All Topics  
Theodosian dynasty

 

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link






 

Theodosian dynasty



 
 
The Theodosian dynasty was a Roman family that rose to eminence in the waning days of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.

founding father was Flavius Theodosius (known to us as Count Theodosius
Count Theodosius

Flavius Theodosius or Theodosius the Elder was a senior military officer serving in the Western Roman Empire. He achieved the rank of Comes Britanniarum and as such, he is usually referred to as Comes Theodosius....
), a great general who had saved Britannia
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....
 from the Great Conspiracy
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...
. His son, Flavius 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....
 was made emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire in 379
379

Events...
, and briefly reunited the Roman Empire 394-395 by defeating the usurper Eugenius
Eugenius

Flavius Eugenius was a Roman usurper against Roman Emperor Theodosius I. Though himself a Christian, he was the last Emperor to support Roman polytheism....
. Theodosius I was succeeded by his sons Honorius
Honorius (emperor)

Flavius Honorius was Roman Emperor and then Western Roman Empire from 395 until his death. He was the younger son of Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the Eastern Emperor Arcadius....
 in the West and Arcadius
Arcadius

Flavius Arcadius was Roman Emperors in the Eastern half of the Roman Empire from 395 until his death.Arcadius was born in Spain, the elder son of Theodosius I and Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of Flavius Augustus Honorius, who would become a Western Roman Emperor....
 in the East of the Empire.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Theodosian dynasty'
Start a new discussion about 'Theodosian dynasty'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The Theodosian dynasty was a Roman family that rose to eminence in the waning days of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.

History

Its founding father was Flavius Theodosius (known to us as Count Theodosius
Count Theodosius

Flavius Theodosius or Theodosius the Elder was a senior military officer serving in the Western Roman Empire. He achieved the rank of Comes Britanniarum and as such, he is usually referred to as Comes Theodosius....
), a great general who had saved Britannia
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....
 from the Great Conspiracy
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...
. His son, Flavius 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....
 was made emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire in 379
379

Events...
, and briefly reunited the Roman Empire 394-395 by defeating the usurper Eugenius
Eugenius

Flavius Eugenius was a Roman usurper against Roman Emperor Theodosius I. Though himself a Christian, he was the last Emperor to support Roman polytheism....
. Theodosius I was succeeded by his sons Honorius
Honorius (emperor)

Flavius Honorius was Roman Emperor and then Western Roman Empire from 395 until his death. He was the younger son of Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the Eastern Emperor Arcadius....
 in the West and Arcadius
Arcadius

Flavius Arcadius was Roman Emperors in the Eastern half of the Roman Empire from 395 until his death.Arcadius was born in Spain, the elder son of Theodosius I and Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of Flavius Augustus Honorius, who would become a Western Roman Emperor....
 in the East of the Empire. The House of Theodosius was related with the Valentinian Dynasty
Valentinian Dynasty

The Valentinian Dynasty, consisting of four emperors, ruled the Western Roman Empire from 364 to 392 and the Eastern Roman Empire from 364 to 378....
 since Theodosius I had married Galla, a daughter of 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"....
, their daughter was Galla Placidia
Galla Placidia

File:Aelia Galla Placidia.jpgAelia Galla Placidia was the Empress consort of Constantius III, Western Roman Empire....
. The last emperor in the West belonging to the dynasty was Galla Placidia's son Valentinian III
Valentinian III

Flavius Placidus Valentinianus , known in English as Valentinian III, was among the last Western Roman Emperors ....
, the last emperor in the East was Marcian
Marcian

Flavius Marcianus, known in English as Marcian, was the List of Byzantine Emperors of the Byzantine Empire from 450 until his death. Marcian's rule marked a recovery of the Eastern Empire, which the emperor protected from external menaces and reformed economically and financially....
, the brother in law of Theodosius II
Theodosius II

Flavius Theodosius , called the Calligrapher, known in English as Theodosius II, was an Eastern Roman Empire , mostly known for the law code bearing his name, the Codex Theodosianus, and the Walls of Constantinople#The Theodosian Walls of Constantinople built during his reign....
. Later on a granddaughter of Valentinian III was married to Olybrius
Olybrius

Flavius Anicius Olybrius After the Sack of Rome by the Vandals King Geiseric in 455, Olybrius fled to Constantinople, where in 464 he was made Roman consul, and about the same time ca 454 married Placidia, daughter of Valentinian III and Licinia Eudoxia....
 and Anthemius
Anthemius

Flavius Procopius Anthemius was a Western Roman Empire from 12 April 467 until his death. Perhaps the last able emperor, Anthemius attempted to solve the two primary military challenges facing the remains of the Western Roman Empire: the resurgent Visigoths, under Euric, whose domain straddled the Pyrenees; and the unvanquished Vandals, unde...
 was a son-in-law of Marcian. Descendants of the dynasty continued to be part of the East Roman nobility at Constantinople until the end of the sixth century.

