Patronage

Patron Saint of Kings

2 saints are venerated as patrons of kings, led by Theodosius I (feast day January 17).

Theodosius I

Theodosius I

347 — 395 · Feast day: January 17

The last emperor to rule both halves of the Roman Empire, Theodosius established Nicene Christianity as the official state religion with the 380 Edict of Thessalonica and confirmed its orthodoxy at the First Council of Constantinople in 381. A capable general who ended the Gothic War and defeated two usurpers, he is remembered in Christian tradition above all for submitting to public penance imposed by St. Ambrose after ordering the Massacre of Thessalonica in 390.

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Edmund the Martyr

Edmund the Martyr

c. 841 AD — November 20, 869 AD · Feast day: November 20

Edmund was a boy-king of East Anglia who, when Viking warlords demanded he renounce Christ or die, chose death. Tied to a tree at Hoxne, shot with arrows and beheaded on November 20, 869, he remained England's patron saint for six centuries — until Saint George replaced him in the 15th century.

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Related Patronages

RulersEast AngliaSuffolkEnglandTorture victimsWolves