44 Facts About Aelia Eudocia

Aelia Eudocia was born with the name Athenais in Athens.

Aelia Eudocia's exact year of birth is not known, but it is often given as c 400 or c 401 on the assumption that she was born around the same time of Emperor Theodosius II.

Aelia Eudocia was said to be of pagan background, and according to her contemporary Socrates Scholasticus, she was baptized shortly before her marriage to Theodosius.

Aelia Eudocia's birth name, Athenais, was a pagan name probably chose for her parents' devotion to Attic culture, or perhaps in honour of the city's protector, the goddess Pallas Athena.

Aelia Eudocia had two brothers, Gessius and Valerius, who would later receive honours at court from their sister and brother-in-law.

Aelia Eudocia's father took charge of her education after her mother's death, and she was later taught by the scholars Hyperechios, one the Desert Fathers of Christianity, and Orion.

Aelia Eudocia begged her brothers, to give her an equal share of their father's property, but they refused.

Aelia Eudocia instead called them to Constantinople, and Theodosius rewarded them.

Aelia Eudocia built the original Church of St Polyeuctus in Constantinople, which her great-granddaughter Anicia Juliana greatly expanded and furnished in the 6th century.

Aelia Eudocia had two, or possibly three, children with Theodosius II.

Aelia Eudocia was the guardian for the Georgian prince Nabarnugios who had been sent as a hostage to the Byzantine court.

Aelia Eudocia was jealous over the amount of power Pulcheria had within the court, while Pulcheria was jealous of the power Aelia Eudocia could claim from her.

Aelia Eudocia went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 438, bringing back with her holy relics to prove her faith.

Aelia Eudocia convinced her husband to "extend the walls of Antioch to take in a large suburb".

Aelia Eudocia advocated for "reorganization and expansion" of education in Constantinople.

Aelia Eudocia had been raised with a traditional and classical sophist education, but her goal was to blend classical pagan education with Christianity.

Around 443, Aelia Eudocia left the palace for reasons that cannot be fully ascertained.

One rumor has it that Aelia Eudocia was banished from the court towards the latter part of her life for adultery.

Theodosius recognized the apple and confronted Aelia Eudocia who had sworn she had eaten it.

Aelia 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 Aelia Eudocia, embarrassed, decided to leave the court in 443.

Aelia Eudocia returned to Jerusalem in circa 443, where she lived for the last part of her life.

Aelia Eudocia rekindled her relation with her former ward Peter the Iberian as well as with Melania the Younger, a famous ascetic.

Aelia Eudocia was buried in Jerusalem in the Church of Saint Stephen, one of the churches she had herself built in Jerusalem; modern St Stephen's Basilica now stands at the site.

Aelia Eudocia was a prolific poet: though most of her work does not survive, almost 3,500 lines do, which is remarkable especially for a female poet of the time.

Aelia Eudocia's poetry has long been understudied and neglected, though in recent years there has been increasing academic attention.

Aelia Eudocia's Martyrdom of St Cyprian is a three book verse paraphrasis in epic hexameters of the conversions and martyrdoms of two Christian saints, Cyprian and Justa, set in Antioch.

Aelia Eudocia's poem is based on a prose hagiography in three parts: the Conversion, Confession and Martyrdom.

Aelia Eudocia sends people to Justa's house to propose marriage; she refuses, saying that her only suitor is Christ.

Aelia Eudocia makes Justa a deaconess and renames her Justina.

Aelia Eudocia describes his early life, being dedicated to Apollo and undergoing numerous mythical initiations, including rites related to Mithras, Athena and Kore.

Aelia Eudocia relates his first meeting with Satan, who flatters him and offers him demonic leadership.

Aelia Eudocia narrates an occasion where he transformed Aglaidas into a bird, who flew to Justa's house only to be struck down.

Aelia Eudocia then repents, distributes his wealth to the poor, and fully embraces Christianity.

The line "Of the Empress Aelia Eudocia" flanked by two crosses is set above the poem.

The Homeric centos that Aelia 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.

Aelia Eudocia's centos are the longest Homeric centos, and consist of 2,344 lines.

The most extensive surviving portion of Aelia Eudocia's work is 2354 lines about Adam and Eve, based upon an incomplete poem by a man named Patricius.

Mark Usher analyzed this poem as a way to understand why Aelia Eudocia chose to use Homeric themes as a means to express her biblical interpretations.

Whenever and wherever Aelia 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.

Aelia Eudocia made a point to connect her background love for studying classical Greek literature to her Christian beliefs.

Aelia Eudocia is a prominent Greek historical figure in understanding the rise of Christianity during the beginning of the Byzantine Empire.

Aelia Eudocia lived in a world where Greek paganism and Christianity existed side by side.

Aelia Eudocia is a featured figure on Judy Chicago's installation piece The Dinner Party, being represented as one of the 999 names on the Heritage Floor, associated with the place setting for Theodora.