Pulcheria (Greek: Πουλχερια , Pro - Upatriarchal
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Detail of the base of the obelisk erected in Constantinople by Theodosius I. (Wikimedia Commons) NTIL modern times societies were women who have been influential behind Pulcheria (Greek: Πουλχερια , pro - Upatriarchal. The word means “father the scenes. While a man might have nounced Pool-keria) was the daughter ruler”. The father was the head of the thought he was in charge, there was a of the emperor Arcadius (383-408) family and the boss of everybody. Men woman who was pulling the strings and and the granddaughter of the emperor were in charge and women were confined controlling everything. Such a woman Theodo sius I (379-395). Theodosius I to household duties and raising children. was Pulcheria, the sister of the Roman (Figure 1) had been born in Spain and But throughout history there have been emperor Theodosius II (402-450 AD). was a suc cessful general in the Roman army before Gratian, the emperor of the western hal f of the empire, asked him to become the emperor of the east - ern half. Constantinople was the capital in the east and Rome in the west. ( Fig - ure 2 – map ) Following the conversion to Christian - ity of Constantine the Great (307-337) the number of Christians in the Roman Empire gradually increased, and Theo - dosius I was a Christian who was intol - erant of other religions. He outlawed the old Greek and Roman religion even if the ceremonies were conducted in private. Sacrificing in temples was banned and the temples were closed. Although these Figure 1 – Bronze coin of Theodosius I minted at Antioch in 393. Diameter 22 mms. Sear, Vol. 5, 20492. were harsh measures he felt that they were necessary to unify the empire, but he was never a persecutor of people as some of the earlier Roman emperors had been. Before he died Theodosius I decreed that his sons should succeed him. So Arcadius ( Figure 3 ) became the empero r of the east and Honorius ( Figure 4 ) the emperor of the west. Arcadius was eighteen when he became emperor and Honorius only ten, but even as adults they were incompetent. Julius Norwich in his book Byzantium, the Early Centuries described Arcadius: “Small, dark and swarthy, slow in speech and movement, with heavy-lidded eyes that always seemed about to close in sleep, he was in fact even stupider than he looked; and his character was as weak as his in tellect.” Sadly his wife, the beautiful Figure 2 – Map of Europe in the 5 th century. The eastern half of the Roman Empire is the shaded area. Eudoxia ( Figure 5 ), made fun of him in public, but somehow the empire managed brother’s reign she was the effective ruler Eudoxia, who subsequently married the to trundle along. of the empire. Actually this was not a western emperor Valentinian III ( Fig - Arcadius had one son, Theodosius II bad thing because she was an intelligent, ure 13 ). He was the son of Galla Placidia (Figures 6 and 7 ), and three daughters. capable woman, and Theodosius II was (Figure 14 ) whose adventurous life is Theodosius II was only seven years old quite happy to leave the affairs of state related in the February 2018 issue of when his father died, but fortunately to her. He was certainly not stupid. In CAB. his guardian, Anthemius, was a capable fact he was a cultured intellectual. He Coin collectors need to realize that the administrator. He ordered that great loved the art of copying and illustrating die-engravers responsible for producing walls be built to protect Constantinople, manuscripts ( Figures 10 and 11 ) and the images of these 5 th century emperors and these walls, known as the Theodosian people called him the calligrapher. Accor- and empresses were not interested in Walls ( Figure 8 ), kept the citizens safe ding to David Vagi, the author of Coin- their actual appearance. On the coins for a thousand years until the city was age and History of the Roman Empire , they all look the same. This is a different taken by Muslim invaders in 1453. “Theodosius was kind, generous, schol - The eldest child of Arcadius was Pul - arly and peaceful – indeed he possessed cheria ( Figure 9 ). She was two years all the wrong qualities to lead an empire older than her brother, and at age fifteen constantly under siege. He was a skilled she succeeded Anthemius as the power calligrapher, and applied this talent to behind the throne. For the rest of her his all-consuming passion of religion by patiently copying old manuscripts into the late hours of the night.” In keeping with his scholarly interests he founded the University of Constantinople in 425 and supervised the formation of the Theo- dosian Code, which was a compilation of all the laws issued after 312. It was published