Cambridge Ancient Hi.. - Index of

theodosius ii 39
council, a response which looked set to create an impasse until Theodosius’
unexpected death the following year reopened the possibility of new developments.
3. Foreign relations
For much of the fourth century, relations with Sasanian Persia had been
the most taxing external problem confronting the eastern half of the
Roman empire. In the final decades of that century, however, the focus of
attention had shifted elsewhere, and this pattern continued during
Theodosius’ reign. The empire did fight two wars against Persia in the first
half of the fifth century, but these conflicts – the first in 421–2, the second
in 44040 – were of short duration and constituted brief interruptions to
otherwise quiescent relations between the two powers, both of whom had
other, more pressing preoccupations. In the case of Persia, this took the
form primarily of nomads from Central Asia troubling its north-eastern
frontier. 41 In the case of Constantinople, there were two pre-eminent areas
of concern – developments in the western Mediterranean, and relations
with the Huns in the lower Danube basin.
Eastern forces were despatched westwards on four occasions during
Theodosius’ reign. In 410, 4,000 men were sent to Ravenna to assist in the
defence of the western emperor Honorius against Alaric and the Goths,
while in 424 an army commanded by Ardabur and Aspar intervened in the
upheaval that followed Honorius’ death, eventually defeating the usurper
John and overseeing the installation on the western throne of Honorius’
nephew, Valeninian III (425). The third occasion was in 431, when eastern
units under Aspar went to North Africa to aid western forces struggling to
hold back the eastward advance of the Vandals towards Carthage.
Although Aspar’s forces enjoyed limited success in the ensuing campaign,
this involvement none the less contributed to achieving the settlement of
435 which preserved, albeit only temporarily, Roman control of the more
valuable eastern provinces of the region. Finally, when the Vandals subsequently
broke the treaty and captured Carthage itself (439), another expedition
– probably the largest of the four – was organized to act in concert
with western forces (441). 42
Constantinople’s willingness to commit substantial forces to the western
Mediterranean in this way may initially appear somewhat surprising. On the
first three occasions, eastern interests were not threatened in any obvious
or direct manner, so that intervention is best understood as an expression
of dynastic solidarity with members of the Theodosian family, mingled
40 Blockley (1992) 56–61. 41 Frye (1984) 320–1.
42 For further detail on these events, see ch. 1 (Heather), pp. 9,12 above.
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