| Aelia Eudocia | |||||
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| Augusta | |||||
 Portrait of an empress in theAcropolis Museum in Athens, likely Aelia Eudocia. | |||||
| Roman empress | |||||
| Tenure | 7 June 421 – 28 July 450 | ||||
| Born | Athenais c. 400 Athens | ||||
| Died | 20 October 460 (aged aprox. 60) Jerusalem | ||||
| Spouse | Theodosius II | ||||
| Issue Detail |
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| Father | Leontius | ||||
Aelia Eudocia Augusta (/ˈiːliəjuːˈdoʊʃəɔːˈɡʌstə/;Ancient Greek:Αιλία Ευδοκία Αυγούστα;c. 400 – 460 AD), also calledSaint Eudocia, was an Eastern Roman empress by marriage to EmperorTheodosius II (r. 408–450). Daughter of an Athenian philosopher, she was also a poet, whose works includeHomerocentones, or Homeric retellings of Biblical stories.[2] After an estrangement with Theodosius, she permanently settled inJerusalem, where she supported the local population.
Aelia Eudocia was born with the nameAthenais inAthens.[3] The 7th centuryChronicon Paschale describes her asGreek.[4] Her exact year of birth is not known, but it is often given asc. 400[5] orc. 401[6] on the assumption that she was born around the same time of EmperorTheodosius II (401 AD). She was said to be ofpagan background,[7] and according to her contemporarySocrates Scholasticus, she wasbaptized shortly before her marriage to Theodosius.[8] Her father, an Athenian sophist named Leontius,[9] taughtrhetoric at theAcademy of Athens, where people from all over theMediterranean came to either teach or learn. Eudocia's birth name, Athenais, was a pagan name probably chose for her parents' devotion toAttic culture,[10] or perhaps in honour of the city's protector, the goddessPallas Athena.[11] She had two brothers,Gessius andValerius, who would later receive honours at court from their sister and brother-in-law. Eudocia's father took charge of her education after her mother's death, and she was later taught by the scholarsHyperechios, one theDesert Fathers of Christianity, and Orion.[3]
According toJohn Malalas, who wrote in the 6th century, when her father died, he left all his property to her brothers, with only 100 coins reserved for her in his will, saying that "[s]ufficient for her is her destiny, which will be the greatest of any woman."[12][13] Athenais had been her father's confidante and had expected more than this meager 100-coin inheritance. She begged her brothers, to give her an equal share of their father's property, but they refused. Shortly after her father's death, Athenais went to live with her aunt, who advised her to go toConstantinople and "ask for justice from the Emperor", confident she would receive her fair share of her father's wealth.[14][15]
Historian Kenneth Holum further introduced the suggestion that her father, Leontius, was a native ofAntioch rather thanAthens, drawing from the "traditional link" between the two cities and theirphilosophers.[16] Holum suggests that Eudocia may have been named after the great city ofAthens, but she would have been born in Antioch.[17] The argument has been doubted by some scholars, because the building activity of Eudocia in the 420s focused on Athens rather than Antioch.[18]
Legend has it that whenTheodosius was 20 years old, he wanted to get married. He talked to his sisterPulcheria, who began to search for a maiden fit for her brother, that was of either "patrician or imperial blood."[19] His longtime childhood friend, Paulinus, also helped Theodosius in his search.[19] The Emperor's search began at the same time that Athenais had arrived in Constantinople. Pulcheria had heard about this young woman, who had only 100 coins to her name, and when she met her, she was "astonished at her beauty and at the intelligence and sophistication with which she presented her grievance."[19] Athenais's aunts assured Pulcheria that she was a virgin and was well educated. Pulcheria reported back to her brother that she had "found a young girl, a Greek maid, very beautiful, pure and dainty, eloquent as well, the daughter of a philosopher", and young Theodosius, who was full of desire, fell in love instantly.[19]
