Theodosius I

Roman emperor from 379 to 395, Theodosius I made Nicene Christianity the empire’s official religion and was the last emperor to rule both eastern and western halves.

Edict of Thessalonica: A decree issued in 380 that declared Nicene Christianity the empire’s authoritative faith. The decree gave imperial force to the Nicene position Theodosius endorsed.
Cunctos populos: The opening words of the 380 edict that prescribed Nicene Christianity for Roman subjects. This law expressed Theodosius’s policy in a direct imperial command.
Gratian: A western Roman emperor from 367 to 383 who appointed Theodosius to govern the eastern empire. Gratian’s appointment brought Theodosius to the throne after the eastern military crisis.
Battle of Adrianople: A Roman defeat by Gothic forces in 378 in which Emperor Valens was killed. The defeat created the emergency that led Gratian to appoint Theodosius.
Eugenius: A western Roman usurper who ruled from 392 to 394 before Theodosius defeated him. His rule challenged Theodosius’s authority in the western empire.
First Council of Constantinople: A church council held in 381 that reaffirmed the Nicene Creed and addressed disputes over Christian doctrine. Theodosius convened the council to consolidate Nicene doctrine in the empire.
Theodosian Code: A collection of Roman imperial laws promulgated in 438, preserving legislation from earlier emperors. It preserves laws issued under Theodosius and later emperors on Christian institutions.
Valentinian II: A western Roman emperor from 375 to 392 whose reign overlapped with Theodosius’s. Theodosius intervened in the western court during Valentinian II’s troubled reign.
Valens: Eastern Roman emperor from 364 to 378, killed at the Battle of Adrianople. Valens’s death left the eastern throne vacant and the Gothic crisis unresolved.
Magnus Maximus: A Roman usurper who ruled in the west from 383 to 388 before Theodosius defeated him. His revolt was an earlier challenge to Theodosius’s efforts to preserve imperial unity.

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