Editing List of Byzantine emperors (section)

== Theodosian dynasty (379–457) ==
{{Main|Theodosian dynasty}}
{{Legend|#EBEBEB|({{Hash-tag}}) – Ambiguous legitimacy{{Efn|name=ambig}}}}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="width:100%; text-align:center"
|+ {{Sronly|Theodosian dynasty}}
! scope=col width="7%" | Portrait
! scope=col width="17%" | Name
! scope=col width="26%" | Reign
! scope=col width="50%" | Notes

|-
| [[File:Bust of Theodosius I (cropped).jpg|100px|alt=bust]]
! scope=row style="text-align:center; background:#F8F9FA" | '''[[Theodosius I]]'''<br/ >"the Great"
| 19 January 379 – 17 January 395<br/>{{Small|({{Age in years, months and days|379|1|19|395|1|17}}) <br/>'''East'''; then '''whole'''}} 
| Born on 11 January 347 in Spain, Theodosius was an aristocrat and military leader, and later brother-in-law of Gratian, who appointed him as emperor of the East in 379 and gave him charge of Macedonia and Dacia.{{sfn|Mitchell|2015|p=90}} During his reign, Theodosius made Nicene Christianity the official religion of the state.{{sfn|Lygo|2022|p=42}} He reunited the whole Empire after defeating [[Eugenius]] at the [[Battle of the Frigidus]], in September 394.{{sfn|Mitchell|2015|p=94}} Theodosius died of a fever at Milan in 395 and his two sons, Honorius and Arcadius, became the emperors of the West and East, splitting power between them.{{sfn|Lygo|2022|p=45}}

|-
| [[File:Arcadius Istanbul Museum (cropped).JPG|100px|alt=bust]]
! scope=row style="text-align:center; background:#F8F9FA" | '''[[Arcadius]]'''
| 17 January 395 – 1 May 408<br/>{{Small|({{Age in years, months and days|395|1|17|408|5|1}}; '''East''')}}
| Born in 377/378, Arcadius was the eldest son of Theodosius I and upon the latter's death in 395, the [[Roman Empire]] was permanently divided between the Eastern Roman Empire—later referred to as the [[Byzantine Empire]]—and the [[Western Roman Empire]] with Arcadius becoming Byzantine emperor in the East while his younger brother [[Honorius (emperor)|Honorius]] became emperor in the West; both were manipulated by court officials and did not possess their father's leadership abilities.{{sfn|Lygo|2022|pp=45–46}} After contracting an illness, Arcadius died in 408.{{sfn|Lygo|2022|pp=47–48}} 


|-
| [[File:Theodosius II Louvre Ma1036.jpg|100px|alt=bust]]
! scope=row style="text-align:center; background:#F8F9FA" | '''[[Theodosius II]]'''<br/ >"the Calligrapher"
| 1 May 408 – 28 July 450<br/>{{Small|({{Age in years, months and days|408|5|1|450|7|28}}; '''East''')}}
| Born on 10 April 401, he was the only son of Emperor Arcadius and Empress Aelia Eudoxia. Theodosius II succeeded the throne in 408 upon the death of his father. Because he was a minor, the praetorian prefect [[Anthemius (praetorian prefect)|Anthemius]] was essentially regent from 408 to 414, but Theodosius II's elder sister Aelia [[Pulcheria]] played a critical role as regent and co-ruler during his early years. Pulcheria exerted considerable influence, shaping court policies and fostering Christian orthodoxy.{{sfn|Kulikowski|2019|pp=156–158}} Theodosius II was known for his mild and scholarly temperament. He had a keen interest in theology, astronomy, and calligraphy, and was reportedly well-educated, thanks to the influence of his sister Pulcheria. His long reign was marked by significant legal, administrative, and theological developments. One of the most enduring legacies of Theodosius II's reign was the construction of the [[Theodosian Walls]] of Constantinople.{{sfn|Lygo|2022|p=50}}  These massive fortifications protected the city for over a millennium and are regarded as one of the greatest defensive structures of antiquity.{{sfn|Mitchell|2015|pp=315–316}}  Theodosius II strongly supported Nicene Christianity and convened the [[Council of Ephesus]] in 431 CE, which declared the [[Virgin Mary]] as ''[[Theotokos]]'' ("God-bearer") and condemned the theology of [[Nestorianism]].{{sfn|Kulikowski|2019|pp=177–179}} He also commissioned the [[Theodosian Code]], a comprehensive compilation of Roman laws published in 438; this codex organized and systematized the legal framework of the empire and influenced later European legal traditions.{{sfn|Kulikowski|2019|pp=179–181}} During his reign, he faced constant threats from the Huns of Attila and negotiated treaties with them, paying substantial tributes to prevent invasions.{{sfn|Kulikowski|2019|pp=181–182, 184–186}} He married [[Aelia Eudocia Augusta]], a learned woman of Greek descent, who, like the emperor's sister Pulcheria, became an influential figure in the court. Their marriage produced one daughter, [[Licinia Eudoxia]], who later married [[Valentinian III]], the Western Roman Emperor.{{sfn|Mitchell|2015|pp=104, 107–108}} Theodosius II died in 450 CE from injuries sustained after falling off his horse while hunting.{{sfn|Stephenson|2022|p=162}} His death marked the end of a relatively peaceful and prosperous reign, though it left unresolved issues such as rising threats from external enemies and religious divisions.

|-
! colspan=4 | &nbsp;

|-
| [[File:Solidus of Marcian.png|100px|alt=coin]]
! scope=row style="text-align:center; background:#F8F9FA" | '''[[Marcian]]'''<br/>{{Small|''Marcianus''}}
| 25 August 450 – 27 January 457<br/>{{Small|({{Age in years, months and days|450|8|25|457|1|27}}; '''East''')}}
| Born in 396. A soldier and politician, he became emperor after being wed by the ''Augusta'' [[Pulcheria]], sister of Theodosius II, following the latter's death. Died of [[gangrene]].

|}