Women Of Rome (Appendix) - Aelia Eudoxia

I was going to wait for the "canon" WoR thread to post this, but then I remembered that Flaccilla is the cutoff. So Eudoxia is free game

Aelia Eudoxia
Wife of Arcadius
AEL EVDO-XIA AVG, Diademed(!) bust right, being crowned by Manus Dei, the Hand of God
SALVS REI-PVLICAE, Victory seated right, inscribing Chi-Rho into shield (Looks more like a K on this coin)
Can't read the mint... thoughts welcome!




Aelia Eudoxia was born at an uncertain time in the 370s or 380s to Flavius Bauto, the barbarian Magister Militum to Theodosius I. She was orpaned as a child or teenager and moved to Constantinople under the care of Promotus, the Eastern Magister Militum to Theodosius.

When Theodosius died, he was succeeded by his weak and ineffectual sons Arcadius and Honorius, neither of whom cared for politics and are probably jointly responsible for the fate of the Roman Empire. Arcadius ruled in the East where he was entirely in the hands of his Magister Militum, Rufinus. Fearful that Rufus might attempt to become emperor, a court eunuch named Eutropius convinced Arcadius to marry Eudoxia in 395.

Eudoxia wore the pants in their marriage. She dominated the social functions of her husband's office, even appearing by herself at public functions, which was unheard of at that time. She was a zealous Catholic, and was heavily involved in the persecution of both Pagans and Aryan Christians. She was most likely the driving force behind Arcadius' command to destroy the scant few pagan temples that were still in active use under his domain. While married to Arcadius, she bore five children, including the future emperor Theodosius II and empress Pulcheria who would become the first woman to hold sole and unopposed power over classical Rome during the "interregnum" between Theodosius II and Marcian. Eudoxia died on October 6, 404 following complications of either a miscarriage or stillbirth.

I have heard it claimed that all coins of Eudoxia are rare or scarce, but I have my doubts. One interesting thing that Wikipedia notes is that Eudoxia's coins portray her as one would expect an empress regent, not the wife of the Augustus. This was apparently a great annoyance to Honorius, who reportedly started receiving a number of Eudoxia's coins all the way in the West. High grade coins of Eudoxia are rare to be sure, but I have found multiples in uncleaned lots, indicating that at least some types may be common.

Eudoxia only issued two types of bronze coins, both AE3. The first is this type, a continuation of a design introduced by her predecessor, empress Aelia Flaccilla. The other depicts the empress enthroned with arms crossed over her breast, receiving the crown from God once again, with the legend GLORIA ROMANORVM.