Family of Theodosius II + and Aelia + EUDOCIA

Husband:	Theodosius II + (401-450)
Wife:	Aelia + EUDOCIA (401-460)
Children:	Licinia + EUDOXIA (422-462)
Status:	Never Married

Husband: Theodosius II +

Wife: Aelia + EUDOCIA

Child 1: Licinia + EUDOXIA

Note on Husband: Theodosius II +

Theodosius II (Latin: Flavius Theodosius Junior Augustus;[1] 10 April 401 – 28 July 450), commonly surnamed Theodosius the Younger,[2] or Theodosius the Calligrapher, was the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Emperor from 408 to 450. He is mostly known for promulgating the Theodosian law code, and for the construction of the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople. He also presided over the outbreak of two great christological controversies, Nestorianism and Eutychianism.

 

Theodosius was born in 401 as the only son of Emperor Arcadius and his Frankish-born wife Aelia Eudoxia. In 408, his father died and the seven-year-old boy became Emperor of the Eastern parts of the Roman Empire.

 

Government was at first by the Praetorian Prefect Anthemius, under whose supervision the Theodosian land walls of Constantinople were constructed.

 

In 414, Theodosius' older sister Pulcheria was proclaimed Augusta and assumed the regency. By 416 Theodosius was capable of ruling himself, but his sister remained a strong influence on him. In June 421, Theodosius married Aelia Eudocia, a woman of Greek origin.[3][4][5][6][7] The two had a daughter named Licinia Eudoxia.

 

Theodosius' increasing interest in Christianity, fueled by the influence of Pulcheria, had him start a war against the Sassanids (421–422), who were persecuting Christians; the war ended in a draw, when the Romans were forced to accept peace as the Huns menaced Constantinople.[8]

 

 

Theodosius welcomes the relics of John Chrysostom. Miniature from early 11th century.In 423, the Western Emperor Honorius, Theodosius' uncle, died and the primicerius notariorum Joannes was proclaimed Emperor. Honorius' sister Galla Placidia and her young son Valentinian fled to Constantinople to seek Eastern assistance and after some deliberation in 424 Theodosius opened the war against Joannes. In May 425, Valentinian III was installed as Emperor of the West, with his mother acting as regent. To strengthen the ties between the two parts of the Empire, Theodosius' daughter Licinia Eudoxia was betrothed to Valentinian.

 

[edit] University and Law CodeIn 425, Theodosius founded the University of Constantinople with 31 chairs (15 in Latin and 16 in Greek). Among subjects were law, philosophy, medicine, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music and rhetoric.

 

In 429, Theodosius appointed a commission to collect all of the laws since the reign of Constantine I, and create a fully formalized system of law. This plan was left unfinished, but the work of a second commission that met in Constantinople, assigned to collect all of the general legislations and bring them up to date was completed, and their collection published as the Codex Theodosianus in 438. The law code of Theodosius II, summarizing edicts promulgated since Constantine, formed a basis for the law code of Emperor Justinian I in the following century.

 

[edit] Wars with the Huns, Vandals, and PersiansThe Eastern Empire was also plagued by short raiding attacks by the Huns. In 447 the Huns went through the Balkans, destroying among others the city of Serdica (Sofia) and reaching Athyra (Büyükçekmece) on the ourskirts of Constantinople. Then, an agreement was reached with the Eastern Roman Empire, negotiated by Anatolius. The Emperor chose to pay tribute, which amounted to 350 Roman pounds (ca. 114.5 kg) of gold until 435 and 700 Roman pounds after that.[citation needed]

 

When Roman Africa fell to the Vandals in 439, both Eastern and Western Emperors sent forces to Sicily, to launch an attack at the Vandals at Carthage, but this project failed. Seeing the imperial borders without significant forces, the Huns and Sassanid Persia declared war. During 443 two Roman armies were defeated and destroyed by the Huns. In the subsequent peace agreement Roman tribute was tripled to 2,100 Roman pounds (ca. 687 kg) in gold after which the Huns withdrew into the interior of their empire. The war with Persia on the other hand proved indecisive, and a peace was arranged in 422 without changes to the status quo.

