in the waning days of the Roman Empire....
. The names of his parents are not known, although there is some evidence that his father was called Honorius.

He married his wife Thermantia, probably sometime in the late 330s or early 340s. With her, he had at least two sons, Honorius and Theodosius
Theodosius I

Flavius Theodosius , also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great , was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Reuniting the eastern and western portions of the empire, Theodosius was the last emperor of both the Eastern Roman Empire and Western Roman Empire....
, born at Cauca
Cauca

Cauca may refer to:* Cauca Department, an administrative division of Colombia* Valle del Cauca, an administrative division of Colombia* Cauca language...
 (modern Coca
Coca, Segovia

Coca is a municipality in the Segovia , central Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. It is located 50 kilometres from the provincial capital city of Segovia. Coca is known for its 15th Century Mud?jar castle....
, Segovia
Segovia (province)

Segovia is a Provinces of Spain of central/northern Spain, in the southern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain of Castile-Leon. It is bordered by the provinces of Burgos , Soria , Guadalajara , Community of Madrid, ?vila , and Valladolid ....
) in Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
. The family were orthodox Christians
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
.

In 368, Theodosius was first raised to the Roman military rank of comes (akin to a general) and sent to the province of Britannia, to repel an invasion by various barbarian tribes
Great Conspiracy

The Great Conspiracy is a term given to a year-long war that occurred in Roman Britain near the end of the Roman occupation of the island. The historian Ammianus Marcellinus described it as a barbarica conspiratio that capitalised on a depleted military force in the province brought about by Magnentius' losses of the Battle of Mursa Major...
, which he dealt with successfully. Known to have been with him on this expedition were his younger son Theodosius and, in all likelihood, the future usurper Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus

Magnus Clemens Maximus , also known as Maximianus, was a Hispanic Roman usurper of the Western Roman Empire from 383 until his death, in 388, by order of Emperor Theodosius I....
. Upon his return, he succeeded Jovinus as the magister equitum praesentalis, at the court of Emperor Valentinian I
Valentinian I

Flavius Valentinianus, known in English as Valentinian I, was Roman Emperor from 364 until his death. Valentinian is often referred to as the "last great western emperor"....
, in which capacity he prosecuted another successful campaign against the Alemmani in 370.

In 373, Theodosius was made commander of the expedition to suppress the rebellion of Firmus
Firmus (4th century usurper)

Firmus was a Roman usurper under Valentinian I.Firmus was the son of the Mauretania prince Nubel, a powerful Roman military officer, as well as a wealthy Christian....
 in Mauretania
Mauretania

In Antiquity, Mauretania was originally an independent Berber people monarchy on the Mediterranean coast of north Africa , corresponding to western Algeria, northern Morocco and Spain Plazas de soberan?a....
, which proved to be yet another victory for the skilled commander. However, following this latest victory, Theodosius was arrested, taken to Carthage
Carthage

Carthage refers both to an ancient city in present-day Tunisia, and a modern-day suburb of Tunis. The civilization that developed within the city's sphere of influence is referred to as Punic or Carthaginian....
, and executed in early 376. The reasons for his execution are not clear, but it is thought to have resulted from a factional power struggle in Italy after the sudden death of Valentinian I. Shortly before his execution, Theodosius was baptized
Baptism

In Christianity, baptism is the ritual act, with the use of water, by which one is admitted as a full member of the Christian Church and, in the view of some, as a member of the particular Church in which the baptism is administered....
, a common practice at the time, even for lifelong Christians.

Following the elder Theodosius' execution, his son Theodosius was sent home to the family estates in Gallaecia province. Two years later, however, following the disastrous Roman defeat at the Battle of Adrianople
Battle of Adrianople

The second Battle of Adrianople , sometimes known as the Battle of Hadrianopolis, was fought between a Roman Empire army led by the Roman Emperor Valens and Goths rebels led by Fritigern....
, the younger Theodosius was rehabilitated, placed in charge of the Roman armies in the eastern half of the empire, and quickly elevated to the rank of Emperor on January 19, 379
379

Events...
 following his successes in the field.

See Also

Roman Britain
Roman Britain

Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410. The Romans referred to their province as Britannia....