in 438. Pulcheria was quite different: she cer - tainly possessed all the right qualities to lead the empire. She had inherited her grandfather’s talents, but according to Norwich she was “excessively, extrav - agantly pious.” He wrote that the imper - ial palace “thronged from morning till night with priests and monks while the princesses, all three of whom had vowed themselves to perpetual virginity, stitched away at their altar-cloths and chasubles to the sound of hymns, psalmodies and muttered prayers.” Pulcheria’s influence was pervasive. When a beautiful and intelligent young woman called Athenais came to the Figure 5 – Bronze coin of Eudoxia, the wife of palace in connection with a legal matter Arcadius. Diameter 12 mms. The hand of God holds a wreath above her head. On the reverse Pulcheria decided that she would make Victory inscribes the Chi-Rho monogram of a suitable wife for her brother and she Christ on a shield. Sear Vol. 5, 20892. introduced her to him immediately. (Figure 12 ) Her name was changed to Eudocia, she was given a crash course in Figure 3 – Bronze coin of Arcadius minted at Antioch in 383. The hand of God holds a Christianity, and the couple were duly wreath above his head. Diameter 22 mms. married. At first the marriage was a Sear, Vol. 5, 20788. success and they had a daughter, Licinia Figure 4 – Gold solidus minted for Honorius at Constantinople between 408 and 420. Diameter Figure 6 – 5 th century marble head of Theodo - 21 mms. On the reverse Constantinopolis sits on a throne with her right foot on a ship’s sius II in the Louvre. (Wikimedia Commons: prow. Sear, Vol. 5, 20902. photo by Marie-Lan Nguyen) situation from that in the first two cen - of Jerusalem gave her two sacred relics, sadly she fell out with her husband and turies of the Roman Empire when the the bones of St Stephen, the first Chris - sister-in-law. What actually happened is emperors and their wives were shown tian martyr, and the chain that held St unknown. Perhaps Pulcheria became as they really were, warts and all. The Peter by the wrists when he was impris - jealous of Eudocia whom Theodosius sus- chubby face of Nero is easily recognized oned by King Agrippa I. Peter’s miracu - pected of having an affair with a courtier. on his coins as is the big nose of Nerva, lous escape from the prison is recorded but by Pulcheria’s time it was simply the in Acts, chapter 12. Eudocia took them person’s status that mattered, not their back with her to Constantinople, but she individual appearance. It seems that the gave some of the chain to her daughter idea of the individual was subsumed Eudoxia, who immediately built a church into the spiritual ethos of the age. In in Rome to receive the precious gift. a world of officially sanctioned piety Another chain said to have tethered Peter hu mility not egotism was the norm. before his martyrdom in Rome was In 438 Eudocia went on pilgrimage to added, and today they can all be seen Jerusalem. It was a great success and in the church known as San Pietro in the people of Jerusalem called her the Vincoli (St Peter in Chains). ( Figure 15 ) new Helena, after Constantine’s mother When Eudocia returned to Constan - who had also visited the city. The bishop tinople her popularity was sky-high. Then Figure 9 – Gold tremissis of Pulcheria minted at Figure 7 – Gold solidus of Theodosius II minted at Constantinople between 441 and 450. Diameter Constantinople between 414 and 453. Diam. 15 20 mms. Theodosius holds a spear and a shield on which a horseman spears a fallen enemy. mms.Sear, Vol. 5, 21256. There is also a solidus, Constantinopolis is on the reverse. Sear, Vol. 5, 21140. (Collection of St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane) semissis, siliqua and bronze centenionalis . Figure 8 – The walls of Constantinople (modern Is tanbul) built during the reign of Theodosius II. (Wikimedia Commons: photo by Laima Gütmane) The situation became intolerable for During his reign a general council of the Eudocia and she moved to Jerusalem, church was called to determine a matter never to return to Constantinople. Her of great importance for Christianity. In MAKE YOUR FIRST story is related in the September 2013 451 AD bishops came from all over the issue of CAB. empire to the church of St Euphemia, a When Theodosius II died unexpectedly woman who had been terribly tortured CALL TO THESE in 450 it was a critical time for the em - and martyred during the Diocletian pire because there was no male heir, but persecutions at the beginning of the 4 th Pulcheria took charge of the situation. century. The church was in the city of SUPPORTING She chose an elderly soldier, Marcian Chalcedon, which was just across the (Figure 16 ), to be the emperor.