Members

  • Theodosius I
    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....
  • Arcadius
    Arcadius

    Flavius Arcadius was Roman Emperors in the Eastern half of the Roman Empire from 395 until his death.Arcadius was born in Spain, the elder son of Theodosius I and Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of Flavius Augustus Honorius, who would become a Western Roman Emperor....
  • Honorius
    Honorius (emperor)

    Flavius Honorius was Roman Emperor and then Western Roman Empire from 395 until his death. He was the younger son of Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the Eastern Emperor Arcadius....
  • Theodosius II
    Theodosius II

    Flavius Theodosius , called the Calligrapher, known in English as Theodosius II, was an Eastern Roman Empire , mostly known for the law code bearing his name, the Codex Theodosianus, and the Walls of Constantinople#The Theodosian Walls of Constantinople built during his reign....
  • Marcian
    Marcian

    Flavius Marcianus, known in English as Marcian, was the List of Byzantine Emperors of the Byzantine Empire from 450 until his death. Marcian's rule marked a recovery of the Eastern Empire, which the emperor protected from external menaces and reformed economically and financially....
  • Valentinian III
    Valentinian III

    Flavius Placidus Valentinianus , known in English as Valentinian III, was among the last Western Roman Emperors ....


Stemmata

In italics the Augusti and the Augustae.

  • Count Theodosius
    Count Theodosius

    Flavius Theodosius or Theodosius the Elder was a senior military officer serving in the Western Roman Empire. He achieved the rank of Comes Britanniarum and as such, he is usually referred to as Comes Theodosius....
     and Thermantia
    • Theodosius I
      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....
    • From marriage between Theodosius I and Aelia Flaccilla
      Aelia Flaccilla

      Aelia Flavia Flaccilla , first wife of the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. She was of Hispania Rome descent. During her marriage to Theodosius, she gave birth to two sons — future Emperors Arcadius and Honorius — and a daughter, Pulcheria ....
      .
      • Arcadius
        Arcadius

        Flavius Arcadius was Roman Emperors in the Eastern half of the Roman Empire from 395 until his death.Arcadius was born in Spain, the elder son of Theodosius I and Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of Flavius Augustus Honorius, who would become a Western Roman Emperor....
        . Married Aelia Eudoxia
        Aelia Eudoxia

        Aelia Eudoxia was the Empress consort of the Byzantine Empire emperor Arcadius....
        .
      • Honorius
        Honorius (emperor)

        Flavius Honorius was Roman Emperor and then Western Roman Empire from 395 until his death. He was the younger son of Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the Eastern Emperor Arcadius....
        . Married first Maria and secondly Thermantia
        Thermantia

        Thermantia was the second Empress consort of Honorius , Western Roman Empire....
        . They were sisters, daughters of Stilicho
        Stilicho

        Flavius Stilicho was a high-ranking general , Patrician and Consul of the Western Roman Empire, notably of barbarian birth....
         and Serena
        Serena (Roman)

        Serena was a noblewoman of the late Western Roman Empire.Her parents were Honorius, brother of the Roman emperors Theodosius I, and his wife Maria....
        .
      • Pulcheria
        Pulcheria (daughter of Theodosius I)

        Aelia Pulcheria was the daughter of Roman Emperor Theodosius I and Roman Empress Aelia Flaccilla. This Pulcheria apparently died in childhood and is not to be confused with her more famous Pulcheria....
        .
    • From marriage between Theodosius I and Galla
      Galla, wife of Theodosius I

      Flavia Galla was a Princess of the Western Roman Empire and an Empress of the Roman Empire. She was the second Empress consort of Theodosius I....
      . She was a daughter of 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"....
       and Justina.
      • Gratianus.
      • Johannes.
      • Galla Placidia
        Galla Placidia

        File:Aelia Galla Placidia.jpgAelia Galla Placidia was the Empress consort of Constantius III, Western Roman Empire....
        . Married first Ataulf
        Ataulf

        Ataulf was king of the Visigoths from 410 to 415....
         and secondly Constantius III
        Constantius III

        Flavius Constantius , whose name is traditionally anglicised as Constantius III, was a late Roman general, politician, and Roman Emperor. He was the power behind the throne for much of the 410s, and in 421 briefly became co-emperor of the Western Roman Empire with Honorius ....
        .
      • From marriage between Arcadius and Aelia Eudoxia.
        • Theodosius II
          Theodosius II