Athenais had been raised pagan, and upon her marriage to Theodosius II converted to Christianity and was renamed "Eudocia".[20] They were married on 7 June 421, and there were "reports that Theodosius celebrated his wedding with chariot races in thehippodrome".[21] Her brothers, who had rejected her after their father's death, fled since they were fearful of the punishment they thought they were going to receive when they learned that she became empress.[22] Eudocia instead called them toConstantinople, and Theodosius rewarded them.[22] The emperor madeGessiuspraetorian prefect of Illyricum and madeValeriusmagister officiorum.[22] Both Gessius and Valerius were rewarded because Eudocia believed that their mistreatment of her was part of her destiny.[22] Theodosius also honoured his best friend, Paulinus, with the title ofmagister officiorum, for he had helped find his wife.[22]
Thisrags-to-riches story, though it claims to be authentic and is accepted among historians, leads one to believe that the tale may have been twisted due to the detail of how the romance was portrayed. The earliest version of this story appeared more than a century after Eudocia's death in the "World Chronicle" ofJohn Malalas, "an author who did not always distinguish between authentic history and a popular memory of events infused with folk-tale motifs".[23] The facts are that she was the daughter of Leontius and she did originally have the name Athenais, according to the contemporary historiansSocrates of Constantinople, andPriscus of Panion; however, they leave out any mention of Pulcheria's role in playing match-maker for her brother.[21] The historiansSozomen andTheodoret did not include Eudocia in their respective historical works, perhaps because they wrote after 443 when Eudocia had fallen into disgrace.[23]
Eudocia also built the originalChurch of St. Polyeuctus in Constantinople, which her great-granddaughterAnicia Juliana greatly expanded and furnished in the 6th century.
Eudocia had two, or possibly three, children with Theodosius II.[24][25]Licinia Eudoxia, born in 422, was the oldest. Licinia Eudoxia had been betrothed since her birth to her cousin, the Western Roman emperorValentinian III, whom she married on 29 October 437.[26] The second child, Flaccilla, died in 431.[24] Arcadius, if he existed, may have been the only son and died in infancy. Only a year after she gave birth to her first child, Eudocia was proclaimedaugusta by her husband on 2 January 423.[27]
Eudocia also was the guardian for theGeorgian prince Nabarnugios who had been sent as ahostage to the Byzantine court. Nabarnugious, who would become known asPeter the Iberian, would later decide to became an ascetic and flee to Jerusalem with his friendJohn the Eunuch.[28]
After being namedAugusta, her relationship to her sister-in-law, Pulcheria, worsened. Eudocia was jealous over the amount of power Pulcheria had within the court, while Pulcheria was jealous of the power Eudocia could claim from her. Their relationship created a "pious atmosphere" in the imperial court, and probably explains why Eudocia travelled to the Holy Land in 438.[29] Eudocia went on apilgrimage toJerusalem in 438, bringing back with her holy relics to prove her faith.[24] Her relationship with her husband had deteriorated, and with much pleading fromMelania the Younger, a wealthy widow from Palestine and good friend of Eudocia, Theodosius allowed her to go.[30]
While on her pilgrimage to Jerusalem in spring of 438, Eudocia stopped inAntioch, and during her stay she addressed thesenate of that city in Hellenic style (i.e., anencomium cast inHomerichexameters) and distributed funds for the repair of its buildings.[31][32] She was very conscious of her Greek heritage, as demonstrated in her famous address to the citizens of Antioch where she quoted a famous line byHomer: "ὑμετέρης γενεής τε καὶ αἵματος εὔχομαι εἶναι" ("Of your proud line and blood I claim to be").[31]c[32][33][34] These last words of Eudocia's oration brought loud acclaim from the listeners, which resulted in the citizens of Antioch celebrating the Empress Eudocia's Christian Hellenism and commemorating her by erecting a golden statue of her in thecuria and a bronze statue in the museum.[33][34][35]
Eudocia convinced her husband to "extend the walls of Antioch to take in a large suburb".[17] Furthermore, she also influenced state policy towardspagans andJews under her husband's reign, and used the powerful influence she had to protect them from persecution.[17] Eudocia also advocated for "reorganization and expansion" of education in Constantinople.[36] Eudocia had been raised and educated in traditional and classical sophist education from Athens, but her goal was to blend classical pagan education with Christianity. This was her way of using her power as empress to honour teachers and education, something that was very important to her in her life.[citation needed]
