EUDOXIA (374) AND EUDOCIA (447)

EUDOXIA

Wife of and a powerful influence over the Eastern Roman emperor Arcadius (ruled 383-408).

Her father was a Frankish chieftain and one-term Roman consul (385) named Bauto.

The marriage of Arcadius to Eudoxia (April 27, 395) was arranged by Arcadius corrupt minister, the eunuch Eutropius who had supported the match in order to undercut the position of a political rival. But Eudoxia came to resent being dominated by Eutropius and in 399 she helped bring about his downfall.

The period of Eudoxia´s most decisive influence over her ineffective husband dates from her designation as augusta on Jan. 9, 400.

Although ann earnest Catholic she quarrelled bitterly with John Chrysostom, patriarch of Constantinople who attacked her and the frivolity of her court in outspoken terms. In 404 she expelled him from his see and sent him into exile. Shortly afterward Eudoxia died from a miscarriage. But she had borne Arcadius four daughters and a son who became the emperor Theodosius II (ruled 408-450).

One of the daughters, Pulcheria, was regent for Theodosius for several years.



EUDOCIA

Wife of the Eastern Roman emperor Theodosius II.

She was a highly cultured woman who exercised great influence over her husband until her withdrawal from Constantinople.

Originally called Athenais, she came from Athens, where her father Leontius was a pagan philosopher.

Athenais was introduced to Theodosius by his sister Pulcheria. Before they were married (in June 421) she was baptized a Christian and changed her name to Eudocia.

A year later she gave birth to a daughter Licinia Eudoxia who married (437) the Western emperor Valentinian III (ruled 425-455).

In 438 Eudocia went on a year´s pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
After a quarrel with Pulcheria she returned to Jerusalem in 443 and remained there for the rest of her life directing the rebuilding of the fortifications and the construction of several splendid churches.

Eudocia was sympathetic to Monophysitism -a heresy that maintained that Christ´s human nature is absorbed in his divine nature- but she died an orthodox Christian.

In addition to religious poetry she wrote a panegyric on the Roman victory over the Persians (422).