Theodosius II. Solid, gold.

Theodosius II - saint, Byzantine emperor, son of the emperor Arcadia And Elia Eudoxia. Born on April 10, 401, Theodosius was proclaimed Augustus on January 10, 402, not yet nine months old. After the death of his father on May 1, 408, he became the sole ruler of the empire, but until 414 his regent ruled the state Anthymius. Theodosius II received an excellent education. He knew Greek and Latin, mathematics, astronomy, history, drew and even illustrated the books he copied, and received the nickname Calligrapher for his beautiful handwriting. He read a lot, often at night, by the light of a special lamp he had designed. The emperor was very pious and distinguished by religious zeal, and loved church singing. At the same time, throughout his life Theodosius was under the influence of courtiers eunuchs. Possibly prompted by his highly educated wife Evdokia, in 425 issued three decrees on the founding of Constantinople high school, which taught Latin and Greek, rhetoric and law, as well as philosophy. By order of the emperor, the Theodosian Code was published in 438, summarizing the rule-making materials of the decrees of the Roman emperors. Theodosius carried out active construction work in the capital and other cities of the empire. As a result of unfounded suspicions of adultery, he exiled his wife to Jerusalem. The last years of this emperor's reign were marred by the constant threat of invading hordes across the Danube Hunnic lord Atilla, from which they had to buy off a huge amount of gold. Theodosius died on July 28, 450 as a result of falling from his horse while hunting in the vicinity of the capital.

Byzantine dictionary: in 2 volumes / [comp. General Ed. K.A. Filatov]. SPb.: Amphora. TID Amphora: RKhGA: Oleg Abyshko Publishing House, 2011, vol. 2, p.422-423.

Silver miliarisius Augusta Pulcheria.
Inscription: AEL PVLCH-ERIA AVG (Aelia Pulcheria Augusta)

Theodosius II (Theodosius junior) (c. 401 - 28.VII.450) - Emperor of Byzantium (Eastern Roman Empire) from 408. Until 428, he ruled under the tutelage of his sister Pulcheria (who contributed to the strengthening of Orthodoxy), and then was under the great influence of his wife, Empress Eudoxia (until 441); later, power was actually in the hands of the eunuch Chrysaphius. In 442, Theodosius II was forced to make peace with Geiseric, as a result of which North Africa (the territory of modern Tunisia and eastern Algeria) went to the Vandals. The empire bought off the Huns with tribute and concessions of the Danube lands. During the reign of Theodosius II, Constantinople was surrounded (413) by powerful walls (“the walls of Theodosius”); a university was established in Constantinople (425); the so-called Code of Theodosius (438) was published - the first code of early Byzantine law that has come down to us, which included the laws of the emperors of the 4th - early 5th centuries (valid not only in the Eastern, but also in the Western Roman Empire). Theodosius II convened the Councils of Ephesus in 431 and 449 (at the first, Nestorianism was condemned, at the second, the Monophysites won a temporary victory).

G. L. Kurbatov. Leningrad.

Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 15. FELLAHI – ZHALAINOR. 1974.

Literature: Kulakovsky Yu., History of Byzantium, vol. I, K., 1910, p. 217-308; History of Byzantium, M., 1967, vol. 1, p. 185-196; Güldenpennig A., Geschichte des Oströmischen Reiches unter den Kaisern Arcadius und Theodosius II, Halle, 1885; Luibheid S., Theodosius II and heresy, "Journal of ecclesiastic history", 1965, No. 16.

Theodosius II, Flavius ​​- Byzantine emperor in 402-450. Son of Arkady. Genus. 10 Apr 401 + July 28, 450

Theodosius was declared Augustus and co-emperor of Arcadius when he was only nine months old. Seven years later, his father, dying, made a will in which he declared Theodosius his successor, and appointed the Persian king Isdigerd as his guardian, conjuring him in the same will to use all his power and insight to preserve the throne for his son. When Isdigerd saw the document delivered to him, he showed a virtue worthy of great surprise and eternal memory. He did not neglect Arkady’s instructions, kept an unbreakable peace with the Romans all the time and preserved the power of Theodosius. He immediately sent a message to the Senate in which he threatened war with anyone who tried to plot against him (Dig: “The Wars of Justinian”; 1; 2). Governance of the state was first entrusted to the prefect Anthimius (Socrates: 7; 1), and from 414 it was concentrated in the hands of the elder sister Theodosius Pulcheria(Theophanes: 401). Although she was only 15 years old, she, according to Sozomen, had the wisest mind. She dedicated her virginity to God. In addition, she sent her sisters, and to stop any intrigues, she removed all men from the palace. Having taken upon herself the concerns of government, Pulcheria carried out all matters perfectly and very well, making good orders (Sozomen: 9; 1). However, Eunapius describes this time in completely different colors and says that under Pulcheria, large and small nations were put up for public sale for those wishing to buy their control. Entire countries were sold openly to public bankers, like any other commodity on the market. Someone who wanted to plunder the Hellespont bought the Hellespont, another bought Macedonia, a third bought Cyrene. Anyone could buy control of one nation or many nations to the detriment of those under their control. At the same time, there was no need to be afraid of laws, which were not only weaker and thinner than a spider’s web, but were scattered and spread more easily than dust (Eupapius: 87).

Pulcheria tried to give her brother an education befitting a king. Knowledgeable people taught him to ride a horse, wield weapons, and imparted knowledge of the sciences (Sozomen: 9; 1). Feodosius knew Greek and Latin, mathematics, astronomy, history, drew, wrote with paints and even illustrated the books he copied, and for his beautiful handwriting he received the nickname “Caligraph”. He read a lot, often at night, by the light of a special lamp he designed (Dashkov: “Theodosius the Younger”). His sister gave him instructions on how to behave at royal occasions, how to dress, how to sit and walk. She no less guided his piety, teaching him to constantly pray and honor the priests (Sozomen: 9; 1). Later, having become a youth and a mature man, Theodosius continued to obey his sister in everything, who alone of all the offspring of Theodosius 1 resembled her great grandfather in character (Gibbon: 32). In the imperial palace, Feodosia established an order similar to that of the monastery: he got up early in the morning and, together with his sisters, sang antiphons to the glory of God, knew the Holy Scriptures by heart and discussed them with the bishops as a priest. By character he was a gentle man (Socrates: 7; 22), gullible and, as Theophan put it, carried by every wind, which is why he often signed papers without reading them at all. One day, among others, Pulcheria slipped in a document about giving her his wife, Empress Eudoxia, as a slave, which he signed without reading, for which his sister later reproached him. This Evdokia was the daughter of the philosopher Leontius. Pulcheria herself married her brother to her in 421. The Empress was distinguished by her intelligence, beauty, and eloquence, and Theodosius loved her dearly. Unfortunately for him, the two women he deeply revered could not get along with each other. In 439, Eudokia, in order to remove Pulcheria from power, tried to remove her from the court and make her a deaconess, as she had taken a vow of virginity. Having learned about this, Pulcheria left the palace for Evdomon. But already in 441, the reign of Evdokia ended. Theophanes says that a certain Pavlian, a very educated and handsome man, enjoyed the special favor of the empress, who often talked with him alone. On Christmas Day, someone brought Theodosius an apple of extraordinary size and beauty. The emperor sent it to Evdokia, and she sent it to Pavliana. Pavlian, two days later, presented it to the emperor. Thus, their connection was revealed. Theodosius exiled Paulian to Cappadocia and ordered his execution. Evdokia herself retired to Jerusalem and lived there until her death. After this, Theodosius, with great difficulty, persuaded Pulcheria to return to the palace (Theophanes: 411, 440-442). Almost the entire reign of Theodosius, with the exception of a short war with Persia, passed in peace. But shortly before his death, the empire experienced a devastating invasion of the Huns. In 442, the Hun ruler Attila demanded from Theodosius that all the re-sellers be given to him and tribute sent, and also that envoys be sent to negotiate the payment of tribute for the future. In response, he received a notification that the Romans would not hand over the people who had come under their protection, but would accept war with them (Priscus: 3). Angered by this arrogant response, Attila marched his hordes against the empire. In three successive battles the Roman army was defeated. After this, the Huns took and destroyed all the cities in Illyria and Thrace, except Andrianople and Heraclea, and extended their rule from the Hellespont to Thermopylae and the outskirts Constantinople(Theophanes: 442). In 447 peace was concluded. Theodosius agreed to hand over all the re-sellers to Attila, immediately pay 6,000 libras of gold and pay another 2,000 every year. According to Priscus, the horror of Attila was so great that the Romans obeyed his every demand and looked at any compulsion on his part as an order from a ruler ( Priscus: 5, 6). Soon after this shameful peace, Theodosius suffered a sudden death. While hunting, his horse threw him into the Lik River; he injured his spine in a fall and died the next day (Gibbon: 34).

All the monarchs of the world. Ancient Greece. Ancient Rome. Byzantium. Konstantin Ryzhov. Moscow, 2001.

Theodosius II. Solid, gold.

Theodosius II the Younger (401 - 450, emperor from 402, to 408 - with his father)

The only son of Arcadius and Eudoxia, Theodosius, was born in Constantinople on April 10, 401. About a year later, Arcadius declared him co-emperor, so that after the death of the emperor, the seven-year-old boy unopposedly inherited his father's power. Until 414, the regent Anthymius ruled the state almost independently.

Beginning and middle of the 5th century. became a time of powerful upheavals for the Romans, especially for the Western Empire. From all over the world, like birds of prey towards the body of a dying beast, hordes of barbarians rushed to the legacy of Caesar, Augustus and Trajan, the most significant stage of the Great Migration of Peoples began.

The formidable neighbors of the Romans, having inflicted a number of defeats on them in the previous century, rapidly developed their success. In 406, the Vandals, Alans and Sueves broke through the previously impregnable Limes in the area of ​​Mogontsiacum (Mainz) and in a few years reached the western regions of Spain. The Visigoths threatened from the northeast, carrying out periodic raids and major campaigns, one of which in 410 ended with the capture of Rome. The population of Britain, from where the legions were withdrawn in 408, unsuccessfully tried to hold back the onslaught of first the Celts, and then the Saxons, Jutes and Frisians, losing one part of the island after another and retreating west to the coast of the Irish Sea. The Western Empire was rocked by rebellions and civil wars.

Taking advantage of its difficult situation, the Vandals, having captured the coastal cities of Eastern Spain by 428, landed in Africa near Tingis (Tangier) in 429 and six years later already controlled the territory from Carthage and Hippo-Regia to the Strait of Gibraltar. And although the Romans sometimes managed to inflict significant defeats on their enemies, the situation still went out of their control.

The position of the Eastern Empire was somewhat better: richer and less affected by wars, having a viable economic structure, it resisted the barbarians much more successfully thanks to the talents of the commanders and the diplomatic efforts of temporary workers at the court of Theodosius II, who, first due to his youth and then due to his own weakness, did not provide much influence on the fate of the country.

