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eventVerified

Theodosius wages civil war in 388 against the western usurper Magnus Maximus

Civil war kills soldiers and civilians on both sides. Shared barbarian recruits are the same army reconstituted in 379. In the causal graph this event weakens Humanitarian Access, a driver that strengthens People Internally Displaced by Conflict and Violence (IDMC) — an improving welfare path.

Sources: [1][2]

Read the full account

Context

Civil war kills soldiers and civilians on both sides. Humanitarian harm is the path. Shared barbarian recruits are the same army reconstituted in 379. Restoration of Valentinian is a neighbouring offset row.

Theodosius I’s documented role is bounded by other offices and collaborators named in the sources below.

Britannica: victory over pagan usurpers includes the Maximus war. DIR narrates the 388 campaign.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • Theodosius I

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    responsibility level 0.4 · verified

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.De Imperatoribus Romanis — Theodosius ILoyola University Chicago · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.Britannica — Theodosius IEncyclopaedia Britannica · High credibility · verified
What the sources establish

Britannica and DIR independently record the 388 campaign that destroyed Maximus’s regime.

Theodosius I did not file a later UNESCO form, a later Loeb colophon, or a later museum label as a personal act. Keep three dates.

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorTheodosius I
  2. contributed toFactTheodosius wages civil war in 388 against the western usurper Magnus Maximus
  3. weakensDriverHumanitarian Access
  4. strengthensIndicatorPeople Internally Displaced by Conflict and Violence (IDMC)

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). Theodosius wages civil war in 388 against the western usurper Magnus Maximus. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/theo-maximus-war-388

https://factrail.ai/facts/theo-maximus-war-388

Accessed 16 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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