On her arrival from Jerusalem, her position was allegedly undermined by the jealousy of Pulcheria and the suspicion of an affair with Paulinus, the master of the offices.[37]
Around 443, Eudocia left the palace for reasons that cannot be fully ascertained. One rumor has it that Eudocia was banished from the court towards the latter part of her life for adultery. Theodosius suspected that she was having an affair with his long-time childhood friend and court advisor, Paulinus.[24] According toMalalas's account of this story, Theodosius II had given Eudocia a very largePhrygian apple as a gift. One day Paulinus had shown the emperor the same apple, not knowing that the emperor had given it to Eudocia as a gift. Theodosius recognized the apple and confronted Eudocia who had sworn she had eaten it. Eudocia's denials made the emperor believe that she had fallen in love with Paulinus and was having an affair, and had given his best friend the same apple he had given to her as a symbol of his love. Theodosius had Paulinus executed and Eudocia, embarrassed, decided to leave the court in 443.[32]
On the other hand,Marcellinus' version suggests intrigues of Theodosius and Eudocia against each other: on Theodosius' orders,comes domesticorum Saturninus killed two allies of the empress, and in revenge, she went on to have Saturninus assassinated. Theodosius subsequently deprived Eudocia of her royal attendants, prompting her to leave the palace.[38] Whatever the cause of her departure may be, she still retained her wealth and the titleAugusta.
Eudocia returned toJerusalem in circa 443, where she lived for the last part of her life. In Jerusalem she focused on her writing. She nevertheless retained great influence. She also rekindled her relation with her former ward Peter the Iberian as well as withMelania the Younger, a famous ascetic.[39] She died an Orthodox Christian in Jerusalem on 20 October 460,[3] having devoted her last years to literature.[37] She was buried in Jerusalem in theChurch of Saint Stephen,[40] one of the churches she had herself built in Jerusalem;[41] modernSt. Stephen's Basilica now stands at the site. The empress never returned to the imperial court inConstantinople, but "she maintained her imperial dignity and engaged in substantialeuergetistic programs."[42]
Soon after her accession as an empress, Eudocia wrote a hexameter poem eulogizing the Roman performance in the Persian wars of 421–22. The work is now lost. While Eudocia could have written a lot of literature after leaving the court, only some of her work survived. Eudocia "wrote inhexameters, which is the verse ofepic poetry, on Christian themes".[24] She wrote a poem entitled TheMartyrdom of St. Cyprian in three books, of which 900 lines survived, and an inscription of a poem on the baths atHamat Gader.[24] Her most studied piece of literature is her Homeric cento, which has been analyzed recently by a few modern scholars, such as Mark Usher and Brian Sowers. According to Usher, Eudocia is an understudied poet and has been neglected due to "lack of complete and authoritative text".[43]
There are three books (or volumes) to this epic poem, which tells the story of how "Justa, the Christian virgin, defeated the magicianCyprian through her faith in God. Cyprian had been hired by Aglaidas to force Justa to love him. It ends with the conversion of Cyprian, his swift rise to the rank ofBishop, and Justa becoming adeaconess, with the new name, Justina."[44] She later became known asJustina of Antioch. This story is all fiction, although the parallels between Eudocia's character Justa and Eudocia herself are interesting, as both of them converted to Christianity and changed their names upon succeeding to power. Although some of the text has been lost, most of it has been paraphrased byPhotius. The poem is very long despite not all of it surviving the centuries, and can be found inWomen Writers of Ancient Greece and Rome (2004) edited by Michael Ian Plant. Homer (particularly theOdyssey) is a pivotal linguistic and thematic model for the poem.[45]
The poem inscribed on the baths atHamat Gader was very short, and can be included here, as evidence of her hexameter writing style. The poem was inscribed so visitors could read it as they went into the pool.
