Arcadius, first emperor of the East alone, was born in Spain, 377 A.D., and was the son of the Emperor Theodosius, after whose death in 395 A.D. the Roman empire was divided into East and West, the West falling to Honorius. Arcadius lived in oriental state and splendour, and his dominion extended from the Adriatic Sea to the river Tigris, and from Scythia to Ethiopia; but the real rulers over this vast empire were, first, the Gaul Rufinus, and afterwards the eunuch Eutropius, who openly assumed the reins of government and the command of the army, while the emperor reposed in luxurious indifference. In 399 Eutropius was for a time supplanted by another usurper, Gainas; and afterwards,
Eudoxia, the wife of the emperor, assumed the supremacy. The great archbishop, Chrysostom, was exiled by Eudoxia in 404, because of his stern denunciation of vice. During the reign of Arcadius, his territories suffered by barbarian incursions, earthquakes, and famine. He died in 408 A.D.