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Historical person

Theodosius I

347–395

Theodosius I ruled the eastern Roman Empire from AD 379 and briefly reunited east and west before his death in 395. He recovered from the Gothic crisis through war and settlement, defeated rival emperors in civil conflict and promoted Nicene Christianity through law and imperial patronage.

After troops massacred civilians at Thessalonica, Bishop Ambrose compelled a famous act of penance. Theodosius’s death left the empire divided between his young sons Arcadius and Honorius. Theodosius I was born in Coca and died in Milan.

Ian Hughes’ Stilicho became the leading general of the Western Empire after the death of Theodosius I and claimed responsibility for protecting the young Honorius. Nick Holmes’ The Fall of Rome follows Valens, Theodosius I, Stilicho, Honorius and Alaric through divided courts, military rivalries and repeated failures of negotiation. Further fictional perspectives on Theodosius I can be found in Georg Ebers’ Serapis, Adam Lofthouse’s Barbarian and the Throne, and Gordon Doherty’s Devotio. For broader historical treatment of Theodosius I, see Ian Hughes’ Imperial Brothers and Adrian Goldsworthy’s The Fall of the West.

Periods

Periods linked to Theodosius I

Theodosian Civil Wars383–394 CE

Series

Historical novels and book series featuring Theodosius I (3 series)

Legionary in Order

by Gordon Doherty 11 books 4.4(14,164)

The Legionary series follows Numerius Vitellius Pavo from slavery into the ranks and command of the XI Claudia during the late fourth-century crisis of the Roman Empire. Its main sequence begins on the Danube in 376 CE and carries Pavo through the Gothic War, the disaster at Adrianople,…

All books in this series

Shadow of Rome in Order

by Adam Lofthouse 4 books 4.4(2,448)

Shadow of Rome is set in the late Roman Empire and follows soldiers, frontier commanders and barbarian recruits through Britain, Gaul, Constantinople and the imperial civil wars of the late fourth century. The series begins with the Great Conspiracy in Roman Britain and moves towards the struggles of…

All books in this series

Standalone books

Standalone books featuring Theodosius I (1 book)

Non Fiction

Non Fiction featuring Theodosius I (4 books)

Biographies, histories and other non-fiction are listed separately from the historical novels above.