I have seen many wonders in my life, countless,
But who, noble Clibanus, however many his mouths, could proclaim
Your might, when born a worthless mortal? But rather
It is right for you to be called a new fiery ocean,
Paean and parent, provider of sweet streams.
From you the thousandfold swell is born, one here, one there,
On this side boiling-hot, on that side in turn icy-cold and tepid.
Into fountains four-fold four you pour out your beauty.
Indian and Matrona, Repentius, holy Elijah,
Antoninus the Good,Dewy Galatia, and
Hygieia herself, warm baths both large and small,
Pearl, ancient Clibanus, Indian and other
Matrona, Strong, Nun, and the Patriarch's.
For those in pain your powerful might is always everlasting.
But I will sing of a god, renowned for wisdom
For the benefit of speaking mortals.[46]
The line "Of the Empress Eudocia" flanked by two crosses is set above the poem. This title line was added after the carving of the main inscription, making room for some doubt whether the poem was indeed authored by Eudocia. Clibanus is the name given to the source of the hot water. After praising his qualities and those of his many springs ("the thousandfold swell"), the poem enumerates "four-fold four", thus sixteen different parts of the bath complex, fourteen of which bear a name; these names includeHygieia (the pagan goddess of health), a whole range of pagan personal names, "holyElijah" referring to the prophet, and two refer to Christians – a nun and a patriarch.[47]
TheHomericcentos that Eudocia composed are her most popular poems, as well as those most analyzed by modern scholars, because Homer was a popular choice on which to write a cento. Eudocia's centos are the longest Homeric centos, and consist of 2,344 lines.[44] These centos are a clear representation of who Eudocia was, and what she believed in[opinion]—an epic poem combining her Athenian classical educational background, but adding stories from the book ofGenesis and theNew Testament stories of the life ofJesus Christ. The most extensive surviving portion of Eudocia's work is 2354 lines about Adam and Eve, based upon an incomplete poem by a man named Patricius.[48]
Mark Usher analyzed this poem as a way to understand why Eudocia chose to use Homeric themes as a means to express her biblical interpretations. According to Usher, Eudocia needed to convey human experience relating to the Bible. She used themes from theIliad andOdyssey because "they contained all Eudocia needed to tell theGospel story. Whenever and wherever Eudocia needed to express greatness, pain, truthfulness, deceit, beauty, suffering, mourning, recognition, understanding, fear, or astonishment, there was an apt Homeric line or passage ready in her memory to be recalled."[49] Eudocia's Homeric poetry is essential to understanding her as a Christian woman in theEastern Roman Empire, and understanding her role as empress. Her classical educational background is clearly seen in her poetry, which captures her literary talent, as exemplified by her potential use of acrostics.[50] She made a point to connect her background love for studying classicalGreek literature to her Christian beliefs.
Eudocia is regarded as a saint. Her feast day is13 August.
She is a prominent Greek historical figure in understanding therise of Christianity during the beginning of theByzantine Empire.[opinion] Eudocia lived in a world whereGreek paganism and Christianity existed side by side.[51] According to Brian Sowers, Eudocia's work (including the Homeric centos and an epic poem on the martyrdom of St. Cyprian) has been mostly ignored by modern scholars, but her poetry and literary work are an example of how her Christian faith andpaganism were intertwined, exemplifying a legacy that theRoman Empire left behind on theChristian world.[52]
The plot ofAntonio Vivaldi's operaAtenaide is based on the courtship and marriage of Eudocia and Theodosius.
Eudocia is a featured figure onJudy Chicago's installation pieceThe Dinner Party, being represented as one of the 999 names on theHeritage Floor, associated with the place setting forTheodora (wife of Justinian I).[53][54]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Eudocia Augusta".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 881. This cites:
| Royal titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Byzantine Empress consort 421–450 | Succeeded by |
