If we were to characterize the achievements of the Theodosian dynasty in the Western Empire in a few sentences, we could say that its representatives led to the establishment of two centers of power, which the emperor could no longer control. One of these was the army, along with its outstanding generals (Stilicho, Constantius, Aetius), the other was the Church with outstanding clergymen, such as for example the bishop of Milan, Ambrose, or popes, e.g. Damasus I, Sixtus III or Leo I. Therefore, the emperors had to share their power. On one hand they were dependent on the generals of their armies (the so-called patricians), on the other on spiritual leaders. They gravitated between them with varied luck.

The protagonist of the longest dynasty in the history of the empire was the sentenced to death (for unknown reasons) general Flavius Theodosius. At the moment of a military crisis caused by the dramatic defeat of Romans at Adrianople and the death of Emperor Valens in the year 378, his son Theodosius was called to save the Roman army and Roman honor. Initially he was appointed by Emperor Gratian as co-ruler in the eastern part of the empire. For a short time after the death of Valentinian III (emperor of the West), he was the ruler of the newly reunited empire. Immediately prior to his death he once again decided to divide it between his sons. The older, Arcadius, received the Eastern Empire, the younger Honorius – the Western Empire. After the death of Honorius, his successor was the aforementioned, unfortunate Valentinian III.

Both the son and the grandson of Theodosius I assumed power when they were still children, which in a decisive way contributed to the marginalization of their position in the empire, which they could not change after achieving adulthood. Most likely factors of psychological nature were also to blame – both seem to be figures bereft of strong will as well as charisma. However, ambition and the desire for complete authority caused them to be unable to come to terms with the influence of their patricians. The times, in which they ruled, were by no means easy. It was then that Rome lost its political influence in Britannia and on the Pyrenean Peninsula, lost Africa to the Vandals and was invaded twice ,which stunned more than just the inhabitants of Rome. All three representatives of the dynasty turned out to be great supporters of the Catholic Church, and as a consequence Theodosius began his struggle against heresy, meaning all branches of Christianity other than that proclaimed at the Council of Nicaea, as well as against old beliefs of the Romans, which resulted in pagan temples being shut down as well as a ban on the making of sacrifices and the cult of the old gods even in the confines of one’s own household. That is why Theodosius is said to have made Christianity into a state religion.

For Rome itself this was a time of loneliness a sort of abandoning. In recent years emperors had not resided in the Eternal City, choosing locations close to military activity, but it was Honorius, who initially staying in Milan, in face of the danger of a Goth invasion moved permanently to the safety of Ravenna, which for subsequent decades became the residence of emperors. None of them returned to Rome for good, they only visited it, so as to in this way sanction their reign.

The beginning of the V century was very dramatic for the city. The armies of Alaric (410) sacked Rome, while the young Emperor Honorius looked on powerlessly from Ravenna. Although seven years earlier the Aurelian Walls were heightened, gates strengthened and equipped with towers, still there was no one to defend them, while Alaric conquered the city not by a siege but by hunger. The murder of the outstanding leader Aetius, carried out by Valentinian III, 45 years later, proved to be not only a nail in the coffin of the emperor himself, who a few months later was assassinated, but also of the whole Western Empire. Its aftermath was another looting of Rome, this time carried out by Genseric (455). Along with carts filled with treasures, the Vandals also took to Carthage the wife and two daughters of the murdered emperor. One of them Eudoxia, married the son of Genseric – Huneric, a year later. The Empress Licinia Eudoxia along with the other daughter Placidia were in time sent to Constantinople, when the last representative of the dynasty in the East had died.

Until the end of the IV century Rome had in truth been a pagan city, while its elites attached to the old cults, in no way, shape or form identified with Christian culture. Honoring ancient gods constituted a habitual ritual which was part of the city tradition, while Christian culture was for the refined people of antiquity, plebeian and primitive. However, all that changed after the decrees of Theodosius I, which officially forbade the practice of old Roman beliefs and closed pagan temples. The position of the Church was further strengthened by the ever-present fear of  the so-called barbarians. All the representatives of the dynasty took advantage of it, courageously supporting the popes in church foundations. One of these, initiated by Emperor Valentinian II and continued by Theodosius I and Honorius was the monumental Church of St. Paul Outside the Walls (San Paolo fuori le mura) – commemorating St. Paul, meaning the one who had converted pagans. Churches were created not only on the outskirts but also in the city center. It was during the Theodosian dynasty, at the initiative of Pope Sixtus III, that the magnificent Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, was built. Other foundations, this time private, were the titular churches (tituli) spread around Rome, such as the Santa Pudenziana with an outstanding, still existing today mosaic. At this time many churches were also consecrated including the Santa Sabina on Aventine Hill or Santa Anastasia at the foot of this hill, to name only a few. Rome, during the Theodosian dynasty became a fully Christian city, proud of its two sanctuaries of two great martyrs. New centers were established for pilgrims coming into the city – around St. Peter’s Basilica (San Pietro in Vaticano) as well as on the Lateran near the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano and its papal palace. From a capital of the ancient world, Rome gradually evolved into a significant religious center. However, independent of all this the city was depopulating. Celio Hill, where in the past there were villas of aristocrats was rapidly losing residents. The numbers speak for themselves. Around the year 400 the city had approximately 800 thousand inhabitants, while in the year 425 only about 500 thousand, with a constant downward turn.