On This Day In Roman History, January 19
St. Aelia Pulcheria is born in Constantinople on January 19, in either 398 or 399 CE. She was the daughter of the Eastern Roman Emperor Arcadius and daughter of Empress Aelia Eudoxia. When Arcadius and Eudoxia died in 408 and 404 respectively, their seven-year-old son Theodosius II became Emperor. During this time, a pair of praetorian prefects controlled the government in the East on behalf of Theodosius II. When Pulcheria turned 15, she assumed guardianship over her brother Theodosius. Shortly after this, for reason explained in piety, she took a vow of virginity. It can be reasoned that this motive was also based in a more practical light; a means to retain power into young adulthood. Theodosius' reign, especially during the series of conflicts with Sassanid Persia in the early 420s, was characterized by his unwillingness to accept a role of authority, which allowed and possibly caused Pulcheria to be so well respected and elevated in her position of power.
Did you know?
The people of Constantinople greatly respected Pulcheria due to her living a meager life in the suburbs and being a known philanthropist in terms of Christian donation. Modern quotes about her include: "Mention of her death in the chronicles confirms that her passing, like that of Flacilla [her grandmother], struck like an earthquake in the dynastic city. Unlike Eudocia, she lived out her life in Constantinople and its suburbs, forming a bond with its people which even death could not sever." and "in her will she reinforced that bond by instructing that all of her remaining wealth be distributed among the poor...".
Pictured: Ivory tablet from the 5th century in Constantinople, showing a reliquary procession. By Wikipedia user Chris 73 in accordance via Wikimedia Commons.
This tablet is thought to depict Theodosius II and Pulcheria. Can you spot them? However, a more recent view on this tablet seems to think it depicts Empress Irene of the eighth century during one of her church renovations.
Opinion
Another powerful woman! The Roman Senate respected her so greatly they had a bust made of her in 414, titling her Augusta. Her bust was found alongside with contemporary Augusti. These powerful women of antiquity can commonly be found taking these vows of virginity that I mentioned above. While this is a religious move on the surface, the actual decision to do this was very much rooted in reality as a political tool. This would allow her to maintain power, and never have to relinquish it to a potential suitor. I find this political move interesting every time it happens, and even more interesting when they do actually get married. Pulcheria did, in fact, get married to a man named Marcian after Theodosius II death, even going as far as having the church proclaim "Christ himself sponsored the union and it therefore should not provoke shock or unjustified suspicions." This was needed so that the Roman state and public wouldn't view the marriage as anything scandalous, and perhaps take it at face value as to what it actually was; a political maneuver.
Sources
Browning, R. (1973). Medieval Portraits from East and West. By Eleanor Duckett. Pp. 270. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1972. $10. The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 24(04), 438. doi:10.1017/s0022046900051186
Holum, K. G. (1982). Theodosian empresses: women and imperial dominion in late antiquity. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Limberis, V. (1994). Divine Heiress: the Virgin Mary and the creation of Christian Constantinople. London: Routledge.
Further Reading:
Also on this day:
Special Thanks: Michael Houghan
No comments:
Post a Comment