What did Theodosius II do for rome?

Answer 1

Before Theodosius I became an emperor, the Roman Empire was co-ruled by two brothers who were co-emperors: Valentinian I who was in charge of the western part of the Roman Empire and Valens who was in charge of the eastern part of the Roman Empire.

Valentinian I died in 375 and was succeeded in the west by his sons Valentinian II and Gratian. Valens died in 378 at the Battle of Adrianople against the Visigoths. Gratian appointed Theodosius as commander of the army in the east. This made Theodosius de fact co-emperor in charge of the eastern part of the Roman Empire. After some campaigning, Theodosius negotiated peace with the Goths. When Gratian died in 383, Magnus Maximus, a usurper, took over the western part of the Roman Empire except for Italy. Theodosius defeated him and become the de facto ruler of the western part of the Roman Empire as well because Valentinian II was unable to exercise power and was soon killed. Theodosius was the last emperor who ruled the whole empire. He also defeated Eugenius who tried to usurp the western part of the Roman Empire.

Theodosius was a staunch supporter of Greek (or Eastern) Christianity (later it came to be called Orthodox Christianity). Theodosius, Gratian, and Valentinian II signed the Edict of Thessalonica in 380. This made mainstream Christianity (Latin or Western Christianity and Greek or Eastern Christianity) the sole legitimate religion of the Roman Empire. The purpose of the edict was to ban dissident Christian doctrines, which were branded as heretic. The main target was Arian Christianity, which was popular around the empire.

At that time the Latin/Western church and the Greek/Eastern Church, which were the church of the western and eastern part of the Roman Empire respectively, were two branches of one church which was called Catholic Church, which subscribed to the Nicene Creed, a particular interpretation of the trinity. Later these two churches spit and came to be called Catholic and Orthodox respectively. The Edict of Thessalonica made Nicene Christianity the state religion of the empire.

Theodosius I immediately started to persecute the Arian Christians and other dissident Christian sects in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. He expelled the Arian Bishop of Constantinople and replaced his with a mainstream bishop. He summoned the First Council of Constantinople to bring the Eastern and Western churches closer together. This council defended the Nicene Creed and condemned Christian "heresies." Theodosius I issued the Theodosian Decrees which banned non-Nicene Christians from church office

Theodosius I also persecuted the pagans. The Theodosian Decrees also banned Roman religious practices, such as blood sacrifices and the auspices (the divination of the omens of the Roman gods) and made them punishable by death. He made Roman religious holidays working days, and disbanded the important priesthood of the vestal Virgins.. He pioneered the practice of criminalising officials who did not enforce anti- pagan laws. He authorised or participated in the destruction of Roman temples sacred places and scared images. Two years before his death he issued a comprehensive law which banned any Roman and other pagan religious practice. He ignored outspoken pleas for toleration of paganism.

Theodosius I had an obelisk removed from Alexandria and had it erected outside the Hippodrome (horse race track) of Constantinople and had another one sent to Rome. He has Constantinople's Forum Tauri renamed the Forum of Theodosius and redeveloped in his honour. A triumphal arch and a triumphal column were erected in his honour.