 

[edit] Theological disputesDuring a visit to Syria, Theodosius met the preacher Nestorius and appointed him Patriarch of Constantinople in 428. Nestorius quickly became involved in the disputes of two theological factions, which differed in their Christology. Nestorius tried to find a middle ground between those that, emphasizing the fact that in Christ God had been born as a man, insisted on calling the Virgin Mary Theotokos ("birth-giver of God"), and those that rejected that title because God as an eternal being could not have been born. Nestorius suggested the title Christotokos ("birth-giver to Christ"), but did not find acceptance by either faction and was accused of detaching Christ's divine and human natures from each other, a heresy later called Nestorianism. Though initially supported by the Emperor, Nestorius found a forceful opponent in Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria. With the consent of the Emperor and Pope Celestine I, an Ecumenical Council convened in Ephesus in 431, which affirmed the title Theotokos and condemned Nestorius, who was then exiled by the Emperor.

 

Almost twenty years later, the theological dispute broke out again, this time caused by the Constantinopolitan abbot Eutyches, whose Christology was understood by some to mingle Christ's divine and human nature into one. Eutyches was condemned by Patriarch Flavian of Constantinople but found a powerful friend in Cyril's successor Dioscurus of Alexandria. Another council convoked to Ephesus in 449, deemed "robber synod" because of its tumultuous circumstances, restored Eutyches and deposed Flavian, who was mistreated and died shortly afterwards. Pope Leo I of Rome and many other bishops protested against the outcome, but the Emperor supported it. Only after his death in 450 would the decisions be reversed at the Council of Chalcedon.

 

[edit] DeathTheodosius died in 450 as the result of a riding accident. In the ensuing power struggle, his sister Pulcheria, who had recently returned to court, won out against the eunuch Chrysaphius. She married the general Marcian, thereby making him Emperor.

Note on Wife: Aelia + EUDOCIA

Aelia Eudocia Augusta (c. 401-460) was the wife of Theodosius II, and a prominent historical figure in understanding the rise of Christianity during the beginning of the Byzantine Empire. Eudocia lived in a world where Greek paganism and Christianity were still coming together. Although Eudocia’s work has been mostly ignored by modern scholars, her poetry and literary work are great examples of how her Christian faith and Greek upbringing were intertwined, exemplifying a legacy that the Byzantine Empire left behind on the Christian world.

 

Aelia Eudocia was born around 400 C.E. in Antioch to a philosopher named Leonitios. Leontius taught Rhetoric at the Academy, where people from all over the Mediterranean came to either teach or learn. Eudocia’s given name was Athenais, which her parents named her after the city’s protector “Pallas-Athena”.[1] Her father was rich, and had a magnificent house in Acropolis, that had a massive courtyard that young Athenais played in a lot as a child.[2] She had a gift for memorization, and easily learned Homer and Pindar poetry, which her father would recite to her. When she was 12 years old, her mother died and she became her father’s comfort, taking on the responsibilities of household chores, raising her siblings and tending to her father. She had two brothers, Gessius and Valerius, who would later be rewarded in court by their sister and brother in law. In return, her father spent all of his past time devoted to teaching her rhetoric, poetry, and philosophy. He taught her “Socratic Virtue of Knowledge, of moderation”, and predicted that she would have a great destiny.[3] His teachings and role as her father did greatly prepare her for her for her destiny. As her father, he was essentially Athenais’ everything, and when he passed away in 420 C.E., she was devastated. Even more devastating was that in his will, he left all property to her brothers, and left her only a 100 coins, saying that “sufficient for her is her destiny which will be the greatest of any woman”.[4] This bothered Athenais even more, and didn’t think it was fair at all. She had been her father’s confidante, and expected more than 100 coins. She begged for her brothers to be fair and give her an equal share of the property, but they refused. Athenais had nothing else in the world, other than 100 coins, and everything she knew and loved were gone. Athenais then went to live with her Aunt, shortly after her father’s death at age 20. Her Aunt told her to go to Constantinople to “ask for justice from the Emperor”, that she would receive her fair share of her father’s wealth.[5] Her father greatly impacted her, and influenced her literary work later on in life after she became Empress.

