Short Biography about the life of Arcadius
Short Biography profile and facts about one of the most famous Romans of all, in the life of Arcadius, Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire.

• Name commonly known as: Arcadius

• Latin Roman Name: Flavius Theodosius

• Reigned as Roman Emperor / Caesar: January 383 - 395 as Augustus under his father and from 395 - May 1, 408 as emperor in the east, with his brother Honorius emperor in the west

• Dynasty / Historical Period: The Valentinian dynasty (364 - 394) derives its name from the first of the dynasty's Emperors - Valentinian I. Orthodox Christianity became the officially tolerated variant of the faith and the Empire became irrevocably split into two halves.

• Date of Birth: 377/8 in Spain

• Name of previous Emperor: His predecessor or the Emperor before Arcadius was Theodosius I and his successor was Theodosius II

• Family connections / Genealogy

  • Name of Father: Theodosius I

  • Name of Mother: Aelia Flaccilla

  • Brother: Honorius

  • Married: Aelia Eudoxia

  • Children: Theodosius II, Arcadia, Marina and Pulcheria

• Date of Death: May 1, 408 in Constantinople

• For the names of the next Roman emperors in the East and the West of the Empire refer to the Timeline of Roman Emperors

Interesting facts about the life of Arcadius
Obtain a fast overview of the times of the Roman Emperor Arcadius from the following facts and information about his life. Flavius Arcadius was the elder son of Emperor Theodosius I and Aelia Flaccilla. His younger brother was called Honorius. The sons of Theodosius the Great were, like almost all the children of the Roman Emperors, vain and weak, spoiled by growing up as princes. Arcadius, who was eighteen, had the East, and was under the charge of a Roman officer called Rufinus. Rufinus was not a faithful servant of Arcadius, and did great harm in the East by quarrelling with the other ministers of Arcadius.  Rufinus is believed to have invited the Goths to come out of their settlements on the Danube and invade Greece, under Alaric, the same Gothic chief who had been a friend and companion of Gratian, and had fought under Theodosius. The Goths passed the Danube, overran Macedonia, and spread all over Greece, where, being Arian Christians, they destroyed all the remaining statues and temples of the old pagans.  Arcadius sent to his brother for help, and Stilicho, the commander of Honorius, marched through Thrace. He killed Rufinus and defeated Alaric in battle. By this time Arcadius had grown afraid of Stilicho, sent him back to Italy with many gifts and promises, and engaged Alaric to be the guardian of his empire, not only against the wild tribes, but against his brother Honorius and his minister, Stilicho. Flavius Arcadius died May 1st, 408 in his palace at Constantinople and was succeeded by his 7 year old son Theodosius II.