The energetic and skillful Anthymius repelled the onslaught of the Huns in 412 and began building new fortifications for the capital that had grown since the time of Constantine the Great. First, a powerful and long wall was built, running from the Sea of ​​Marmara to the Golden Horn Bay. Subsequently, in the 40s. In the 5th century, after the earthquake, the prefect of the city Cyrus did not limit himself to repairing the damaged areas, erected another line and ordered a ditch to be dug (the swampy area near the Blachernae Palace that remained uncovered by the wall was protected in 625). Ninety-two formidable towers, significant height and thickness of the walls, a deep ditch and an abundance of military vehicles ensured the security of Constantinople for a long time.

On July 4, 414, Theodosius II's 16-year-old sister, Pulcheria, was proclaimed Augusta. Being only two years older than her brother, she nevertheless had a very great influence on him and largely determined the well-being of both the state and the emperor himself. Thanks to her care, Theodosius II received an excellent education. He knew Greek and Latin, mathematics, astronomy, history, drew, painted and even illustrated the books he copied, and for his beautiful handwriting he received the nickname “Calligrapher”. He read a lot, often at night, by the light of a special lamp he had designed. Sozomen, addressing Augustus in the introduction to his “Ecclesiastical History,” praised “his interest in writers—Christian, of course: “And you reward writers with your judgments, and applause, and golden images, and the exhibition of their statues, and gifts, and various honors." The emperor was very pious, loved to sing church hymns, and once at the hippodrome he organized a grand prayer service, which he personally conducted, instead of the rallies expected by the audience. “No one saw him angry. One of his neighbors asked him: why do you never punish with death a person who has offended you? “Oh, if only,” he answered, “it were possible for me to bring the dead back to life... It is not a great or difficult thing to kill a person, but having repented, no one except God can resurrect the dead” (Socrates, ).

Theodosius II preferred hunting among traditional entertainments; he showed no passion for military exercises, although he was physically strong.

Possessed of extraordinary abilities and endowed with undoubted spiritual virtues, Theodosius nevertheless went down in history as a weak-willed and mediocre ruler, subordinate in everything to those close to him - first his sister, then his wife, and after 441 and almost until his death - his favorite eunuch Chrysaphius. “Theodosius was a gullible sovereign, carried by every wind, which is why he often signed papers without reading them at all. By the way, the wise Pulcheria once offered him a document about giving her his wife, Evdokia, as a slave, which he signed without looking, for which she then [Pulcheria. - S.D.] reproached him” (Theoph., ).

During the reign of this emperor, the state had to fight a lot and with varying degrees of success. In 420 - 422 The generals of Theodosius repelled the onslaught of the armies of the Persian Shahinshah Bahram V, who replaced Yazdegerd II, in Mesopotamia. A year later, Honorius died of dropsy in Ravenna, power over the Western Roman Empire was usurped by the impostor John, and Constantinople sent troops against him. By 425, John was finished, and at Ravenna 1) Valentinian III took the throne under pressure from the East with his mother, Galla Placidia, who was Theodosius II's paternal aunt.

Weakened by the battles of the rival Western commanders Aetius and Boniface, Spain and Africa by 435 became the prey of the Vandal leader Gizeric. After a number of unsuccessful attempts to repel the onslaught of the conqueror, the Western government was forced to recognize his power in the occupied territories. Theodosius II decided to intervene, but the campaign of the Eastern Roman legions, undertaken around 443, ended unsuccessfully and did not change the current situation in any way.

The main event of that era was the invasion of the Huns. The relations of the West and the East with the tribes of these nomads, whose possessions covered the vast expanse of Central Europe - from the Volga to the Rhine - developed differently. In 379, the Huns, following the Visigoths, invaded the possessions of Constantinople and devastated Mysia. Since then, raids by the Huns became a common occurrence in the East, and they had to be either fought off with weapons or (which happened more often) paid off. In the West, the Hunnic mercenary foederates formed a significant part of the army, and the government of Ravenna often used them to suppress the rebellions of the Franks, Burgundians, or Gallic Bagaudian peasants.

The situation changed in 433, when the Huns were led by Attila, nicknamed “the scourge of God” by Christian writers. Having strengthened after the defeat of the Burgundian kingdom in 436, Attila in 441 moved to Thrace and Illyricum, three times defeating the troops of the empires sent against him, and occupied many cities, including Nis, Sirmium and Viminatium. Two years later, having overcome the resistance of the Eastern Roman commanders, he began to threaten the capital of the East itself. The enemy had already taken the Thracian Philippopolis and Arcadiopolis, the court decided not to take risks and paid off Attila with gold, giving a colossal sum of 6,000 libras and promising to pay another seven hundred annually. Later, in 448, an embassy headed by the noble nobleman Maximin went to the nomadic camp. It had a twofold purpose: firstly, to resolve the issue of the numerous defectors of the last war, and secondly, to try to bribe someone from Attila’s entourage and poison the leader of the Huns. Apparently, neither Maximin nor his assistant, the writer Priscus of Panius, knew about this second, secret task, entrusted to one of the members of the embassy by Theodosius II and his confidant, the eunuch Chrysaphius, unlike Attila himself. Tom managed to discover the machinations of the Romans even before the embassy approached the camp. Angry, he gave the ambassadors a very unkind reception, answering Maximin’s greeting threateningly: “Let the Romans have what they wish for me.” . True, in the end, the formidable king of the barbarians changed his anger to mercy, and sent the son of the noble Hun Vigila, bribed by the Byzantines, to Constantinople with an empty purse of gold around his neck, ordering him to present it to the emperor and Chrysaphius with the question of whether they would recognize this item.

The written evidence of Priscus, a direct witness of those events, is very valuable. Descriptions of the barbarian camp have been preserved, of Attila himself - red-bearded, with dark skin, small eyes and a huge head on a disproportionately wide and short body, of a multi-tribal crowd of his army. An interesting meeting took place with Priscus in the Huns’ camp. One of the barbarians approached him and suddenly spoke in Greek. The astonished Priscus learned that the stranger was a Roman who had been captured by the Huns and then received freedom. The defector began to praise the orders of Attila and vilify those of Rome and Constantinople, accusing the emperors and courtiers of greed, laziness, cruelty, neglect of the interests of the state, and levying high taxes. Priscus had no choice but to justify reasonable laws and the glorious deeds of his ancestors. “Yes,” his opponent agreed, “the laws are good and the Roman state is well structured, but the leaders are harming it, because they are not like the ancients.” .

Indeed, the difference between the declared position of a Roman citizen, “ruler of the world,” and the real state of affairs in the U. was huge. The severity of taxes, the arbitrariness of the authorities, the frequent unhindered invasions of enemies, in a word - decline, led to the fact that peasants or even townspeople abandoned their lands, houses and either became robbers, or, leaving the borders of the state, joined. ranks of barbarians. Priscus himself writes: “Even people of brilliant fortune were extorted money by beatings... so that people who had been rich for a long time put up their wives’ attire and their belongings for sale. Such a disaster befell the Romans after this war that many of them starved themselves to death or ended their lives by putting a noose around their necks.” .

In addition to heavy wars, the state was rocked by religious strife. In 428, the emperor invited the famous preacher Nestorius, a Persian by birth, and abbot of one of the Antioch monasteries, to take the throne of Patriarch in Constantinople. Nestorius defended the position of the separation of divine and human essences in Christ, which sharply turned the Patriarch of Alexandria against himself Kirill 2) . Cyril obtained from Theodosius II the convening of an Ecumenical Council to condemn the views of Nestorius, which took place in 431 in Ephesus. Nestorius was deposed and sent back to Syria.

Another serious quarrel broke out fifteen years later between the theologian Eusebius and the Patriarch of Constantinople Flavian on the one hand and the Monophysite heresiarch Eutyches on the other. Having achieved the condemnation of the latter at the local council of 448 in the capital, Eusebius and Flavian did not triumph for long - on the initiative and under the chairmanship of the Alexandrian Patriarch Dioscurus, a great friend of the imperial favorite Chrysaphius, the Ecumenical Council of 449 convened in Ephesus, which restored Eutyches and condemned Flavian and Eusebius. Due to the atmosphere of brutal pressure and outright terror on the part of Dioscurus, this cathedral later received the name “robber cathedral”. The victory of the Monophysites, however, was fragile: the Council of Chalcedon in 451 subjected them to final condemnation.

Theodosius II himself, unlike his father, was very interested in the affairs of the church - he actively persecuted the pagans (on his orders, the Hellenic shrine Olympia was burned in 426), and often intervened in the polemics of the hierarchs. In 448, against the books of the Neoplatonist philosopher Porphyry, he issued an edict, the tone and direction of which for a long time determined the methods of Christian theologians in the fight against dissenters: “Emperors Theodosius and Valentinian Augustus - to the praetorian prefect Hormizdus. We order everything that Porfiry [or anyone else], driven by his own madness, wrote against the pious Christian faith, wherever it is discovered, to be burned. For we want that all kinds of works that provoke the wrath of God and defile the soul do not even reach the ears of people.” .

Around 441, Theodosius II suspected his wife Eudokia of adultery with Peacock, a friend and military leader of the emperor. There is a romantic legend according to which one day Augustus was presented with a Phrygian apple of unprecedented size. He gave it to his beloved wife, and she sent it to Peacock as a sign of affection. The peacock decided to please the emperor and gave the apple to him. The angry husband came to Evdokia and demanded to see his gift. She replied that she ate it and, at the insistence of Theodosius, swore eternal salvation in it, after which he showed his wife the ill-fated “apple of discord.” An unpleasant scene followed, and Augusta lost her husband’s favor forever. Whether everything really happened this way or whether it was invented later is unclear, but Peacock was indeed exiled and died in exile, and Evdokia went into exile forever in 442. Along with her, Eparch Cyrus also lost influence at court.

The eunuch Chrysaphius became the emperor's new favorite. First of all, he began to push away from power people who could compete with him in their business qualities. It was because of the machinations of the eunuch that Cyrus suffered: after the crowd at the hippodrome applauded the eparch for the restoration of the walls, shouting: “Constantine built, Cyrus restored!”, Chrysaphius drew the emperor’s attention to the fact that the people did not mention the name of Augustus himself in the praises. The eunuch convinced Theodosius II that this was not without reason. The emperor, without thinking twice, accused the Egyptian Cyrus of paganism (choosing the first available pretext for punishment), confiscated his property and ordered him to be tonsured a monk, then, however, he relented and allowed him to be ordained bishop of one of the Phrygian cities.

Around 446, a certain John Vandal rebelled, but the commanders Ardaburius and Arses defeated his troops, and he himself was captured. The emperor intended to let the rebel live, but Chrysaphius arranged the murder of the prisoner right in the palace. Apparently, the eunuch enjoyed unlimited influence, but in 450 he too was exiled - on charges of sympathizing with the views of the convicted Flavian.

