Theodorus (usurper)
4th-century Roman usurper
Theodorus (Greek: Θεοδώρος) was a Roman usurper against Emperor Valens according to Ammianus Marcellinus. Marcellinus was residing in Antioch in 372 and, making it clear that he is speaking as an eyewitness, tells us that Theodorus was thought to have been identified by divination as a new Emperor, the successor to Valens. He proceeds and explain how Theodorus and several others were made to confess their deceit through the use of torture and were cruelly punished after that. Nothing else is known about him.
References
Bibliography
Kelly, Gavin. Ammianus Marcellinus: The Allusive Historian. Cambridge University Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-521-84299-0.
The public source identifies “Theodorus (usurper)” as 4th-century Roman usurper. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Theodorus, usurper and 4th-century.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Theodorus (usurper)”, the useful work is to connect “4th-century Roman usurper” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 12, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q16767045. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2008.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Theodorus (usurper)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Theodorus (usurper) primary sources, Theodorus (usurper) archive and Theodorus research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Theodorus (usurper)”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Theodorus (usurper)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.