On This Day in Ancient History - Death of Theodosius II

Theodosius II, eastern emperor, fell from a horse on this day in A.D. 450. He died shortly thereafter without leaving a male heir, although he may have appointed Marcian as his successor. Theodosius had been in power for more than 40 years when he died, at 49. Among the changes to the Roman Empire under Theodosius was the paying of a crippling tribute to the Huns. In 438, Theodosius II presented his law code, the Codex Theodosianus, which would be the base for the more famous law code of Justinian. In 449, Theodosius called a religious council that is known as the Robber Council. This council supported the idea that Christ only had a divine, but not a human nature. The lasting significance of this council is that it was the first major split between the Church in the East and West.

• Read more about Theodosius II
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• Council of Chalcedon
• The Vandal Conquest of North Africa