The complex atmosphere of political instability not only at the top, but throughout the empire awakened forces that had hitherto dormant. Just from the middle of the 5th century, the circus parties of the people - dimas - from sports became political. The earliest news of bloodshed committed by warring factions of Dims in the capital dates back to 445.

Two extremely important events in Byzantine history are associated with the name of Theodosius - the opening of the first state higher school and the publication of the Code of Theodosius.

The first fact is noteworthy in that before this education was exclusively either private or municipal, but not state-owned, although teachers in schools were approved by the emperor (the corresponding law was passed under Julian the Apostate). In 425, Theodosius issued a decree according to which an Auditorium was opened in one of the public buildings of the capital - essentially the first medieval university. His staff included thirty-one teachers: five rhetoricians and ten Greek grammarians, three rhetoricians and ten Latin grammarians, two lawyers and one philosopher. All of them were officials, i.e. received a salary from the imperial treasury, and after twenty-eight years of unblemished service - resignation with retention of a pension, the title of committee of the first degree and the title of spectabile. However, they were forbidden to teach anyone in other places, and at the same time, other teachers, under pain of severe punishment and expulsion from the capital, did not have the right to open their own schools there. Education was allowed only in private homes and for individual students. Thus, in addition to the ancient center of science - the Academy in Athens - another one appeared in Constantinople, albeit with a slightly different focus (the Academy studied primarily philosophy). Moreover, unlike free philosophers, professors of Theodosius were obliged to believe in Christ. It is possible that the emperor was pushed to open this university by his enlightened wife.

The above-mentioned “Code of Theodosius” continued the previously existing codes of Gregorian and Hermogenian (named after the compilers), the first of which contained decrees from Hadrian to Diocletian, and the second - from the end of the 3rd century. until the 60s IV century The Code of Theodosius not only had a decisive influence on early Byzantine law, but, unlike the previous ones, it has come down to us and has become a valuable historical document of the era.

By the summer of 450, the formidable Attila had gathered a colossal army on the Roman borders, preparing an invasion, but Theodosius II no longer had to worry about defense: on July 27, he fell from his horse while hunting, and the next day he died from the bruise he received.

Under Theodosius the Younger, during a severe fire in one of the palaces of Constantinople, a wooden statue of Zeus by Phidias, one of the “seven wonders of the world,” taken from the destroyed Olympia and covered with plates of gold and ivory, burned down.

The statue of Theodosius II is kept in the Louvre.

Notes

1) From the end of the 3rd century. the emperors (with a few exceptions) did not make Rome, which was inconvenient in terms of strategic location, their residence, and the court, as a rule, stayed in more suitable cities - Milan, Padua, Ravenna, Nicomedia, Achvileia, etc.

2) St. Cyril of Alexandria stood at the origins of the Christological heresy, which later received the name Monophysitism from the Greek “mia phisis” - one nature. Since Monophysitism, as it developed, gave birth to many dissimilar movements, it is difficult and hardly correct to characterize this teaching unambiguously and briefly (which fully applies to both Nestorianism and Arianism). For example, according to Cyril, “the single nature of God the Word incarnate,” strictly speaking, is not the absence of human nature in Christ in general, but its diminishment, a kind of absorption of the lower human nature by the higher, divine nature. Monophysites of another direction recognized in Christ the presence of a human nature that was different from our human nature. Sometimes by Monophysitism, tracing this term, they understand the doctrine that there is only one nature in Christ - this was the case, but, by the way, the most authoritative Monophysites rejected such a simplified point of view. Perhaps the clearest line separating developed Monophysitism from orthodoxy can be considered the attitude towards the IV Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon - the Monophysites do not recognize it. The interested reader can learn more about the essence of the problems of Christological and Trinitarian disputes, Monophysitism, Arianism, Nestorianism, Monothelitism from the book “Ecumenical Councils” by A. V. Kartashev. M., "Republic", 1994.

. Feofan. Chronicle of the Byzantine Theophan from Diocletian to the kings Michael and his son Theophylact/Trans. V.I. Obolensky and F.A. Ternovsky. M., 1890.

. Pitulevskaya N.V. and others. History of Iran from ancient times to the end of the 18th century. L., 1958.

. Uspensky F.I. History of the Byzantine Empire. M.;L., 1913-1948 (vol. 2, part 2 was not published).

Kulakovsky Yu., History of Byzantium, vol. I, K., 1910, p. 217-308;

History of Byzantium, M., 1967, vol. 1, p. 185-196;

Güldenpennig A., Geschichte des Oströmischen Reiches unter den Kaisern Arcadius und Theodosius II, Halle, 1885;

Luibheid S., Theodosius II and heresy, "Journal of ecclesiastic history", 1965, No. 16.

When he was only nine months old. Seven years later, his father, dying, made a will in which he declared Theodosius his successor, and appointed the Persian king as his guardian, conjuring him in the same will to use all his power and insight to preserve the throne for his son.

What Theodosius had a real inclination for was the pursuit of science. Under him, the University of Constantinople was opened in 425. In 420-422 he gave permission to the Armenian scientist Mesrop Mashtots to open schools in Western Armenia. Finally, in 438, the Code of Theodosius was published, bringing together all the imperial decrees since 312. Under Theodosius II, the fight against paganism continued: by order of the emperor, the Olympic buildings were burned.

The Christian Church during the reign of Theodosius II was shaken by unrest. The appointment of the heresiarch Nestorius to the capital's see, approved by the emperor in 428, added fuel to the fire, who three years later was deposed by the decision of the Council of Ephesus. The spread of Monophysite teachings necessitated the convening of an ecumenical council in Chalcedon, which opened after the death of the emperor.

He had no heir and the throne passed to a military leader who married the sister of Emperor Pulcheria.

Born on April 10, 401, the son of im-pe-ra-to-ra Ar-ka-diya and Elia Ev-dok-siya. Fe-o-do-siy was proclaimed on August 10, 10 January 402, not yet nine months from birth. After the death of his father on May 1, 408, he became the sole ruler of the empire, but until 414 regent An-fi-miy fork it. The Persian king Yez-was appointed as the custodian of Fe-o-do-for-this-thing-to-ra-ar-ka-diya. Di-gerd I, who-ro-th Ar-ka-diy for-kli-nal put all his power and insight into co-preservation -the throne for his son. Yez-di-gerd did not dis-regard Ar-ka-diya’s ru-s, all the time he kept the unbreakable peace with Rome and kept Fe-o-do-this der-zha-vu. He immediately sent a message, in which he threatened war with anyone who tried to organize - speak against him for a thief.

Since 414, power has been in the hands of Fe-o-do-siya's elder sister Pulcheria, who declared heaven le-na av-gu-stay, co-pra-vi-tel-ni-tsey im-pe-ra-to-ra.

Fe-o-do-siy II received a brilliant development. He knew Greek and Latin languages, ma-te-ma-ti-ku, as-ro-no-miya, is-to-riya, ri-so-val and even Ill-lu-stri-ro-val himself re-pi-san-ed the books, and for his beautiful handwriting he received the nickname Kal-li-count. He read a lot, often at night, under the light of a specially constructed lamp. His sister gave him instructions on how to behave on royal occasions, how to dress, how to sit child and walk. She is no less a guide to his blessings, teaching him to pray and read to the priests .

In 421, Pulcheria same-ni-la im-pe-ra-to-ra on Ev-do-kii, before-che-ri philo-so-fa Leon-tiya. They're so smart, they're beautiful, they're red, and they love this mountain her.

Ob-la-dav-shiy not-at-a-number-of-us-able-and-de-len-no-spirit-to-one -in-stva-mi, Fe-o-do-this nevertheless entered history as a free-willed and mediocre ruler in everything I came to my close wife - I slept with my sister, then with my wife, and after 441 and almost until my death - love-bim-tsu ev-nu-hu Hri-za-fiyu. However, the long kingdom of Fe-o-do-siya II is famous for its strength and co-sistence. How happy is the unity in his government of freely capable and skillful councils -kov.

From the traditional entertainments, Fe-o-do-siy II pre-read the desire for military exercises He didn’t show any signs of it, although he was physically strong.

Reality

The em-per-ra-tor was very good-hearted and was very passionate about the church, he loved the church -nie. In the imperial palace, Fe-o-do-siy arranged a row, similar to mo-na-styr-sky: got up early in the morning and together with my sisters, I sang an-ti-phons to the glory of God, knew the Holy Scripture by heart and reasoned about it with epi-sco-pa-mi. Once upon a time, at the ip-po-dro-me, they arranged a grand di-oz instead of the expected ones -ny mo-le-ben, who is personally di-ri-zhi-ro-val. No one saw him once-angry. One of his neighbors asked him: why don’t you ever call a person’s death, you offended you? -th? “Oh, if only,” he answered, “it would have been possible for me to bring the dead back to life... Not great and It’s not a difficult thing to kill a person, but once he appears, no one except God can resurrect the dead one.” .

In the years of the kingdom of Fe-o-do-siya, the II state-su-dar-stvo shook the re-li-gi-oz-times.

In 428, im-pe-ra-tor pri-gla-sil in Kon-stan-ti-no-pol took over the ka-fed-ru pat-ri-ar-ha know-me-ni-go about-by-ved-ka Nesto-ria, the family of Per-sa, on-sto-ya-the-one of the Anti-Khiy-mon-on-sty-rays. Alek-san-drii-pat-ri-arch do-beat-xia from Fe-o-do-siya II con-call of the All-len-sko-s-bor-ra for condemning the view -Dov Nestoria, who stood in 431 in Ephesus. Nestorius was deposed and sent back to Syria.

Another serious quarrel broke out fifteen years later between the God-word Ev-se-vi-em and the kon-stan-ti-no-pol -sky pat-ri-ar-kh Fla-via-n with one hundred-ro-ny and here-si-ar-kh mo-no-fi-zi-tov Ev-ti-hi-em - with another -goy. Before being convicted at the local council in 448 in the capital, Ev-seviy and Flavian tor-same -stvo-va-li for a short time - according to ini-tsi-a-ti-ve and under the pre-se-da-tel-stvo of Alek-san-drii-skogo pat-ri-ar-ha Di-o -soon, bol-sho-go-to-ya im-pe-ra-tor-skogo fa-vo-ri-ta Khri-za-fiya, gathered in Ephesus Council of 449, the resurrection of Ev-ti-khiya and the condemnation of Fla-vi-a-na and Ev-se-vius. For the at-mo-sphere gro-bo-go na-zhi-ma and from-kro-ven-no-go ter-ro-ra from the side of Di-o-s-ku-ra this so -bor subsequently received the name “break-up-of-anyone.” By-be-da mo-no-fi-zi-tov, one-on-one, was fragile: the Chal-ki-don Council of 451 exposed them to the window-cha-tel -but to condemnation.

