Eudokia, wife of Constantine V
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Family
According to the chronicle of Theophanes the ConfessorTheophanes the Confessor
Saint Theophanes Confessor was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy, who became a monk and chronicler. He is venerated on March 12 in the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church .-Biography:Theophanes was born in Constantinople of wealthy and noble iconodule parents: Isaac,...
, Eudokia was a sister-in-law of Michael Melissenos
Michael Melissenos
Michael Melissenos was a notable Byzantine aristocrat and general during the reign of Emperor Constantine V .Michael is the first attested member of the noble Melissenos family. A favourite of Constantine V, he was given an unnamed sister of Eudokia, Constantine V's third wife, in marriage...
, strategos
Strategos
Strategos, plural strategoi, is used in Greek to mean "general". In the Hellenistic and Byzantine Empires the term was also used to describe a military governor...
of the Anatolikon Theme
Theme (Byzantine administrative unit)
The themes or themata were the main administrative divisions of the middle Byzantine Empire. They were established in the mid-seventh century in the aftermath of the Muslim conquests of Byzantine territory and replaced the earlier provincial system established by emperors Diocletian and...
. Her sister and brother-in-law were parents to Patriarch Theodotos I of Constantinople
Patriarch Theodotos I of Constantinople
Theodotos I Kassiteras, latinized as Theodotus I Cassiteras , Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from April 1, 815 to January 821.Theodotos was born in Nakoleia as the son of the patrikios Michael Melissenos by the sister of Eudokia, the last wife of Emperor Constantine V...
.
Empress
Constantine VConstantine V
Constantine V was Byzantine emperor from 741 to 775; ); .-Early life:...
was Emperor since 741. His first wife Tzitzak
Tzitzak
Tzitzak , baptised Irene , was a Khazar princess, the daughter of khagan Bihar who became the first wife of Byzantine Emperor Constantine V .-Empress:...
gave birth to their only known son, Leo IV the Khazar
Leo IV the Khazar
Leo IV the Khazar was Byzantine Emperor from 775 to 780 CE.Leo was the son of Emperor Constantine V by his first wife, Irene of Khazaria , the daughter of a Khagan of the Khazars...
, on 25 January 750. There is no further mention of her and by the following year, Constantine was already married to his second wife Maria
Maria, wife of Constantine V
Maria was the second Empress consort of Constantine V of the Byzantine Empire.-Empress:Constantine V was Emperor since 741. His first wife Tzitzak gave birth to their only known son, Leo IV the Khazar, on 25 January 750. There is no further mention of her and by the following year, Constantine was...
. Lynda Garland has suggested Tzitzak died in childbirth.
Maria died childless not long after her own marriage. Though the year of the marriage of Constantine and Eudokia is not known, it can be placed between late 751 and 769. In the later year Constantine named her an Augusta.
Theophanes records Eudokia receiving her title on 1 April 769. The following day two of her sons were named Caesars
Caesar (title)
Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...
and a third made nobilissimus, which would place the ceremony several years following their marriage.
Theophanes points out the existence of a thrice-married emperor as unusual. On the occasion of the marriage of Leo VI the Wise
Leo VI the Wise
Leo VI, surnamed the Wise or the Philosopher , was Byzantine emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty , he was very well-read, leading to his surname...
to his own third wife Eudokia Baïana
Eudokia Baïana
Eudokia Baïana was the third wife of Leo VI the Wise.The work Theophanes Continuatus was a continuation of the chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor by other writers, active during the reign of Constantine VII. The work records the few details known about her.According to Theophanes, Eudokia came...
in 899, George Alexandrovič Ostrogorsky points that a third marriage was technically illegal under Byzantine law
Byzantine law
Byzantine Law was essentially a continuation of Roman Law with Christian influence, however, this is not to doubt its later influence on the western practice of jurisprudence...
and against the practices of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
at the time. This would presumably also affect the legality of Eudokia's marriage.
Constantine was a fervent iconoclast
Iconoclasm (Byzantine)
The Byzantine Iconoclasm encompasses two periods in the history of the Byzantine Empire when Emperors, backed by imperially-appointed leaders and councils of the Orthodox Church imposed a ban on religious images or icons. The "First Iconoclasm", as it is sometimes called, lasted between about 730...
and specifically targeted monasteries as strongholds of Iconodule sentiment. However Eudokia is recorded as a generous benefactor of the monastery of St. Anthusa of Mantineon and even named a daughter after its patron saint, which indicates Eudokia may not have shared his religious views.
Constantine died on 14 September 775. He was campaigning against Telerig of Bulgaria
Telerig of Bulgaria
Telerig was the ruler of Bulgaria 768–777.Although Telerig is first mentioned in the Byzantine sources in 774, he is considered the immediate successor of Pagan, who was murdered in 768...
. Whether Eudokia survived her husband or not is unclear.
Children
Eudokia and Constantine V had six known children:- NikephorosNikephoros (Caesar)Nikephoros , also Latinized as Nicephorus or Nicephoros, was the second son of the Byzantine emperor Constantine V and Caesar of the Byzantine Empire. He was engaged in a plot against his half-brother, Leo IV Nikephoros , also Latinized as Nicephorus or Nicephoros, was the second son of the...
. Named CaesarCaesar (title)Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...
in 769. Theophanes records him involved in various plots against Emperors. First in May, 776 against his older half-brother Leo IV the KhazarLeo IV the KhazarLeo IV the Khazar was Byzantine Emperor from 775 to 780 CE.Leo was the son of Emperor Constantine V by his first wife, Irene of Khazaria , the daughter of a Khagan of the Khazars...
. He was punished via flogging and exile. Second in September, 780 against his sister-in-law, Regent Empress IreneIrene (empress)Irene Sarantapechaina , known as Irene of Athens or Irene the Athenian was a Byzantine empress regnant from 797 to 802, having previously been empress consort from 775 to 780, and empress dowager and regent from 780 to 797. It is often claimed she called herself "basileus" , 'emperor'...
. He was exiled to a monastery. Third in August, 792 against his nephew Constantine VI. He was blinded and placed in confinement within an imperial residence. Fourth in October, 797, against Irene who had deposed her son. He was exiled to her native AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. Fifth in 812 against Michael I RangabeMichael I RangabeMichael I Rangabes was Byzantine Emperor from 811 to 813.Michael was the son of the patrician Theophylaktos Rangabes, the admiral of the Aegean fleet...
. His new exile place was called Aphousia, somewhere in the Sea of MarmaraSea of MarmaraThe Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black...
. He does not seem to resurface. - Christopher. Presumed to be the second son. Named Caesar in 769. Theophanes records him supporting his brother in various plots. Exiled to a monastery in 780. His tongue was cut in 792. He was blinded in 799.
- Niketas. Presumed to be the third son. Named nobilissimus in 769. Theophanes records him supporting his brother in various plots. Exiled to a monastery in 780. His tongue was cut in 792. He was blinded in 799.
- Anthimos. Presumed to be the fourth son. Named nobilissimus by his half-brother Leo IV in 775. Exiled to a monastery in 780. His tongue was cut in 792. He was blinded in 799.
- Evdokimos. Presumed to be the fifth son. Named nobilissimus by his half-brother Leo IV in 775. Exiled to a monastery in 780. His tongue was cut in 792. He was blinded in 799.
- Saint Anthousa the Younger (757–809). A pious nun, refused offer to share regency with Irene during the minority of Constantine VI.