Educating Theodosius II: Theodosian Child-Emperors and the Manipulation of the Imperial Image

Abstract

This chapter examines the representation of Theodosius II as a pious ruler, enshrined by the accounts of the ecclesiastical historians Sozomen and Socrates. Their narratives of the child-emperor’s upbringing and education at the hands of his devout sister Pulcheria give the impression that other aspects of imperial performance, such as martial training and the pursuit of victories, were irrelevant to Theodosius’ self-presentation. However, as this chapter shows, poetry, coinage, statuary, and public ceremonial emphasized that the non-campaigning emperor remained responsible for the security of the Roman empire and the victory of its armies. Without the ecclesiastical sources, our image of Theodosius might be more military; without the evidence of statues and coins, our image of him might be predominantly religious. This chapter shows that, in fact, the military and religious were intimately connected in representations of Theodosius. Although Theodosius never campaigned in person, the empire’s martial successes were portrayed as the direct result of his Christian piety.