Theodosius, << `thee` uh DOH shee uhs, >> I (A.D. 346-395) was a Roman emperor and military leader. His name is sometimes spelled Theodosios. He was born on Jan. 11, 346, in Spain. His father, a Roman general, was executed on unknown charges in 375, and Theodosius returned to Spain.
In 378, Emperor Gratian recalled Theodosius and asked him to help subdue the Visigoths, who were rebelling in the east. After he achieved some early victories, Gratian made Theodosius co-emperor, responsible for the eastern provinces of the Roman empire. The Visigoths proved difficult to conquer, and in 382 Theodosius signed a peace treaty with them.
When Gratian died in 383, Gratian’s brother, Valentinian II, became emperor of the western provinces. Valentinian died in 392, and Eugenius, a civil servant, claimed control of the western provinces. Theodosius defeated Eugenius in 394 and became the last emperor to rule the entire empire. When Theodosius died on Jan. 17, 395, rule of the empire was split between his sons, Honorius and Arcadius.
In 391, Theodosius prohibited all pagan (non-Christian) practices in the Roman Empire. For this, later Christian writers referred to him as The Great.
