ARCADIUS (Imperator Flavius Arcadius Pius Felix), ROMAN EMPEROR. - Son of the emperor Theodosius the Great, b. in 377. He was educated not only by pagan philosophers (Themistius) but also by men of the Church (Arsenius). Associated very early with power, he became emperor on his father's death in 395, but received only the eastern portion (Illyricum, Thrace, Pontus, Asia, Egypt), sharing power with his younger brother Honorius; moreover he had to submit to the guardianship of Rufinus, praetorian prefect. Apparently the empire continued to be one, despite the two holders of the title; from this moment, however, the clear separation of East and West began, and the former assumed the character that was its own for centuries (Byzantine civilization). A. was weak: he was dominated by his ministers and by his wife Eudoxia, daughter of a Frankish general. After Rufinus, Eutropius rose to prominence, then the Goth Gainas: they were all venal, corrupt, violent. A danger was represented by Alaric, king of the Visigoths, who repeatedly invaded Illyricum, prompting the intervention of Stilicho, minister of the Western empire; A. ended by giving him the title of magister militum, making him a federate.
Famous are the struggles waged in A.'s time by his wife Eudoxia against the bishop of ConstantinopleJohn Chrysostom, already disliked by Gainas, who was an Arian. A. died on 1 May 408, and was succeeded by his young son Theodosius II under the guidance of Anthemius.
Bibliography2 worksA. Güldenpenning, Geschichte des oströmischen Reiches unter den Kaisern Arcadius und Theodosius II, Halle 1885; A. Solari, La crisi dell'Imp
BIBL.: A. Güldenpenning, Geschichte des oströmischen Reiches unter den Kaisern Arcadius und Theodosius II, Halle 1885; A. Solari, La crisi dell'Impero romano, IV, Rome 1936.
Brezzi, Paolo. “ARCADIO (Imperator Flavius Arcadius Pius Felix), IMPERATORE ROMANO.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. I, coll. 1787–1790. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1948. https://azioneromana.com/article/arcadio-imperator-flavius-arcadius-pius-felix-imperatore-romano.
MLA
Brezzi, Paolo. “ARCADIO (Imperator Flavius Arcadius Pius Felix), IMPERATORE ROMANO.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. I, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1948, coll. 1787–1790. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/arcadio-imperator-flavius-arcadius-pius-felix-imperatore-romano.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec1_arcadio_imperator_flavius_arca,
author = {Brezzi, Paolo},
title = {ARCADIO (Imperator Flavius Arcadius Pius Felix), IMPERATORE ROMANO},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {I},
pages = {1787--1790},
note = {Cited by column},
publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
address = {Città del Vaticano},
year = {1948},
url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/arcadio-imperator-flavius-arcadius-pius-felix-imperatore-romano}
}
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