 

[edit] Marriage & Life as an EmpressLegend has it that when Theodosius II was 20 years old, he wanted to get married. He talked to his sister Pulcheria, who began to search for a maiden fit for her brother, that was either “patrician or imperial blood.”[6] His long time childhood friend, Paulinus[disambiguation needed] also helped Theodosius in his search.[7] The Emperor’s search had begun ironically the same time that Athenais had arrived in Constantinople. Pulcheria had heard about this young girl, 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.”[8] Upon reporting back to her brother, she told him 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 and lust fell in love instantly.[9]

 

Athenais had been raised pagan, and had to convert to Christianity in order to marry Theodosius II. The Emperor renamed her Eudocia and made her his wife. They were married on June 7, 421 and there were “reports that Theodosius celebrated his wedding with chariot races in the hippodrome.”[10] Her brothers, who had rejected her after their father’s death, were fearful of the punishment they thought they were going to receive since she became Empress, so they fled. However instead of punishing them, Eudocia called them back to Constantinople, and Theodosius rewarded them. He made Gessius “praetorian prefect of Illycricum” and made Valerius “master of offices.”[11] They were rewarded because Eudocia believed that their mean actions had come from jealousy of her destiny, not from a vengeful dark place. He also honored his best friend, Paulinus with master of offices, for he had helped find his wife.[12] However, this rags to riches story, though it claims to be authentic and is accepted among historians, leads one to believe that 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 of John Malalas, an author who did not always distinguish between authentic history and a popular memory of events infused with folk-tale motifs.”[13] The facts are that she was the daughter of Leonitius and she did originally have the name Athenais, according Greek philosopher, Socrates, and a contemporary historian named Priscus of Panion, however they leave out any mention of Pulcheria’s role in playing match-maker for her brother.[14] The more popular historians that did record Theodosius II’s reign, such as Sozomen or Theodoret did not include Eudocia in their history because they were written after Eudocia had fallen into disgrace.[15]

 

[edit] ChildrenEudocia had three children with Theodosius II. Their names were Licinia Eudoxia, Flacilla, and Arcadius.[16] Licinia was the oldest, born in 422, and Flacilla died in 431.[17] Licinia Eudoxia had been promised to marry western emperor Valentinian III since her birth, and did marry on October 29, 437.[18] Arcadius was the only son, who died as an infant. It was only a year after she gave birth to her first child, when Eudocia was proclaimed “Augusta” by her husband on January 2, 423 C.E.[19]

 

[edit] PilgrimageUpon being named Augusta, she succeeded her sister in law, Pulcheria who had been Augusta since 414. The relationship between the two women consisted of rivalry over power. 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. They’re relationship created a “pious atmosphere” in the imperial court, and is probably an explanation as to why Eudocia traveled to the Holy Land in 438.[20] Eudocia went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 438 C.E., bringing back with her holy relics to prove her faith.[21] Her relationship with her husband had deteriorated, and with much plea from Melania, a wealthy widow from Palestine and good friend of Eudocia, Theosodius allowed her to go.[22] On her way to Jerusalem, she stopped in Antioch, where “she delivered an encomium of Antioch before the senate of the city, casting it in Homeric hexameters. In it she included the line ‘Of your proud line and blood I claim to be.’”[23] Eudocia’s original name may have been named after the great city of Athens, but she was born in Antioch despite what the traditional story may say. Citizens of Antioch received her message with positive attitude, and she influenced them to “erect two statues in her honor, a gold statue in curia and a bronze one in the museum.”[24] She even convinced her husband to “extend the walls of Antioch to take in a large suburb.”[25] Furthermore, she also influenced state policy towards pagans and Jews under her husband’s reign, and used the powerful influence she had to protect them from persecution.[26] Eudocia also advocated for “reorganization and expansion” of education in Constantinople.[27] 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 honor teachers and education, something that was very important to her in her life.