The pursuit of the tongues in the empire continued without let-up; freedom to deal with them was granted not only to the authorities, but, apparently, to the population as well. So, for example, during a time of unrest due to real reasons in Aleksandria of Egypt, a crowd of Christian races -ter-za-la of the famous woman-schi-nu-philo-so-fa Gi-pa-tia (415), a brilliant presence -she-go pa-ga-niz-ma, - and this na-si-lie remained without-on-ca-zan. At the behest of him, in 426, the El-lin shrine, Olympia, was built. Under Fe-o-do-siy the Younger during a strong heat in one of the palaces of Kon-stan-ti-but-by-la you burned down -ve-zen-naya from the raz-thunderous Olympia de-re-vyan-naya, covered with pla-stin-ka-mi gold and layered leather- The statue of Zeus the worker Phidias is one of the “seven wonders of the world.”

In 448, against the books of philo-so-fa-neo-pla-to-ni-ka Por-fi-ria, he issued an edict, the tone and direction of something how long will it be determined whether we are in the fight against the re-li-gi-oz-in-no-thought:

“Im-pe-ra-to-ry Fe-o-do-siy and Va-len-ti-ni-an Av-gu-sty - pre-fect-tu pre-to-ria Horm-iz-du. We pre-pi-sy-va-e-em everything that Por-fi-riy [or someone else], driven by his own madness, wrote against the good Christian faith, wherever it may be, commit it to fire. For we want all things that cause the wrath of God and defile the soul, not to have people ever heard of it.”

According to the character of im-pe-ra-tor Fe-o-do-siy, he was a kind-hearted, easy-to-loyal and, according to you, niyu Fe-o-fa-na, with all the wind but-si-my, why-often under-pi-sy-wa-val-bu-ma-gi, without reading them at all . One day, Pulcheria lived between the pro-chi-mi bu-ma-gu about giving her the slavery of his spouse, im-pe- ra-three Ev-do-kii, which he wrote without reading, for which his sister then reproached him.

Pro-ti-sto-i-nie of Pulcheria and Eu-do-kii

Over time, the relationship between Pulhe-ri-ey and Ev-do-ki-ey began to deteriorate. At the end of the 430s, the place of the council of im-per-ra-to-ra was taken by Ev-nukh Khri-zaf, a capable half-co-vo-dets, but immoral and greedy for money. He became against Pulcheria, who had repeatedly thwarted his plans, and set Ev-do-kia against tsa-rev-ny. Gradually, due to his weakness and short-sightedness, im-per-ra-tor Fe himself was involved in the conspiracy -o-do-siy. Hri-zaf convinced the king that Pulcheria had too much power, and Fe-o-do-siy demanded from Kon-stan-ti-no -pol-skogo pat-ri-ar-ha, so that he would consecrate Pulcheria to dia-ko-nis-sy. Pat-ri-arch informed Pulcheria about the plan, and she left the government and left the city for Ev-de-mon. Under Hri-za-f, there began to be persecution of the right-of-glorious people and the rise of the mo-no-fi-zi-tov. Perhaps, already at that time, Ev-do-kiya herself also received a hundred-ro-well mo-no-fi-zi-tov.

One day, already in 441, Ev-do-kiya herself found herself in disgrace. Fe-o-fan says that a certain Pav-li-an, a very well-developed and handsome, useful man -there was a special race with them, who often was alone with him . On the day of the Christmas holidays, someone brought Fe-o-do-this apple of unusually-veined size and beauty . Im-pe-ra-tor sent it to Ev-do-kiya, and she sent it to Pav-li-a-nu. Pav-li-an, two days later, brought it to them. In this way, their connection was revealed. Fe-o-do-siy sent Pav-li-a-na to Kap-pa-do-kiya and at the kaz-thread hall. Ev-do-kiya herself went to Jerusalem and lived there until her death.

After this, Fe-o-do-siy, with great difficulty, persuaded Pulcheria to return to the palace. Pulcheria opened his eyes to the way things were going. Fe-o-do-siy pri-ka-zal with-send and kaz-thread Khri-za-fa, and Pulcheria again became co-pra-vi-tel-no-cey.

Internal po-li-ti-ka, ob-ra-zo-va-tel-naya re-form

Previously, in the empire, educational institutions were organized according to private ini-ci-a-ti-ve or according to chi-nu mu-ni- ci-pal communities. Im-per-ra-tor Yuli-an Ot-step-nik (361-363), wishing to give the school pre-da-va-nium the right, co-from -the venerable of his ideas, the first one gave the law, according to which he taught the society-about-ra-zo-va-tel- schools in cities where they knew the local authorities should have been under them -re-approval. By decree of Fe-o-do-siya II in 425, a school was created in Kon-stan-ti-no-po-le, which would now be -what is the name of the state university? It was set up in one of the public buildings of the capital and, as it seems, should have kept at the expense of the treasury. There were 31 professors, including 3 ri-to-ra and 10 gram-ti-kovs of La-tin, 5 ri-to-ra and 10 gram-ma- Greek ti-kov, 2 juris-consul-ta and only 1 philosopher. This list itself is evidence of the for-ma-li-me of the right-of-way, established ) in the first state higher school in the Roman Empire. The pro-fes-so-ra was recognized by the officials of the state; after 28 years of service, if she had been dishonest, they, together with their retirement, would receive an even rank." comes primi ordinis" (with ti-tu-lom "spectabilis"). The school is po-lu-chi-la, so to speak, can-but-po-lyu-pre-da-va-niya. It is forbidden to teach profes-so-ram anywhere else; none of the free scientists had any more right to open a private school under penalty of severe punishment and expulsion syl-ki from the hundred-li-tsy. Private individuals were allowed to give lessons only in private houses to separate teachers.

According to the race, in 438 the Fe-o-do-si-ev code was issued, summarizing the norm-mo-creation -che-ma-te-ri-a-ly decrees of the Roman im-per-ra-to-trenches.

Fe-o-do-siy led active construction work in the capital and other cities of the empire.

Foreign policy

During the reign of this state, it was necessary to fight a lot and with varying success.

In 412, the energetic and skillful regent An-fi-miy repelled the pressure of the Huns and began the construction of new fortifications The last time it has grown has been since the time of Kon-stan-ti-on the Ve-li-ko-th hundred. Once upon a time, a powerful and long wall was built, running from the Marmara Sea to the Golden Horn Bay . Subsequently, in the 440s, after the earthquake, the prefect of the city Cyrus Pa-no-polsky was not limited after repairing the affected areas, he erected another line and ordered to dig a ditch (which remained not closed The walled large area near the Blachernae palace was protected in 625). Nine-one-hundred-and-two formidable towers, significant heights and thick walls, a deep ditch and an abundance of bo-e-holes the machine will ensure safety for a long time. Kon-stan-ti-no-po-la.

In 420-422 half-ko-vo-tsy Fe-o-do-siya from-ra-zi-li in Me-so-po-ta-mii na-tisk army per-sid-sko-go sha-hin-sha- ha Bakhra-ma V, succeeding Yez-di-ger-da I.

With the western half of the im-periy, the b-go-ra-zum-but were supported by friendly relations , sealed in 437 by the marriage of the west-no-go im-pe-ra-to-ra of Va-len-ti-ni-a-na III with daughter Fe-o -do-siya II Ev-do-ki-ey.

Weakened grips with the Western Poles of Aetius and Bo-ni-fa-tsiya of Is-pa-nia and Af-ri- how by 435 had become before-in-di-te-la van-da-lov Gi-ze-ri-ha. After a number of unsuccessful attempts, the pressure for the Western government was you need to recognize his power in the captured territories. Fe-o-do-siy II decided to intervene, but in the course of the East-Roman le-gi-o-novs, taken about 443 g ., ended unsuccessfully and in no way changed the existing situation.

Not long before his death, the empire experienced the devastating invasion of the Huns. In 442, the Hunnic ruler At-ti-la demanded from Fe-o-do-siya that you would give him everything to re-me- chi-ki and you-sla-on the tribute, and also, so that the right-le-no-sents are sent for re-go-vo-rov about the pla-tee no for the future. In response, he received a notification that the Romans would not release people who had fled under their protection, but -Stay with them, they'll go to war. Angered by this high-measurement, At-ti-la moved his hordes to the empire. In the three subsequent battles, the Roman army was defeated. After this, the Huns took and destroyed all the cities in Il-liria and Thrace, except An-dri-a-no-po- la and Ge-rak-ley, and spread your power from Gel-les-pon-ta to Fer-mo-pil and the outskirts of Kon-stan-ti- but-by-la. In 447, a peace that was shameful for the Romans was concluded. Fe-o-do-siy so-gla-sil-give At-ti-le all the re-met-chi-kovs, immediately pay 6000 liters of gold and every year pay another 2000. According to Pri-s-ka, the horror of At-ti-la was so great that the Romans -followed all his demands and looked at any need on his part as if it were a proper order. li-te-la.

Im-pe-ra-tor Fe-o-do-siy soon died on July 28, 450. During the hunt, the horse threw him into the Lik River; he was injured during the fall of the bell and died the next day.

Note

Not included in the modern Month of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Flavius ​​Theodosius II the Younger (also Small, Young; April 10, 401 - July 28, 450) - Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) in 402-450, son of Emperor Arcadius and grandson of St. blgv. Theodosius the Great. At the age of nine months, Theodosius II was declared Augustus and co-emperor with his father. Seven years later, Arkady, on his deathbed, made a will in which he declared Theodosius his successor, and appointed the Persian king Yazdegerd as his guardian, conjuring him to use all his power and insight to preserve the throne for his son. When Yazdegerd saw the document delivered to him, he showed virtue worthy of great surprise and eternal memory. He did not neglect Arkady’s instructions, kept an unbreakable peace with the Romans all the time and preserved the power of Theodosius. He immediately sent a message to the Senate in which he threatened war with anyone who tried to plot against him. Governance of the state was first entrusted to the prefect Anthimius, and from 414 it was concentrated in the hands of Theodosius's elder sister Pulcheria.

Pulcheria tried to give her brother an education befitting an emperor. Knowledgeable people taught him to ride a horse, wield weapons and imparted knowledge of the sciences. Theodosius knew Greek and Latin, mathematics, astronomy, history, he drew, painted and even illustrated the books he copied, and for his beautiful handwriting he received the nickname “Calligrapher”. He read a lot, often at night, by the light of a special lamp he designed. His sister gave him instructions on how to behave at royal occasions, how to dress, how to sit and walk. She no less guided his piety, teaching him to constantly pray and honor the priests. Later, having become a youth and a mature man, Theodosius continued to obey his sister in everything, who, of all the offspring of Theodosius I, was most similar in character to her great grandfather. In the imperial palace, Theodosius established an order similar to that of the monastery: he got up early in the morning and, together with his sisters, sang antiphons to the glory of God, knew the Holy Scriptures by heart and discussed them with the bishops as a priest. By nature he was a gentle and trusting person.

