Theodosius II

Theodosius II became Augustus at seven months old in 401, a ceremonial infant. When his father Arcadius died in 408, the boy inherited the Eastern Empire outright, and the court around him did the actual ruling. What emerged under his long reign - 402 to 450 - was the Theodosian law code, a sweeping compilation that organized centuries of Roman legal thought, and the Theodosian walls of Constantinople, the fortifications that would define the city's defense for generations. He also presided, often passively, over two volcanic theological disputes: Nestorianism and Eutychianism, Christological controversies that split churches and councils. He died in 450, remembered less for decisions than for what was built in his name.