          Flavius Theodosius , called the Calligrapher, known in English as Theodosius II, was an Eastern Roman Empire , mostly known for the law code bearing his name, the Codex Theodosianus, and the Walls of Constantinople#The Theodosian Walls of Constantinople built during his reign....
          . Married Aelia Eudocia
          Aelia Eudocia

          Aelia Eudocia Augusta , wife of Theodosius II, Byzantine Emperors, was born in Athens.She was the daughter of the sophist Leontius, from whom she received a thorough training in literature and rhetoric....
          .
        • Flaccilla.
        • Pulcheria
          Pulcheria

          Aelia Pulcheria was the daughter of the List of Byzantine Emperors Arcadius and Aelia Eudoxia.As the elder sister of Theodosius II, she held much of the power when he came to the throne as a child in 408....
          . Married Marcian
          Marcian

          Flavius Marcianus, known in English as Marcian, was the List of Byzantine Emperors of the Byzantine Empire from 450 until his death. Marcian's rule marked a recovery of the Eastern Empire, which the emperor protected from external menaces and reformed economically and financially....
          .
        • Arcadia.
        • Marina.
      • From marriage between Galla Placidia and Ataulf.
        • Theodosius.
      • From marriage between Galla Placidia and Constantius III.
        • Valentinian III
          Valentinian III

          Flavius Placidus Valentinianus , known in English as Valentinian III, was among the last Western Roman Emperors ....
          . Married his cousin Licinia Eudoxia
          Licinia Eudoxia

          Licinia Eudoxia was a Roman Emperors, daughter of Eastern Emperor Theodosius II and wife of the Western Emperors Valentinian III and Petronius Maximus....
          .
        • Justa Grata Honoria
          Justa Grata Honoria

          Justa Grata Honoria was the sister of the Western Roman Empire Roman Emperor Valentinian III. Coins of her attest that she was granted the title of Augusta ....
          . Granted the title Augusta. Proposed marriage to Attila the Hun
          Attila the Hun

          Attila , also known as Attila the Hun, was leader of the Huns from 434 until his death in 453. He was leader of the Hunnic Empire which stretched from Germany to the Ural River and from the Danube to the Baltic Sea ....
          , treaty never concluded. Married Flavius Bassus Herculanus.
        • From marriage between Theodosius II and Aelia Eudocia.
          • Arcadius.
          • Licinia Eudoxia
            Licinia Eudoxia

            Licinia Eudoxia was a Roman Emperors, daughter of Eastern Emperor Theodosius II and wife of the Western Emperors Valentinian III and Petronius Maximus....
            . Married first her cousin Valentinian III
            Valentinian III

            Flavius Placidus Valentinianus , known in English as Valentinian III, was among the last Western Roman Emperors ....
             and secondly Petronius Maximus
            Petronius Maximus

            Flavius Anicius Petronius Maximus , was a Roman Empire aristocrat, and briefly Western Roman Emperor with the designation and name Dominus Noster Flavius Anicius Petronius Maximus Augustus during part of the year 455, more exactly between March 17, 455 and May 31, 455....
            .
          • Flaccilla.
        • The marriage of Pulcheria and Marcian was childless. However it brought into the dynasty a daughter of Marcian from a previous marriage.
          • Marcia Euphemia
            Marcia Euphemia

            Aelia Marcia Euphemia was the wife of Anthemius, Western Roman Empire....
            . Married Anthemius
            Anthemius

            Flavius Procopius Anthemius was a Western Roman Empire from 12 April 467 until his death. Perhaps the last able emperor, Anthemius attempted to solve the two primary military challenges facing the remains of the Western Roman Empire: the resurgent Visigoths, under Euric, whose domain straddled the Pyrenees; and the unvanquished Vandals, unde...
            .
        • From marriage between Valentinian III and Licinia Eudoxia
          • Eudocia
            Princess Eudocia

            Eudocia, or Eudoxia was the eldest daughter of Roman emperor Valentinian III and his wife, Licinia Eudoxia. She was thus the granddaughter on her mother's side of Eastern emperor Theodosius II and his wife, the poet Aelia Eudocia; and on her father's side of Western emperor Constantius III and his wife Galla Placida....
            . Married first Paladius, a son of Petronius Maximus, and secondly Huneric
            Huneric

            Huneric or Honeric was King of the Vandals and the oldest son of Geiseric. He dropped the imperial politics of his father and concentrated mainly on internal affairs....
            .
          • Placidia
            Placidia

            Placidia was the wife of Olybrius, Western Roman Empire. Her full name is uncertain. The "Chronicle of the Roman Emperors: The reign by reign record of the rulers of Imperial Rome" by Chris Scarre gives her name as Galla Placidia Valentiniana or Galla Placidia the Younger, based on Roman naming conventions for females....
            . Married Olybrius
            Olybrius