Despite the record-breaking reign for the empire, Theodosius never held the reins of government in his own hands, entrusting the management of affairs to his courtiers and relatives. For six years after the death of Emperor Arcadius (408-414), the administration was headed by the praetorian prefect Anthemius, who undertook the enclosure of Constantinople with powerful walls, which have partially survived to this day. In 414, his active sister Pulcheria was declared Augusta and regent under the young monarch Theodosius. From 428 to 441 His wife Evdokia, and later the eunuch Chrysaphius, had a great influence on public administration.

The main concerns of Theodosius and his ministers were to repel attacks from barbarians from the north (Huns), west (Vandals) and east (Persians). In 422 and 447 the empire managed to repel the advances of the Sassanid Iranians, but in 429 the Vandals occupied most of Byzantine North Africa, and the leader of the Huns Attila, despite the conciliatory policy of Theodosius, in 441-43 and 447. devastated the Danube provinces of the empire. Theodosius tried to maintain friendly relations with the Western Emperor Valentinian III and gave him his daughter Licinia Eudoxia in marriage.

The church during the reign of Theodosius II was shaken by unrest. The appointment of the heresiarch Nestorius to the capital's department in 428, who three years later was deposed by the decision of the Council of Ephesus, added fuel to the fire. The spread of Monophysite teachings necessitated the convening of the Third Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon, which opened after the death of the emperor.

Almost the entire reign of Theodosius, with the exception of a short war with Persia, passed in peace. But shortly before his death, the empire experienced a devastating invasion of the Huns. In 442, Attila demanded from Theodosius that all defectors be handed over to him and tribute sent, and also that envoys be sent to negotiate the payment of tribute for the future. In response, he received a notification that the Romans would not hand over the people who had come under their protection, but would accept war with them. Angered by this arrogant response, Attila marched his hordes against the empire. In three successive battles the Roman army was defeated. After this, the Huns took and destroyed all the cities in Illyria and Thrace, except Adrianople and Heraclea, and extended their rule from the Hellespont to Thermopylae and the outskirts of Constantinople. Peace was concluded in 447. Theodosius agreed to hand over all the defectors to Attila, immediately pay 6,000 libras of gold and pay another 2,000 every year. According to Priscus, the horror of Attila was so great that the Romans obeyed his every demand and looked at any compulsion on his part as an order from a ruler. Soon after this, Theodosius suffered a sudden death. While hunting, his horse threw him into the Lik River; he injured his spine in a fall and died the next day.

Emperor Theodosius highly respected St. Simeon the Stylite and followed his advice, for which he was loved and revered in the monastic environment (see below). In 415, Theodosius rebuilt the Basilica of St. Sophia, the predecessor of the famous temple. In addition, he had a genuine inclination towards science. Under him, the University of Constantinople was opened in 425. In 420-422 Theodosius gave permission to the Armenian scientist Mesrop Mashtots to open schools in Western Armenia. Finally, in 438, the Code of Theodosius was published, collecting together all the decrees of the emperors since 312.

The following story has been preserved in ancient sources about Emperor Theodosius. One old man lived in the Jordanian desert, without seeing a person, for forty years, spending all this time in great exploits: having no clothes, he grazed with animals. So he acquired the gift of clairvoyance and decided to ask the Lord to what extent he had come. The answer was unexpected: “You have the same measure as Tsar Theodosius.” The elder was very upset that with such numerous exploits he had barely reached the level of a worldly man living with his wife and in the midst of all kinds of pleasures. At first, the elder even refused to believe, but after repeated assurance from the angel of God, he decided to go to the king to find out what his residence consisted of. The “foreign-loving lord” Tsar Theodosius greeted the hermit with joy, but when asked to tell him about his “doing,” he began to say that he did not and could not have any “doing,” “being a worldly man.” No matter how the elder begged him, the Tsar stood his ground: “... I, father, am a worldly and sinful man, because, as you see, I am the Tsar...” Then the elder had to tell his story, and then the Tsar “feared with fear We are great,” bowed to the elder and asked for forgiveness. After that, he began to name his virtues one by one. But none of them satisfied the elder. The king said that almost the entire time of his reign - 30 years out of 39 - he wore a hair shirt under purple; that for 32 years he has not approached his wife and lives with her in purity; that he always fasts during the day, and sometimes he eats after two or three days, or even after a week, and that he eats not from what is served in the palace, but from what he acquires through his own handicraft; that he does not use the bathhouse, cares about justice in society, about widows, orphans, prisoners, and washes the ulcers of the sick with his own hands... The elder praises all this, but his answer is the same: “There is nothing special about this; tell me if you have anything else.” Then the Tsar says: for all 39 years that I have been Tsar, I have always been at the hippodrome when necessary, being present at competitions and distributing awards to the winners, “although I hear sounds, my thoughts are never overcome by them, and although I lift up my eyes and I see what is happening, but I pay attention to the teaching and the handicraft.” - “The elder, having heard this, left his mind with great frenzy and, falling on his face to the ground, bowed to the queen, saying: Blessed are you, child, for you have been worthy of such graces.”<...>. Truly I am convinced that I have not lost my way, my labors have been ruined!<...>“The interlocutors parted with mutual requests to pray for each other. The elder did not believe that he had already reached the measure of King Theodosius, but, in any case, he was convinced that his struggle was not in vain, since God showed him such a King.

The name of Emperor Theodosius the Younger and his family is mysteriously inscribed in the fate of the Russian land. It was under Theodosius that St. The seven youths of Ephesus hid from heretics who rejected the resurrection of the dead. That’s why the Monk Seraphim of Sarov said to N.A. Motovilov: “I,” he said, “poor Seraphim, was destined by the Lord God to live much more than a hundred years. But since by that time the bishops will be so wicked that their wickedness will surpass the Greek bishops during the time of Theodosius the Younger, so that they will not even believe in the most important thing of Christ’s faith - the Resurrection of Christ and the General Resurrection, then therefore the Lord God is pleased until the time of me, poor Seraphim, take from this pre-existing life and then, in confirmation of the dogma of resurrection, resurrect me, and my resurrection will be like the resurrection of the seven youths in the Okhlonskaya cave during the time of Theodosius the Younger.”

The wife of King Theodosius, the pious Queen Eudokia, having arrived in Jerusalem to venerate the shrines there, on the spot where the holy First Martyr Stephen was killed and the earth was stained with his venerable blood, she created a beautiful church in his name. In Jerusalem, Evdokia found many shrines. Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, gave her the honorable chains of St. ap. Peter, and in 437 and 439 she moved them from Jerusalem to Constantinople. In the Holy Land, the Empress found an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos painted by Evangelist Luke and sent it as a gift to the Tsar’s sister, Blessed Pulcheria, as written about in the latter’s life. Pulcheria accepted the miraculous icon with joy and love and placed it in the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos, which she built in Blachernae. Since then, this icon has become a significant decoration for the Royal City, for many different miracles and healings of the sick flowed from it. After some time, the icon was called “Hodegetria”, which means: “Guide”. This name was established for her after the Mother of God Herself appeared to two blind men and led them to Her Blachernae church to the miraculous icon, where, after praying, they received their sight. From the miraculous icons brought by St. Pulcheria to Constantinople and then transferred to Rus', the most famous are the Hodegetria icon and the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

After Arkady's death, the throne passed to his only seven-year-old son, so for several years dignitaries ruled the country in his name. Among them, the praetorian prefect Anthemius, who held this position from 404 to 414, that is, a whole ten years, very quickly took the leading role. Practically, it was in his hands that the state power of the Eastern Empire was concentrated all these years.

Anthemius was an outstanding statesman, intelligent and reliable, he enjoyed the respect of both Christians and the numerous pagans in those years. He did a lot for the development of Constantinople: he built new city walls (the so-called “walls of Theodosius”), and improved the grain supply system from Egypt. As for foreign policy, his task was made easier by the fact that the onslaught of enemies on the borders of the Eastern Empire at that time was simply incomparable to the avalanche under the pressure of which the defenses of the Western Empire were cracking at all the seams. And when the ruler of the Huns Uldin nevertheless crossed the Danube with his army, they managed to push him back. During these years it was possible to establish extremely friendly relations with neighboring Persia.

In 414, Anthemius either died or resigned, but his successors successfully followed his principles in both foreign and domestic policy for several years.

Meanwhile, at court, the influence of Pulcheria, the sister of the young emperor, who was eight years older than her brother, first emerged and then gradually began to increase. The girl made decisions on all issues related to her brother’s upbringing and lifestyle at court, and sometimes on matters of national importance. There is no doubt that he was a strong personality. Pulcheria's fanatical religiosity aroused great sympathy among her contemporaries - Christian writers. Here are excerpts from the work of one of them, the church historian Sozomen:

“Pulcheria was wise beyond her years and had a mind that seemed divine. Therefore, first of all, she dedicated her virginity to the Lord, and in the same way she directed the lives of her sisters, Arkadia and Marina. And she did this so as not to introduce any other men into the palace and thereby destroy all jealousy and intrigue in the bud. And to perpetuate her own vow of celibacy and the reign of her brother, she erected a magnificent altar of wonderful workmanship in Constantinople, made of gold and precious stones, and ordered an appropriate inscription to be made on its front side.

Taking the reins of power into her own hands, Pulcheria ruled with great dignity. She made fair decisions, quickly implemented them, and wrote everything down. She knew how to speak and write beautifully and fluently in both Greek and Latin. And she attributed all the glory for her achievements to her brother and him alone.

She tried to ensure that her brother received an education appropriate for his age and mastered the skills necessary for a ruler. He was taught the art of riding, weapons, literature and science by the best masters of their craft. The sister personally ensured that during public appearances the boy demonstrated regal grandeur both in his behavior and posture. She taught him how to wear clothes, how to sit, how to move, how to restrain his laughter, how to look either affectionate or menacing, depending on the place and situation, and also taught him how to listen graciously to petitioners.

But above all, Pulcheria cared about her brother’s piety. She taught him to pray regularly and often visit churches, to generously give them gifts and decorate them with jewelry, taught him to respect clergy and all honest people, to punish those who engage in philosophy in accordance with the rules and principles of Christianity.”

The goals and methods of education professed by Pulcheria were, in her own understanding, the noblest of all possible, but when we read this and similar reports of such care, it is difficult for us to refrain from a quiet sympathetic sigh: poor little emperor, a defenseless victim of his own piety and despotism sisters...

