Roman Empire Theodosius II 408-450AD Bronze

The fascinating saga of the decay and ultimate disintegration of one of the truly great superpowers of the Ancient World, we am delighted to present the ‘Theodosius II 402-450AD Bronze Coin’.

Theodosius II was on the 10th of April 401AD, with his father being Arcadius, Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, and his mother the beautiful Frankish-born Aelia Eudoxia. Theodosius was ‘born in the purple’, meaning that he was born whilst his father served as Roman Emperor, and was destined to one day inherit Arcadius’ lofty position. That day came much sooner than anyone expected. Having been elevated to the position of co-Augustus (Senior Emperor) at just 9 months of age – the youngest person to have attained such a position in Roman history – Theodosius became sole ruler at the age of seven when his father died of natural causes at the age of 31 in 408AD.

Having already lost his mother, with Eudoxia dying after a miscarriage in 404AD, the new emperor was represented by powerful figures at court during his youth. In the early years, the responsibilities of government fell to the Praetorian Prefect Anthemius, and it was during this period that one of Theodosius’ greatest legacies was created – the Theodosian Walls.

Built in two phases over a period of perhaps ten years, the Theodosian Walls are a double walled fortification surrounding the city of Constantinople, constructed outside the Constantinian Wall erected during the reign of Constantine the Great. Although suffering extensive damage due to earthquakes and floods at times, the Theodosian Walls protected the capital of Christendom from invaders of all kinds for over 1,000 years, before the cannons of the Ottoman Turks finally breached the fortifications and Constantinople fell in 1453.

Although the east did not suffer the same chaos confronting the western half of the empire, which was beginning to collapse under the weight of incursions from the Vandals and Visigoths, the Theodosian Walls were still important in fending off potential threats. The Sassanians remained a danger in the east, the Goths attacked Roman territory sporadically, and, notably, the reign of Theodosius II witnessed the rise of the Huns.

Led by the legendary Attila from 434AD, the Huns ravaged Roman territories, forcing Theodosius into paying humiliating, ever-increasing tributes to keep the invaders at bay. On average, the Eastern Romans paid the Huns an annual tribute of 50,000 gold solidi from 422AD to 450AD – approximately 225 kilograms of gold per year! When Theodosius failed to pay the tribute in the late 440s, the Huns attacked the Balkans, laying waste to several important cities.

Buying peace with concessions and tributes came much more naturally to Theodosius than going to war. Kind, generous, studious and deeply religious, he did not seem to have the type of personality to hold together an empire under near constant siege, and yet he fared much better than his counterparts in the west. This was admittedly in part due to the strong personalities he had at his side – initially, the Praetorian Prefect Anthemius, and then later his elder sister Pulcheria and his wife Eudocia. Playing a key role in the administration of the empire during Theodosius’ reign, the two strong-minded women clashed repeatedly before Pulcheria won the battle of wills, and Theodosius divorced Eudocia and had her exiled to Jerusalem.

Where Theodosius may have been inadequate in the arts of war, his scholarly nature did result in some important steps forward for the empire. The most significant of these was the production of the Theodosian Code – a document codifying Roman laws and creating a fully formalised legal system. The Code encompassed all laws established since the time of Constantine the Great (307- 337AD), formed the basis of the Justinian Code – created for the Emperor Justinian I (527-565AD) – and continued to influence lawmakers into the modern era.

Having been Eastern Roman Emperor for virtually his entire life, Theodosius II died in 450AD at the age of 49, succumbing to injuries sustained falling from his horse during a hunting expedition. Having held the title of Augustus for nearly half a century, Theodosius is officially the longest reigning Roman Emperor! Although the reign of Augustus was actually longer, Rome’s first emperor only held the title that was named after him for 41 years.