{{otheruses}}
{{Infobox Roman emperor
| name =Arcadius
| full name =Flavius Theodosius
| title =[[Roman emperor|Emperor]] of the [[Eastern Roman Empire]]
| image =[[Image:Arcadius.jpg|200px]]
| caption =Idealising bust of Arcadius in the Theodosian style combines elements of classicism with the new hieratic style ([[Istanbul Archaeology Museum]])
| reign =January [[383]] - [[395]]([[Augustus (honorific)#In the Divided Roman Empire|Augustus]] under [[Theodosius I|his father]]); <br>[[395]] - [[May 1]] [[408]] (emperor in the [[Eastern Roman Empire|east]], with his brother [[Flavius Augustus Honorius|Honorius]] emperor in the [[Western Roman Empire|west]])
| predecessor =[[Theodosius I]]
| successor =[[Theodosius II]]
| spouse 1 =[[Aelia Eudoxia]]
| spouse 2 =
| issue =[[Theodosius II]], [[Pulcheria]]
| dynasty =[[Theodosian dynasty|Theodosian]]
| father =[[Theodosius I]]
| mother =[[Aelia Flaccilla]]
| date of birth =[[377]]/[[378|8]]
| place of birth =
| date of death ={{death date|408|5|1|mf=y}}
| place of death =
| place of burial =
|}}
{{Commons|Arcadius}}
'''Flavius Arcadius''' ([[377]]/[[378]]–[[May 1]], [[408]]) was [[Roman Emperors|Roman Emperor]] in the Eastern half of the [[Roman Empire]] from [[395]] until his death.
Arcadius was the elder son of [[Theodosius I]] and [[Aelia Flaccilla]], and brother of [[Flavius Augustus Honorius|Honorius]], who would become a [[Western Roman Emperor]]. His father declared him an [[Augustus]] in January, [[383]]. His younger brother was also declared an Augustus in [[393]].
As emperors, Honorius was under the control of the Romanized Vandal ''[[magister militum]]'' [[Stilicho|Flavius Stilicho]] while Arcadius was dominated by one of his ministers, [[Rufinus (Byzantine official)|Rufinus]]. Stilicho is alleged by some to have wanted control of both emperors, and is supposed to have had Rufinus assassinated by Gothic mercenaries in 395; though definite proof of Stilicho's involvement in the assassination is lacking, the intense competition and political jealousies engendered by the two figures compose the main thread of the first part of Arcadius' reign. Arcadius' new advisor, the eunuch [[Eutropius (Byzantine official)|Eutropius]], simply took Rufinus' place as the power behind the Eastern imperial throne. Arcadius was also dominated by his wife [[Aelia Eudoxia]], who convinced her husband to dismiss Eutropius, who was holding the consulate, at the height of his power, in [[399]]. Eudoxia was strongly opposed by [[John Chrysostom]], the [[Patriarch of Constantinople]], who felt that she had used her family's wealth to gain control over the emperor. Eudoxia used her influence to have Chrysostom deposed in [[404]], but she died later that year. Eudoxia gave to Arcadius four children: three daughters, [[Pulcheria]], Arcadia and Marina, and one son, Theodosius, the future Emperor [[Theodosius II]].
Arcadius was dominated for the rest of his rule by [[Anthemius (praetorian prefect)|Anthemius]], the [[Praetorian prefect|Praetorian Prefect]], who made peace with Stilicho in the West. Arcadius himself was more concerned with appearing to be a pious [[Christianity|Christian]] than he was with political or military matters, and he died, only nominally in control of his empire, in 408.
[[Image:Solidus-Arcadius-RIC 1205.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Arcadius, holding a [[labarum]], defeating an enemy.]]
In this reign of a weak emperor dominated by court politics, a major theme was the ambivalence felt by prominent individuals and the court parties that formed and regrouped round them towards [[barbarian]]s, which in Constantinople at this period meant [[Goths]]. In the well-documented episode that revolved around [[Gainas]], a number of Gothic ''foederati'' stationed in the capital were massacred, the survivors fleeing under the command of Gainas to [[Thrace]], where they were tracked down by imperial troops and slaughtered and Gainas dispatched. The episode has been traditionally interpreted as a paroxysm of anti-barbarian reaction that served to stabilise the East. The main source for the affair is a mythology ''à clef'' by [[Synesius]] of Cyrene, ''Aegyptus sive de providentia'', (400)<ref>The date 400 is argued for by Cameron and Long 1993.</ref> an Egyptianising allegory that embodies a covert account of the events, the exact interpretation of which continues to baffle scholars. Synesius' ''De regno'', which claims to be addressed to Arcadius himself, contains a tirade against Goths.
A new forum was built in the name of Arcadius, on the seventh hill of Constantinople, the ''Xērolophos'', and a column erected which stood until the eighteenth century, when, weakened by earthquakes, it threatenmed to topple and was taken down; the base remains.<ref>Robert Grigg, "S'ymphōnian Aeidō tēs Basileias': An Image of Imperial Harmony on the Base of the Column of Arcadius" ''The Art Bulletin'' '''59'''.4 (December 1977), pp. 469-482.</ref>
The [[Pentelic marble]] portrait head of Arcadius (''illustration'') was discovered in Istanbul close to the Forum Tauri, in June 1949, in exccavating foundations for new buildings of the University at [[Beyazit]].<ref>Nezih Firatli, "A Late Antique Imperial Portrait Recently Discovered at Istanbul" ''American Journal of Archaeology'' '''55'''.1 (January 1951), pp. 67-71.</ref> The neck was designed to be inserted in a torso, but no statue, base or inscription was found. The [[diadem]] is a fillet with rows of pearls along its edges and a rectangular stone set about with pearls over the young emperor's forehead.
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==References==
*A. Cameron and J. Long. 1993. ''Barbarians and Politics at the Court of Arcadius'' (Berkeley/Oxford)
==External links==
*[http://www.seanmultimedia.com/Pie_Arcadius_Laws.html Laws of Arcadius], extracted from Justinian's ''[[Corpus Juris Civilis]]''
*[http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Classics/bcj/11-06.html Watts, Edward, "the motifs of Imperrial authority in the bust of Arcadius"]
{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Theodosian dynasty|House of Theodosius]]||[[377]]/[[378]]|1 May|408}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Theodosius I]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Eastern Roman Emperor]]}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Theodosius II]]}}
{{end}}
{{Roman Emperors}}
[[Category:Roman emperors]]
[[Category:Byzantine emperors]]
[[Category:House of Theodosius]]
[[Category:370s births]]
[[Category:408 deaths]]
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