The girl’s efforts were crowned with complete success. Throughout his life, Theodosius was distinguished by exemplary piety. This is confirmed by many sources, and perhaps the most eloquent story was left to us by the emperor’s contemporary, church historian Socrates Scholasticus. From his statements one can compile a long list of the virtues of the young emperor:

“Although born in purple, Theodosius is devoid of any traces of arrogance. Everyone who talks to him gets the impression that he is well versed in a variety of matters and areas. He endures adversity, cold and heat. He tries to adhere to Christian commandments as closely as possible, fasting often, especially on Wednesdays and Fridays. Therefore, the palace sometimes looks more like a monastery, especially at dawn, when the emperor and his sisters, barely getting out of bed, immediately begin singing psalms. Theodosius himself, the ruler of the empire, is able to read entire pages of Holy Scripture from memory and, knowing it by heart, conducts theological disputes with bishops, like a clergyman elevated to the rank of a long time ago, and in his library he collects lists of sacred books and the works of their commentators.”

Further, Socrates admires how patient the emperor is, how accessible he is, how he knows how to restrain his emotions, without taking revenge even on those who offended him. He pardons criminals deservedly and justly sentenced to death, canceling the execution at the last minute. Attending the circus games, he does not hesitate to confront the crowd, eager for the gladiator to fight the bloodthirsty beast alone. He has great respect for clergy, especially those known for their piety. After the death of one of the bishops, he put on his cloak, much worn and soiled, believing that thanks to this at least some part of the merits of the deceased righteous would descend upon him. And when it happened that a terrible storm broke out just during the chariot races, the emperor, who was present at the stadium, ordered the competition to be interrupted, called on the crowds of spectators to offer a prayer and he himself was the first to sing a psalm at the top of his voice, and they repeated after him, and the black clouds instantly dissipated .

So writes Socrates. How can we evaluate the figure of Emperor Theodosius II from the perspective of past centuries? Undoubtedly, he was a nice person - gentle, friendly towards everyone around him. In an era of lasting peace and prosperity of the state, these traits could give him shine and make him a good and popular ruler. But in those times in which Theodosius had to live, this gentleness, mercy, and susceptibility to the influence of others were extremely dangerous. Fortunately for the Eastern Empire, it was not she who had to bear the brunt of the fight against the invaders during these years. It is very doubtful that this emperor would have been able to successfully repel the formidable enemy, who was frightened even when his own sister raised her voice and spent all day reverently copying beautifully illustrated books, for which he received the nickname Calligrapher.

Finally, the moment came when it was time to think about choosing a wife for the growing young man. And Pulcheria also assumed this responsibility.

Centuries later, in the countries of Byzantine culture, the story of how a suitable bride was found for the young emperor was retold. This story, of course, was gradually embellished and overgrown with all sorts of fictitious details, but still its main outline is completely historical and reliable.

It so happened that a Greek girl of amazing beauty came to Constantinople, and also well educated, which was very unusual in those days. Her name was Athenaida, and her father Leontius (in some accounts he is called Heraclitus), a native Athenian, was for many years a university professor in his hometown, teaching sophistry. After his death, Athenaida and her two brothers were unable to agree on a fair division of the inherited property. Athenaida had to leave her father's house in Athens, and together with her aunt (mother's sister) she went to the capital, where her other aunt, her father's sister, lived. She took the problem her niece had to heart and actively began solving it. The three of the women went to an audience with the pious Lady Pulcheria and presented their case to her, and Athenaida delighted everyone with her eloquence, which she mastered perfectly - the lessons she learned from her father had an impact.

In one of the Byzantine chronicles, the continuation of this story is stated as follows: Pulcheria, seeing a girl of such wondrous beauty, and even an extraordinary mind, first prudently inquired whether she had retained her virginity, and received the answer that the father carefully protected his daughter from temptations, but often He conducted philosophical debates with her and thus gave her an excellent education. Then Pulcheria hurried to her brother and said this:

I found a girl, young and innocent, beautifully dressed, beautifully built, with an immaculate nose and skin as white as snow. She has big eyes, thick blond hair, a graceful gait and a sea of ​​charm. She is Greek by birth, well educated, and also a girl.

Theodosius sent for his best friend and confidant Peacock, and asked his sister to, under some pretext, bring Athenaida to her chambers, where both of them could see the girl, hiding behind the curtain. And as soon as he saw her, he immediately fell in love.

However, there was one obstacle. And the point was not at all that the girl was the daughter of a modest professor - it all came down to religion. Leonty, like many intellectuals of that time, was a pagan, a worshiper of the old gods, and raised his daughter in his faith. This was evidenced by the name that her father gave her, expressing in it both affection for his native city and worship of the goddess Athena, the patroness of the arts and all kinds of craftsmanship.

Therefore, in order to marry Theodosius, Athenaida first had to renounce her father’s religion and betray his gods, and she did this by being baptized by the Bishop of Constantinople and changing the pagan name of Athenaida to the Christian Eudokia. The wedding took place on June 7, 421. On the occasion of the wedding, theatrical performances and games in the circus were organized. One can imagine what a sensation the dizzying career of the daughter of an ordinary professor - from a poor home to the royal throne - created throughout the Eastern Empire! Just like in a fairy tale...

They said that, having become the emperor’s wife, Athenaida-Eudokia treated her brothers more than generously. She ordered them both to be summoned to her palace (they tried to escape, knowing full well that they had been unfair to their sister) and, showering them with expensive gifts, said to them:

If you had not treated me so badly, I would never have gone to Constantinople, which means I would never have become empress. So it is to you that I owe the accomplishment of what was predicted by my horoscope and what my father thought about, leaving me so little as an inheritance. It was my happy fate, and not your evil will, that forced you to treat me so cruelly.

One of Athenaida-Eudokia's brothers, Hesius, became praetorian prefect in Illyria, and the second, Valerius, served in high positions in the treasury, and subsequently received a consulate and became the manager of palace positions.

In 422, the empress gave birth to a girl, who was named Eudoxia in honor of Theodosius' mother. Unfortunately, the names Eudoxia and Evdokia are too similar, so writers and chroniclers often confused them, and even contemporaries often made mistakes when they attributed character traits and twists of fate to the mother to the daughter and vice versa.

The Empress, as if as a reward for the birth of a child, received the title of Augusta. She then gave birth to two more children, a son and a daughter, who, however, soon died. Thus, Eudoxia remained the family’s only hope for the future. Her mother swore that as soon as she saw her as a married lady, she would immediately make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

It so happened that Evdokia became a zealous Christian, but she did not give up some of her favorite activities, the taste for which her father instilled in her. For example, she not only loved poetry, but also studied poetry herself. Already in 422, she wrote a poem on the occasion of the victory over the Persians (it was at this time that things came to a conflict with them on the Armenian border, but, fortunately, it was quickly resolved).

Some attribute the opening of the university in Constantinople to the influence of Athenaida, a woman brought up in the atmosphere of the Athenian university. The order on this was signed by Theodosius II in February 425. At the university, three rhetoricians and ten grammarians were supposed to teach Latin literature, and five rhetoricians and ten grammarians taught Greek literature. Pay special attention to bilingualism - and this in the capital of the empire, which officially continued to call itself Roman! It was also envisaged to invite a professor of philosophy and two professors of law.

In March of the same 425, by a separate order of the emperor, professors who had worked impeccably for twenty years were guaranteed the assignment of the title of comita of the first rank - but without the remuneration due to its owners. In other words, on the one hand there is respect for scientists, on the other there is complete indifference to their financial situation. Centuries passed, but nothing changed in this regard - a similar situation is repeated again and again in a variety of countries.

The opening of the University of Constantinople is the most important event in the history of not only Byzantium, but also of the entire European culture, because it was thanks to this university, which has always remained a secular educational institution, that the treasures of ancient literature and science were saved and preserved.

Later, when Evdokia already lived in Palestine, she developed a vigorous literary activity there, including recounting the Bible and the lives of saints in verse. Of the many works she wrote, only a small part has reached us, but from it it is quite possible to conclude that the empress’s writing talent was mediocre, but her literary fertility is worthy of admiration. Her numerous errors in the field of classical versification clearly indicate the decline of the art of poetry and the changes taking place in the Greek language itself.

Over the past centuries, many works have been written about Athenaida-Eudokia; she has become a favorite heroine of intellectuals from various eras - apparently because she merged the features of two worlds that coexisted at that time - antiquity and Christianity. Although in reality her “antiquity” consisted only in familiarity with the principles of rhetoric of that time and in the fluent use of rhymes. In her mature years, Evdokia was exclusively Christian in spirit. She was much more educated than the average woman of her era, but had very average abilities and a faulty character, which was especially evident in the later years of her life.

At the beginning of the 5th century, when the Western Empire was ruled by Honorius and the Eastern Empire by Theodosius II, the center of the huge Hun Empire was formed on the plain where Hungary is now located, under whose rule were many peoples of Central Europe. Around 430, an agreement was concluded between Constantinople and the ruler of the Huns, Ruas, according to which Byzantium agreed to annually pay him a considerable amount of gold. And no conflicts arose between the two powers, although from time to time there were disputes over the extradition of those who dared to flee from the rule of the Huns.

After 435, Ruas apparently died, and power passed to his brother's sons, Bled and Attila. Theodosius II renewed the peace treaty with them, but on significantly less favorable terms for himself. From then on, he was obliged to return not only the fugitive Huns, but also those Romans who managed to escape from Hunnic captivity, in addition, he could no longer accept Hunnic subjects into his service. In addition, Theodosius had to make concessions, doubling the amount of annual payments and granting the Huns certain trading privileges. All this clearly demonstrates what a terrible force the nomads had become by that time, having seemingly just recently arrived from Asia, and how important it was for the empire not to cause their discontent in any way.

So, Constantinople managed to maintain relative calm on its northern borders, and in the meantime blow after blow fell on the fraternal Western Empire. The most terrible of them was the resettlement of the Vandals to Africa in 429, where one after another they captured the Roman provinces, which had previously lived in wealth and tranquility. In this situation, the court in Ravenna was forced to maintain as friendly relations as possible with Constantinople, since only from there could help come. And then the court decided that family ties would best strengthen the political union between the two empires.

The negotiations took a long time. They examined in detail all the details of the union, which was so important for both states - where, when, how and under what conditions the marriage of young Valentinian III and the only daughter of Theodosius II, Eudoxia, would be concluded. Finally, the Ravenna court generously laid down its ambitions on the altar of unification, and Valentinian went to Constantinople.

Valentinian's ceremonial entry into the capital on the banks of the Bosphorus took place on October 21, 437, and on the 29th of the same month this eighteen-year-old young man married Eudoxia, who at that moment was only fifteen (in those days this was the usual marriageable age for a girl).

A special coin was issued to commemorate this event. On one side there is a bust of Theodosius I, and on the other there are three figures: Theodosius standing in the center connects his daughter’s hand with the hand of Valentinian. The inscription on the coin reads: Feliciter nuptiis- “Happiness to the newlyweds.”

We do not know what was given as a dowry for the young bride, but we know what the groom paid for his marriage: in favor of the Eastern Empire, he ceded a significant part of the Balkan provinces, including the city of Sirmium on the Sava and Dalmatia. In Rome, Galla Placidia was considered the culprit of these concessions - they argued that the price paid for rapprochement with Constantinople was too high.