 

[edit] BanishmentRumor 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[disambiguation needed].[28] According to Malalas account of this story, Theodosius II had given Eudocia a very large Phrygian apple, as a gift. One day, Paulinius had shown the emperor the same apple, not knowing that the emperor had given it to Eudocia as a gift. He 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, that she would gave his best friend the same apple he had given her as a symbol of his love. Theodosius had Paulinius executed, and he dismissed Eudocia from the court in 443.[29] She lived the last part of her life in Jerusalem, where she focused on writing her own literature.

 

[edit] DeathEudocia died on October 20, 460 and was buried in Jerusalem in the Church of St. Stephens.[30] The empress never returned to the imperial court in Constantinople, but "she maintained her imperial dignity and engaged in substantial euergetistic programs."[31]

 

[edit] Literary WorkWhile Eudocia could have written a lot of literature after leaving the Court, only some of her work survived. Eudocia “wrote in hexameters, which is the verse of epic poetry, on Christian themes.”[32] She wrote a poem entitled The ' 'Martyrdom of St. Cyprian' ' in two books, of which 800 lines survived, and an inscription of a poem on the baths at Hammat Gader.[33] 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 Sower. Eudocia is an understudied poet and have been neglected due to “lack of complete and authoritative text.”[34]

 

[edit] Martyrdom of St. CyprianThere are three books, or volumes to this story. Although some of it has been lost, most of it has been paraphrased by Photius. This epic poem tells the story of how ”Justa, the Christian virgin, defeated the magician Cyprian through her faith in God. Cyprian had been hired by Aglaidas to force Justa to love him. It ends with the conversatin of Cyprian, whis swift rise to Bishop, and Justa becoming a deaconess, with the new name, Justina.”[35] This story is all fiction, although the parallels between Eudocia’s character Justa and Eudocia herself are interesting, as they both converted to Christianity and changed their name upon succession to power. The poem is very long despite not all of it surviving the centuries, and can be found in a copy of ' 'Women Writers of Ancient Greece and Rome' ', edited by I.M. Plant.

 

[edit] The BathsThe poem that was inscribed on the baths at Hammat Gader in Israel was very short, and can be included here, as evidence of her hexameter writing style. The poem was inscribed so visitors could read 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, on 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.[36]

[edit] Homeric CentosThe Homeric centos that Eudocia wrote is her most popular and most analyzed poem by modern scholars because Homer was a popular choice to write a centos on. Eudocia’s particular centos is the longest Homeric cento, and consists of 2,344 lines.[37] This centos is a clear representation of who Eudocia was, and what she believed in. She wrote an epic poem combining her classical Athens educational background by doing a Homeric centos, but adding stories from the book of Genesis and the New Testament stories of the life of Jesus Christ. Mark Usher analyzed this poem as a means to understand why Eudocia chose to use Homeric themes as a mean to express her biblical interpretations. According to Usher, Eudocia needed to convey human experience relating to the bible. She used themes from the Iliad and Odyssey because “they contained all Eudocia needed to tell the Gospel 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.”[38] Eudocia's homeric poetry is essential to understanding her as a Christian woman in early Byzantine Empire, and understanding her role as empress. Her classical educational background is clearly seen in her poetry, which captures her literary talent. She made a point to connect her background love for studying classical Greek literature, with her Christian beliefs.

Sources

1	Charles Cawley, "Medieval Lands".

2	R. B. Stewart, "My lines: Empress Aelia Eudokia of Athens".

3	Ralph W. Mathisen, "Licina Eudoxia".

4	Alistair Duncan, "The Noble Heritage: Jerusalem and Christianity, a portrait of the Church of the Ressurection" (1974).