Product Description

The authors examine the emperor and his character and the state of the Roman empire, putting his reign in the context of the troubled times.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #387316 in Books
• Published on: 1998-05-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

From the Back Cover
Emperor Theodosius (379-95) was the last Roman emperor to rule a unified empire of East and West and his reign represents a turning point in the policies and fortunes of the Late Roman Empire. In this imperial biography, Stephen Williams and Gerry Friell bring together literary, archaeological and numismatic evidence concerning this Roman emperor, studying his military and political struggles, which he fought heroically but ultimately in vain.
Summoned from retirement to the throne after the disastrous Roman defeat by the Goths at Adrianople, Theodosius was called on to rebuild the armies and put the shattered state back together. He instituted a new policy towards the barbarians, in which diplomacy played a larger role than military might, at a time of increasing frontier dangers and acute manpower shortage. He was also the founder of the established Apostolic Catholic Church. Unlike other Christian emperors, he suppressed both heresy and paganism and enforced orthodoxy by law.
The path was a diffucult one, but Theodosius (and his successor, Stilicho) had little choice. This new study convincingly demonstrates how a series of political misfortunes led to the separation of the Eastern and Western empires which meant that the overlordship of Rome in Europe dwindled into mere ceremonial. The authors examine the emperor and his character and the state of the Roman empire, putting his reign in the context of the troubled times.

Customer Reviews

Good book over an overrated emperor of underrated importance
Given the impact of Theodosius on history, it is surprising that most people probably have no idea who he was: consolidator of the power of the Catholic church, oppressor of "paganism" (which included abolishing the original Olympic Games), chief architect (intentionally or not) of the fall of the Western Empire, by giving power to the Goths and leaving as heir Honorius, one of the most disastrous emperors ever. Theodosius - called "the Great" by a grateful church - is a towering figure in relation to his successors in the Western Empire, bit a mediocre one when compared to his predecessors. The impression is that of a good, but not extraordinary, military chief and administrator, lacking long-term vision, and whose main concerns were to preserve his own power, that of his family, and to save his soul. Still, whatever his personal limitations, Theodosius was a key figure in shaping history, and this book is an excellent way to understand why.

Did the best he could under the circumstances
Following on from his excellent Diocletian and the Roman Recovery, Stephen Williams has here co-authored with Gerard Friell another book of the same high standard. Neither of the two are academic historians, which makes their achievement all the greater. The analysis of all aspects of the period is well written and thorough, with copious notes given at the back.

The religious policies enforcing uniformity, which are usually analysed as a Bad Thing by those modern day historians with a liberal eye obsessed with "diversity" (that is, almost all historians these days), are here properly put in the context of the age. (I really don't recognise what another reviewer said about it being a leftist analysis of the religious policy - I actually thought it quite neutral and even handed.)

Militarily, the numerous problems Theodosius had in dealing with the Goths are detailed making it understandable that he was not dealing from a position of strength, and the treaty creating foederati was the only real option. From our privileged position looking backwards, we see this as the thin end of the wedge leading to the breakup of the West. But in the final analysis, the authors conclude that although he was ultimately unsuccessful in terms of his political and military legacy, Theodosius did the best he possibly could under the circumstances.

Essential reading for this critical period of history, easily accessible to the general reader and not just for students and academics.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
While St. Constantine the Great is commonly credited with Christianizing the Roman Empire, the status of official state religion was not given to Orthodox Christianity until the reign of St. Theodosius. Nowadays, when American rulers commonly take as their main tasks the maximization of the GDP and the proliferation of feticide, the example of a ruler whose first concerns were the "first things" could be an elevating one. Unfortunately, this book examines the emperor-saint rather from the perspective of a modern member of the Labour Party, and its history is un-traditional. This book is not a good starting place for studies of this emperor, who bequeathed a major legacy to the world. The Orthodox still remember him on his feast day each year, and one should examine a different title to learn why.