But you can look at all this differently, and this is exactly how Galla probably looked at it. Eudoxia was the only surviving child of Theodosius II, and the entire paternal inheritance would in due time pass to her and her husband, and then to their future offspring. The empire in this case would have united again, so it did not matter where the temporary border between the two states was.

It was during Valentinian’s stay in Constantinople (this was probably done on purpose, taking advantage of the opportunity) that an important state act solemnly confirmed the unity of the empire, and this act subsequently had enormous significance not only for the empire itself, but indirectly for the whole of Western Europe.

The following year, upon returning to Rome, the Praetorian Prefect of the West presented to the senators the essence of this act and the process of its announcement:

“The blessed mercy of our emperors blossoms so magnificently that it now decorates the peoples it protects in case of war with the flowers of peace. Last year I witnessed, with all my devotion, a marriage union that was the most blessed of all. And when the marriage was successfully concluded, the most holy emperor and our lord Theodosius wished to make the world he owned happy with such mercy: he ordered to collect all the laws together so that the whole world would obey them. And he deigned to bless these books with his name, and the eternal emperor and our lord Valentinian approved this, demonstrating his colleague’s devotion and filial affection. Then calling me and the noble man who served as Prefect of the East, with his divine hand he handed us one copy of this codex, so that we would distribute this work throughout the world.”

The Codex Theodosius is a truly impressive work. Work on it lasted nine years, and this work was done by a commission composed of almost two dozen of the best lawyers and statesmen of the highest rank. They collected from the archives and reviewed all the laws issued by all legally reigning emperors from Constantine the Great (from 313) to the contemporary period - that is, for one hundred and twenty years.

Excerpts were made from these laws - everything that seemed less significant was discarded. Then all the collected material was divided into 16 books, and each of the books into so-called “titles” according to a thematic principle. So, for example, the first book is devoted to the competence of government institutions, the second - to the courts, the third - to purchase and sale, the fourth - to property, and so on. Within each “title”, all the laws included in it are presented in chronological order, and therefore for today’s historian this work is simply an invaluable treasure, since it allows us to trace how the internal situation in the state developed.

The need to streamline the laws was extremely urgent, since for a long time the courts and administrative bodies were simply drowning under the rubble of papers - laws, orders and rescripts, which the imperial office produced in huge quantities and continuously sent to lower authorities. Worse, when rewriting legislative acts, mistakes often occurred, and sometimes officials themselves added something without permission or simply falsified the texts sent to them. In the conditions of life at that time, finding out what was actually written in the original was extremely difficult, and in practice almost impossible. After all, for this it was necessary to go to the capital, pay for the work of archivists and copyists, and notarize the copied copies. Some jurists had already tried to somehow cope with this problem by independently compiling collections of laws, but such private codes, although they were highly valued and were successfully used, could not have the necessary legal force.

The Codex Theodosius was published and ceremonially presented in Constantinople in February 438. In Rome, the Code was adopted and approved by the Senate in November of the same year, so that it came into force only on January 1, 439. In the Eastern Empire, it was the basis of legal proceedings for almost ninety years, that is, until the entry into force of the new Code created by Justinian, which was a more complete and carefully developed set of laws. In the West, the life of the Code of Theodosius turned out to be much longer - it served as the foundation for the creation of the legislation of the German states that grew up on the ruins of the empire in Gaul, Spain, and Italy. Thus, the articles of the Code were included in subsequent sets of laws, continuing to live centuries after its creation.

Thus, the name of Theodosius, one of the least significant emperors, turned out to be forever associated with a monumental legal work that has enduring significance, including for historians - without him, we would know little about the various areas of social life in the 4th and 5th centuries and about the very functioning of the administrative machine of the empire.

However, the prosaic problems associated with the implementation of a code of laws were hardly of particular interest to Theodosius’s wife, the beautiful and learned Evdokia. Her thoughts at that time were occupied primarily with the implementation of her long-standing plans and, in full accordance with the vow she had once made, immediately after the end of the celebrations associated with her daughter’s wedding, Evdokia at the very beginning of 438 left Constantinople to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land .

On the way, she made a stop in Syrian Antioch, where, with the art of a professional rhetorician, she delivered a brilliant speech to the residents of this huge city at that time, quoting lines from Homer’s poem: “I am proud that I am of your kind and that your blood is in me!” Of course, she meant that she and her listeners belonged to ancient Hellenic culture. The delighted Antiochians decided to erect two statues in her honor, including one gilded.

Arriving in Jerusalem, the empress generously donated gifts to local churches and, following the example of other pilgrims, accepted the relics presented to her: the relics of the first martyr St. Stephen, as well as the chains in which the Apostle Peter was supposedly shackled. It must be said that all sorts of relics multiplied simply incredibly at that time, becoming for some individuals (and sometimes for entire cities!) an excellent source of direct and indirect income.

Already in 439, the empress returned to Constantinople, but three or four years later she again left for Jerusalem. This time she settled in this city forever and did not leave it until her death in 460.

However, this second departure and permanent stay in the Holy Land was to some extent forced. Evdokia, apparently, was ordered to leave the capital. And the reason for this honorable exile was truly Byzantine palace intrigue and the struggle for influence on the emperor.

The main role in these palace conflicts was played by the eunuch Chrysaphius. He first, together with Evdokia, took part in the removal of the emperor’s sister Pulcheria from the court, then dealt with the empress’s most powerful ally, Prefect Cyrus, and finally, when Evdokia was left alone, without friends and supporters, he exiled her to Palestine.

The aforementioned Cyrus was one of the most interesting personalities of his time. In 439–441, he was simultaneously prefect of the praetorium and prefect of Constantinople, that is, he combined two most important positions from a political point of view in the administration of the Eastern Empire. He was a Greek by origin, a pagan by religion, a follower of the old gods, and a poet by vocation. Some of his small works have survived to this day, as they were included in the Byzantine poetic anthology.

Cyrus, in particular, expressed his love for his native language in the fact that, contrary to the hitherto indisputable rules of the Roman administration, he wrote his orders not in Latin, but in Greek - the language spoken by most of the inhabitants of the East at that time. It is worth recalling here that not only the Code of Theodosius, but also the much later Code of Justinian were written in Latin. So Cyrus can safely be considered a pioneer in the use of the Greek language in Byzantine jurisprudence.

The prefect was extremely popular among the residents of the capital also for the reason that he truly cared about the city: he repaired buildings and improved lighting. At games in the city circus, spectators exclaimed in his honor: “Constantine built the city, Cyrus will renew it!”

But it was precisely the too obvious love of the people that destroyed Cyrus, causing envy, suspicion and fear. He was deprived of his posts, his property was confiscated, and then exiled to a small Phrygian town, where he was supposed to take the bishop's chair - after all, formally he was listed as a Christian.

By that time, the fanatical residents of this town had already managed to kill four bishops in a row, accusing some of heresy and others of schism. Therefore, apparently, at court it was assumed that the same thing would happen to Cyrus, known for his sympathies for the old religion. Meanwhile, in all likelihood, it was his complete indifference to theological disputes, as well as the brevity of his sermons, that saved him. In one of them, it seems, in the first, he simply addressed the believers with a call to honor the sacrament of faith with silence. So he had no conflicts with his flock...

After the death of Theodosius II, Cyrus left the episcopal see and returned to Constantinople, where he was subsequently rehabilitated and even the confiscated property was returned.

At the same time as Cyrus, another high dignitary left Constantinople - Peacock, the emperor's childhood friend and his long-term companion. They said that it was Peacock who looked at the beautiful Athenaida from behind the curtain when Pulcheria first brought her to her chambers. Peacock climbed the career ladder at a dizzying speed, and finally became the manager of palace positions - magister officialum. Soon after 440, he was exiled to Cappadocia, on the eastern edge of the empire, and then executed there. Apparently, an affair began between him and the empress, which was eventually discovered, which led to tragic consequences - the expulsion of Evdokia and the exile and death of Peacock.

In Jerusalem, Evdokia had her own court and controlled significant funds. She devoted herself to good deeds: she built and showered gifts on churches, including the Basilica of St. Stephen, where she rested after her death. Here in Jerusalem, she enthusiastically took up the task of transcribing the Bible into rhymed verse.

Finally, Theodosius sent one of his officers with the task of keeping an eye on what his wife was doing. For reasons unknown to us, this officer ordered the death of two clergy close to Evdokia, for which she, in turn, took revenge by achieving his death. This whole drama played out under circumstances that were not fully clarified, but as a result, Evdokia lost the right to have her own courtyard, and this became a heavy blow for her.

For many years, the empress zealously supported the teachings of the Monophysites, who argued that Christ had only one essence - divine, and abandoned this heresy only after a pilgrimage to the place of hermitage of Simeon the Stylite in the vicinity of Antioch. For many years he lived on a small platform on top of a pillar he had erected with his own hands, exhausting his flesh with the scorching rays of the sun, torrents of rain, gusts of wind, offering prayers and listening to the requests of the pilgrims who gathered in crowds below.

The daughter of a pagan rhetorician, once famous for her intelligence and beauty, Athenaidas, an ambitious and powerful Byzantine empress, an exile immersed in piety - at the feet of one of the strangest ascetics in the world. Well, why not a true symbol of the era?

In 441, the Hun rulers Attila and Bled broke the peace treaty with Constantinople, blaming the break on the emperor of the Eastern Empire. They claimed that he paid tribute irregularly and was sheltering defectors. The leaders of the nomads devastated several Balkan provinces, took Sirmium on the Sava and Philippopolis (now Plovdiv) and reached almost to the shores of the Bosphorus.

Theodosius had to recall the fleet that he had sent to the west to help the Romans fighting the Vandals in Africa. He made peace with the king of the Persians in order to gather as many troops as possible to defend his capital. However, in a battle with the Huns on the lands of the modern Gallipoli Peninsula, his army was defeated.

Therefore, in 443, a peace treaty had to be concluded with the invaders under very difficult conditions. The size of the annual tribute was tripled and amounted to 2,500 pounds of gold, and in addition to this, a huge indemnity of 6,000 pounds of gold had to be immediately paid to cover military expenses (and this despite the fact that the Huns started the war!). The emperor undertook to hand over all defectors, including those Romans who managed to escape from captivity from the Huns - or ransom them by paying 12 gold coins for each head.

The main source from which we draw information about the fate of the Eastern Empire in the last years of the reign of Theodosius II and his successors until 472 is the “History” written by a certain Priscus, which, unfortunately, has survived not entirely, but in large fragments. All that is known about the author himself is that he was a contemporary of the events he described. He was originally from Thrace, from the territory of modern Bulgaria. He clearly had close contacts with the imperial court and probably served in some not very high position. Priscus had to travel a lot, mainly as an ambassador. He was familiar with Rome, Alexandria, Damascus, and once he even visited Attila’s residence. Describing the events, he relied mainly on his own observations (and his eye was clearly quick and tenacious), and in addition - on the stories of credible witnesses and documents. So he tells in good faith and to the point, maintaining maximum objectivity even in relation to the enemies of the empire.

