Theodosius I

Hello, my name is Flavius Theodosius. I was born a very long time ago, on January 11th, 347, in a province of the Roman Empire called Hispania, which is now the country of Spain. My father, who was also named Theodosius, was a famous and respected general in the great Roman army. Growing up, I admired him more than anyone. I watched him lead his soldiers and dreamed that one day, I would be just like him—a brave soldier serving the mighty Roman Empire.

When I was old enough, I proudly joined the army, following in my father’s footsteps. I traveled to different parts of the empire, learning how to command troops and defend our borders. The Roman Empire was vast and powerful, but these were challenging times. We were constantly facing threats from groups of people who wanted to invade our lands. In the year 378, a disaster struck at the Battle of Adrianople. Our army fought against a group called the Goths, and we suffered a terrible defeat. Even worse, the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, a man named Valens, was killed in the battle. Fear spread across the empire, and everyone worried that it might completely fall apart without a strong leader.

In the West, the young emperor Gratian knew he could not manage the crisis alone. The empire was simply too big and the dangers were too great. He needed a strong and experienced general to take control of the East and restore order. He chose me. On January 19th, 379, Emperor Gratian appointed me as the new emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. It was the greatest honor of my life, but it also came with a tremendous amount of responsibility. My most urgent job was to find a way to deal with the Goths who had defeated our army and bring peace back to the land.

While my duties as a soldier and emperor were important, my Christian faith guided everything I did. In those days, the people of the Roman Empire practiced many different religions and worshipped many different gods. I believed that the empire would be stronger if it was united under a single faith. To make this happen, I issued a special order on February 27th, 380, known as the Edict of Thessalonica. This decree made Nicene Christianity the one and only official state religion of the Roman Empire. This was a very important moment in history. Over the following years, the old temples dedicated to the Roman gods were closed, and the entire empire slowly transformed into a Christian one.

My years as emperor were filled with hard work. I had to negotiate peace treaties with the Goths and even fight civil wars against other Romans who wanted to take power from me. But through it all, I worked to keep the empire strong and united. In the year 392, I accomplished something that no emperor after me would ever do again. I became the sole ruler of the entire Roman Empire, leading both the eastern and western halves. For a short time, the whole Roman world was under my command.

My rule ended in the city of Mediolanum on January 17th, 395. I lived to be 48 years old. Before my time was over, I made one last decision to protect the empire: I divided it between my two sons. I gave the East to my son Arcadius and the West to my son Honorius, trusting them to rule wisely. Today, history remembers me as 'Theodosius the Great.' I am remembered not just as the last emperor to rule a united Roman Empire, but as the one who made it a Christian empire, changing the course of history forever.