Aelia Eudoxia (; ; died 6 October 404) was an Eastern Roman empress by marriage to the Roman emperor Arcadius. The marriage was arranged by Eutropius, one of the eunuch court officials, who was attempting to expand his influence. As Empress, she came into conflict with John Chrysostom, the Patriarch of Constantinople, who denounced imperial and clerical excess. She had five children, four of whom survived to adulthood, including her only son, the future emperor , but she had two additional pregnancies that ended in either miscarriages or stillbirths and she died as a result of the latter one.

Family

Eudoxia was a daughter of Flavius Bauto, a Romanised Frank who served as magister militum in the Western Roman army during the 380s. The History of the Later Roman Empire from the Death of Theodosius I to the Death of Justinian (1923) by J. B. Bury and the historical study Theodosian Empresses: Women and Imperial Dominion in Late Antiquity (1982) by Kenneth Holum consider her mother to be Roman and Eudoxia to be a "semibarbara", half-barbarian. However, the primary sources are silent on her maternal ancestry, though she would have been Roman.

The marriage took place on 27 April 395, without the knowledge or consent of Rufinus. Zosimus reports that Arcadius was also influenced by the extraordinary beauty of his bride. Arcadius was approximately eighteen years old and Eudoxia may be presumed to be of an equivalent age.

Empress

In the decade between her marriage and her death, Eudoxia gave birth to five surviving children. A contemporary source known as pseudo-Martyrius also reports two stillbirths. "Pseudo-Martyrius" is hostile to Eudoxia and is likely to have been Cosmasa deacon baptized by John Chrysostomand who was keen to link the stillbirths to divine punishment for the two exiles of John. The writer, Zosimus, also alleged that her son Theodosius was widely rumored to be the result of her affair with a courtier (Zosimus is also generally hostile to Eudoxia and the accuracy of his tale therefore suspect).

At about the same time, Theophilus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, wanted to bring Constantinople under his sway and opposed John's appointment to Constantinople. Being an opponent of Origen's teachings, he accused John of being too partial to the latter's teachings. Theophilus had disciplined four Egyptian monks (known as "the Tall Brothers") over their support of Origen's teachings. They fled to and were welcomed by John. John made another enemy in Eudoxia, who assumed (perhaps with justification) that his denunciations of extravagance in feminine dress were aimed at herself. An alliance was soon formed against him by Eudoxia, Theophilus and others. They held a synod in 403 (the Synod of the Oak) to charge John, in which his connection to Origen was used against him. It resulted in his deposition and banishment. He was called back by Arcadius almost immediately, as the people became "tumultuous" over his departure. There was also an earthquake the night of his arrest, which Eudoxia took for a sign of God's anger, prompting her to ask Arcadius for John's reinstatement.

Peace was short-lived. A silver statue of Eudoxia was erected near the city cathedral. John denounced the dedication ceremonies. He spoke against Eudoxia in harsh terms: "Again Herodias raves; again she is troubled; she dances again; and again desires to receive John's head in a charger," comparing himself to John the Baptist.

Once again John was banished, this time to the Caucasus in Armenia, and he died there in exile in 407. Eudoxia did not survive long. Her seventh and last pregnancy ended in either a miscarriage or, according to pseudo-Martyrius, a second stillbirth. She was left bleeding and died of an infection shortly thereafter.

She was buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople, in a porphyry sarcophagus that was described in the 10th century by Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in the De Ceremoniis.

Children

Eudoxia and Arcadius had five known children. The main source about their births and deaths is the chronicle of Marcellinus Comes:

  • Flacilla (born 17 June 397). Her birth was recorded by Marcellinus Comes. She predeceased her father. Only sibling not mentioned alive at his death in 408.
  • Pulcheria (19 January 399 – 453). Married Marcian.
  • Arcadia (3 April 400 – 444).
  • Theodosius II (10 April 401 – 28 July 450).
  • Marina (10 February 403 – 449).

If pseudo-Martyrius is to be believed, her two pregnancies (due late in 403 and late in 404, respectively) ended not in miscarriages, as previously supposed, but stillbirths, the second caused Eudoxia's death from hemorrhaging and infection. She is listed under the Theodora place setting.