Here is what he writes about the further consequences of the peace treaty with the Huns, concluded on such difficult conditions:

“The emperor forced everyone to bear tribute and money for the Huns. No temporary exemptions from land taxes granted either by imperial grace or on the basis of a court decision were taken into account. The senators also had to pay a lot of gold as payment for their titles. It was the height of the position that forced many to radically change their lifestyle, since the collectors were extremely scrupulous in demanding to pay everything that was due from everyone. It got to the point where people who were once rich were publicly selling their wives' jewelry and household items. Many committed suicide by starving themselves to death or hanging themselves. The treasury was very quickly empty. The gold and defectors were handed over to the Huns, but many had to be killed, since under no circumstances did they agree to be extradited.”

Meanwhile, in 445, Attila treacherously killed his brother Bleda and became the sole ruler of the entire empire of the Huns and the peoples subject to it, who inhabited vast territories from Central Europe to the Volga - the most powerful man in the world of his day. Neither his subjects nor his allies, among whom the Germans predominated, dared to contradict Attila.

Jordan, the sixth-century author of the “History of the Goths” written in Latin, left us a description of Attila’s appearance. Of course, he himself did not see it, but he wrote based on the work of Cassiodorus, who, in turn, was guided by reliable stories of his contemporaries.

“This man was born to shock nations. By some strange decree of fate, he filled everyone with horror, and this was the result of the terrible things that were told about him. Walking proudly, he looked first in one direction, then in the other, so that the boundlessness of his arrogance was manifested even in the movements of his body. He loved to fight, but he held back his hand. He was a man of strong intellect, accessible to petitioners, always friendly to those whom he could trust. He was short in stature, with a broad chest, a large head, small eyes, a sparse beard, gray hair, a flattened nose and terrible skin.”

From other notes and sources we also learn something about Attila's lifestyle. He dressed modestly and very neatly, ate meat without seasoning, which was served to him on wooden dishes, and avoided luxury - unlike his associates, whom he did not interfere with in any way. He had a huge number of wives, but he took on more and more new ones, and so many children that it was possible to form a separate tribe from them. He was indifferent to questions of religion, although he sometimes resorted to the services of the Magi.

Attila began new military operations against the Eastern Empire already in 447. The imperial troops suffered defeats in bloody battles, and the hordes of the Huns and their allies spread throughout the Balkan provinces, almost approaching the walls of Constantinople. Dozens of cities and towns fell victim to the invaders.

The Romans had to renew their efforts to conclude a new peace treaty. Negotiations on behalf of the emperor were conducted by Anatoly, the commander-in-chief of both branches of the army. And although the new treaty did not increase the size of the annual tribute and did not impose additional indemnities on the empire, it placed the Romans in very harsh and humiliating conditions. From all the Danube territories, approximately from the outskirts of today's Belgrade to the city of Nove (Svishtov in modern Bulgaria), Byzantium had to evacuate its entire population - so that not a single living soul remained within a distance of five days' march from the river into the interior of the empire. The city was made a natural border point and at the same time a point of trade exchange Naissus- current Niš on Morava.

At the beginning of the 6th century in Constantinople, a certain Marcellinus rewrote the chronicle of the times of Theodosius I. Viewing what he considered worthy of perpetuation from the events of the forties of the last century is very remarkable, and his short, laconic notes perhaps best convey the atmosphere of the horror that reigned in those days . In addition, they clearly demonstrate what occupied the residents of the capital at that time.

“Year 441. The leader of the Huns, leading thousands of hordes, invaded Illyria, destroying Naissus(Nis), Singidun (present-day Belgrade) and many other cities and towns.

Year 442. A blazing star, called a comet, appeared in the sky for a long time. The brothers Bleda and Attila, together with other leaders of various nations, ravaged Illyria and Thrace.

Year 443. The snowfalls were so heavy that the snow melted only after six months. Thousands of people and animals died from severe frosts. Emperor Theodosius returned to Constantinople from a campaign in Asia. The lands called Achilles were given over for use.

Year 444. The Emperor organized games in honor of the ninth fifth anniversary of his reign. Some cities and villages of Bithynia were destroyed, washed away by continuous rains and river floods.

Year 445. The ruler of Bled was treacherously killed by his brother Attila. In the capital's circus it came to riots, so that many killed each other. Many people and animals died in the city from disease.

Year 446. A great famine came to Constantinople, followed by disease.

Year 447. Strong earthquakes occurred in many places. In the capital, most of the wall collapsed, along with 57 newly built towers. Huge stones of a building that had just been erected near the Taurus Forum, as well as statues, also fell down, but no one was injured. However, many cities were destroyed. Hunger and the stench of contaminated air caused the death of many thousands of people and animals.

Ruler Attila waged a great war on ours, and it was more terrible than the previous ones. It destroyed almost all of Europe, and many cities were destroyed and captured. In the same year, the walls of the capital, which collapsed during an earthquake, were restored - they were restored by the praetorian prefect Constantine. Attila and his hordes reached as far as Thermopylae.”

This is what Marcellinus writes in his chronicle. After peace was concluded, Attila often sent embassies to Constantinople to demand the surrender of defectors - as stipulated in the treaty. The emperor showered all the ambassadors who arrived in the capital with gifts and assured that there was no one left within his borders who had escaped from the rule of the Huns. Priscus comments on this:

“Attila contemptuously used the Romans, who showed generosity out of fear that the barbarians would violate the treaty. He continued, under all sorts of far-fetched pretexts, to send to Constantinople those people from his entourage to whom he wanted to show his special favor. The Romans were obedient to all his demands, accepting his will as an order from a master. They tried at any cost to avert the threat of war with the Huns, since at that time they had plenty of other enemies. The Persian armies had long been ready to attack, the Vandals were constantly harassing the sea, the Isaurians continued to carry out predatory raids, the Saracens violated the eastern borders, and the Ethiopians threatened the ports in Egypt.”

In 449, Edecon and Orestes arrived as new ambassadors. The first of them was a German, the leader of the Sciri tribe - he was one of Attila's most trusted people. It was his son Odoacer, a quarter of a century later, who dethroned the last emperor of the Western Empire, Romulus Augustulus.

The second, Orestes, was a Roman born in the lands of the Sava, and when these lands came under the rule of the Huns, he became Attila's secretary. And he also, more than twenty years later, played an important role in the history of the West, placing a little boy, his son, on the Roman throne - he was Romulus Augustulus. Orestes himself subsequently fell at the hands of Odoacer.

In other words, as members of that same Hun embassy, ​​a German and a Roman then arrived on the shores of the Bosphorus, in the capital of the Eastern Empire, whose sons were destined to become the main characters in the last scene of the historical drama called “the fall of the Western Roman Empire.”

But this embassy was very important not only in the light of the symbolism of future events. While the ambassadors were in Constantinople, the then all-powerful eunuch Chrysaphius at court came up with a cunning plan: he decided to try to bribe Edecon to kill Attila. He outlined this plan to him during a reception, at which, besides the two of them, only the translator Vigil was present.

This plan can be assessed and condemned as a criminal intention, but at the same time - as some argue - it was extremely naive, since the death of one person could not have a significant impact on the development of events. But another option can also be accepted: Chrysaphius approached the matter with all seriousness and foresight. It is possible that he perfectly understood the essence and structure of the Hunnic state and was aware that the death of the ruler could be the fastest and most effective deliverance from the danger that had threatened the empire for many years. Attila's personality was the most important link that united the cast of multilingual hordes into a single whole, and at the moment of his sudden death the entire building should have immediately collapsed. Which, in fact, happened a few years later. Chrysaphius only wanted to speed up the course of events.

Edecon pretended to agree to the proposal. The plan was kept in the strictest confidence - besides the three people listed above, only the emperor and one of his most trusted dignitaries knew about it. However, nothing was reported about the impending assassination attempt to the Roman ambassador, who was sent to Attila along with Edecon and Odoacer, who were returning across the Danube.

This ambassador was Maximin, a high-ranking official (although not as high as Attila had hoped, since he had never been consul). The ruler of the Huns wanted to see a dignitary of the highest rank as the emperor's envoy and even claimed that he was ready to personally go to Serdica (modern Sofia) to meet him.

In a letter to Attila, the emperor stated: “We returned the fugitives to You long ago, now I am sending seventeen more, and we have no one else.” The ambassador should also have verbally explained that the Romans do not have the custom of negotiations being conducted by dignitaries of the rank of consul, and as for the possible arrival of Attila in Serdica, this is simply unrealistic, since the city lies in ruins.

Maximin was accompanied on this embassy by the historian Priscus. In his work, he left an account of the journey and his stay at the court of Attila. This wonderful source gives us the opportunity to get acquainted with the relationships, customs and mentality of the Huns, with Attila’s environment and with himself. Here, for example, is the scene of the first audience:

“Attila sat on a wooden throne. We stopped at some distance, and Maximin came forward and greeted the ruler. He handed him the letters and said:

Our Emperor wishes health and good luck to you and all your loved ones!

To which Attila replied:

Let the Romans receive what they wish for us!

Then he immediately turned to Vigila and shouted:

You shameless brute, why did you come here again? After all, you know very well what conditions we agreed on with Anatoly! Then it was said that the Roman ambassadors would not appear with us until they handed over all the defectors to us!”

This outburst of anger, although it remained incomprehensible to the ambassadors, was completely justified, since Edecon had already managed to reveal to Attila the plan of Chrysaphios and the role that Vigila was supposed to play in it, carrying gold to bribe the personal guard of the leader of the Huns.

The embassy returned empty-handed, Vigila was subsequently caught by Attila's men, and Attila's envoys contemptuously accused Theodosius of acting like a vile servant who was secretly aiming at the master sent to him by fate itself.

In the autumn of 449 or spring of 450, the emperor sent two highest-ranking dignitaries to Attila's court - the former consuls Anatolius and Nome, fulfilling what Attila had long sought. And the Hun gave the ambassadors a very generous welcome, almost forgetting about the conspiracy - he returned a large number of captives to the Romans without any ransom, and showered the ambassadors themselves with generous gifts.

But Attila did this not at all out of respect for the rank of Anatoly and Nome, as it might seem at first glance. The main reason for his generosity was that he was already aimed at new conquests, much more attractive than the plunder of the already devastated Balkan provinces. Attila looked to the West.

Although the temporary elimination of the danger posed by the Huns was the last relative success of the reign of Theodosius II. On July 26, while walking around the outskirts of Constantinople, he fell from his horse. The fracture of the spine sustained in the fall turned out to be fatal. Two days later the emperor died. He lived for almost 50 years, and spent 42 of them on the throne. It was one of the longest and most unsuccessful reigns in the entire history of both Rome and Byzantium.