            Flavius Anicius Olybrius After the Sack of Rome by the Vandals King Geiseric in 455, Olybrius fled to Constantinople, where in 464 he was made Roman consul, and about the same time ca 454 married Placidia, daughter of Valentinian III and Licinia Eudoxia....
            .
        • From marriage between Marcia Euphemia and Anthemius.
          • Anthemiolus
            Anthemiolus

            Anthemiolus was the son of the Western Roman Empire Roman emperor Anthemius and Marcia Euphemia. His name means "little Anthemius." His mother was Marcia Euphemia, daughter of the Eastern Roman Empire Byzantine emperor Marcian....
            .
          • Marcian
            Marcian (usurper)

            The Roman usurper Marcian was son of the Western Roman Emperor Anthemius and Marcia Euphemia.He was a son-in-law of Eastern Roman Emperor Leo I and his queen Verina....
            . Usurper emperor. Married Leontia, a daughter of Leo I
            Leo I (emperor)

            Flavius Valerius Leo , known in English as Leo the Thracian or Leo I, was a Byzantine Emperor who ruled from 457 to 474. He was known as Magnus Thrax by his supporters, and Leo the Butcher by his enemies....
             and Verina
            Verina

            Aelia Verina was the Empress consort of Leo I of the Byzantine Empire. She was a sister of Basiliscus. Her daughter Ariadne was Empress consort of first Zeno and then Anastasius I ....
            .
          • Procopius.
          • Romulus.
          • Alypia. Married Ricimer
            Ricimer

            Ricimer was a Germanic general who was master of the Western Roman Empire during part of the fifth century.Ricimer was an Arianism Christian, the son of a prince of the Suebi....
            .
        • From marriage of Eudocia and Huneric.
          • Hilderic
            Hilderic

            Hilderic, King of the Vandals and Alans was the pentultimate ruler of the North Africa during the Classical Period Kingdom of the Vandals. Although dead by the time the Vandal Kingdom was overthrown in 534, he nevertheless played a key role in that event....
            .
        • From marriage of Placidia and Olybrius.
          • Anicia Juliana
            Anicia Juliana

            Anicia Juliana was a Roman imperial princess, the daughter of the Western Roman Emperor Olybrius, of the House of Anicii, by Placidia. Her maternal grandparents were Valentinian III and Licinia Eudoxia....
            . Married Areobindus.
        • From marriage of Anicia Juliana and Areobindus.
          • Olybrius. Married Irene, a niece of Anastasius I
            Anastasius I (emperor)

            Flavius Anastasius or Anastasius I was Byzantine Emperor from 11 April 491 until his death. He was born at Dyrrhachium not later than 430/431....
            .
        • From marriage of Olybrius and Irene.
          • Proba. Married Probus.
        • From marriage of Proba and Probus.
          • Juliana. Married Anastasius.
        • From marriage of Juliana and Anastasius.
          • Areobindus.
          • Placidia.
          • Proba.
    • Honorius. Married Maria.
    • From marriage of Honorius and Maria.
      • Thermantia
      • Serena
        Serena (Roman)

        Serena was a noblewoman of the late Western Roman Empire.Her parents were Honorius, brother of the Roman emperors Theodosius I, and his wife Maria....
        . Married Stilicho
        Stilicho

        Flavius Stilicho was a high-ranking general , Patrician and Consul of the Western Roman Empire, notably of barbarian birth....
        .
      • From marriage of Serena and Stilicho.
        • Eucherius
          Eucherius

          Eucherius may refer to:*Saint Eucherius of Lyon, 5th century bishop*Saint Eucherius of Orl?ans, 8th century bishop*Eucherius was the son of Stilicho and was executed with his parents in 408...
          .
        • Maria. Married Honorius
          Honorius (emperor)

          Flavius Honorius was Roman Emperor and then Western Roman Empire from 395 until his death. He was the younger son of Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the Eastern Emperor Arcadius....
          .
        • Thermantia
          Thermantia

          Thermantia was the second Empress consort of Honorius , Western Roman Empire....
          . Married Honorius
          Honorius (emperor)

          Flavius Honorius was Roman Emperor and then Western Roman Empire from 395 until his death. He was the younger son of Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the Eastern Emperor Arcadius....
          .


See also

  • Roman Emperor (Late Empire)
    Roman Emperor (Late Empire)

    The office of Roman Emperor underwent significant turbulence in the fourth and fifth centuries, after assuming Roman Emperor during the Dominate. In the West, its holders became puppets of a succession of barbarian monarchs....


External links