Aelia Flaccilla
| Aelia Flaccilla | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augusta | |||||
.jpg) Bust thought to represent Flaccilla | |||||
| Roman empress | |||||
| Tenure | 379–386 | ||||
| Born | Aelia Flaccilla | ||||
| Died | 386 | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | Theodosius I | ||||
| Issue | |||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Theodosian | ||||
| Religion | Nicene Christianity | ||||
Saint Aelia Flaccilla | |
|---|---|
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Feast | 14 September |
Aelia Flavia Flaccilla (died 386) was a Roman empress and first wife of the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. She was of Hispanian Roman descent. During her marriage to Theodosius, she gave birth to two sons – future Emperors Arcadius and Honorius – and a daughter, Aelia Pulcheria.
Family[edit]
According to Laus Serenae ("In Praise of Serena"), a poem by Claudian, both Serena and Flaccilla were from Hispania.[1]
Through her unnamed sister, Flaccilla had a nephew called Nebridius,[2] who was raised together with her own children.[3]
Marriage[edit]
In 376, Flaccilla married Theodosius I, the son of Count Theodosius, a high ranking general under Valentinian I.[4] At the time Theodosius had withdrawn to civilian life in Cauca, Gallaecia after the mysterious execution of his father.[5]
Their first son Arcadius, as well as their daughter Pulcheria, were born prior to the elevation of Theodosius as emperor.[6] Their second son Honorius was born on 9 September 384.
Empress[edit]
The Eastern Roman emperor Valens was killed at the Battle of Adrianople on 9 August 378. His nephew and co-emperor Gratian appointed Theodosius, magister militum per Illyricum, to succeed Valens on 19 January 379. At this point Flaccilla became Roman empress and was given the title Augusta.[7]
She was a fervent supporter of the Nicene Creed. In one instance, she prevented a conference between Theodosius and Eunomius of Cyzicus who served as figurehead of Anomoeanism, the most radical sect of Arians, in an attempt to prevent him from betraying the Nicene faith.[8] Ambrose and Gregory of Nyssa praise her Christian virtue and comment on her role as "a leader of justice" and "pillar of the Church".[4]
Theodoret reports on her works of charity, personally tending to the disabled. He quotes her saying that "To distribute money belongs to the imperial dignity, but I offer up for the imperial dignity itself personal service to the Giver." [4][9] According to the Chronicon Paschale, the Palatium Flaccillianum of Constantinople was named in her honor.[2]
She died in the year 386,[2] shortly after her daughter.[10] Gregory of Nyssa went on to deliver a funeral oration for her.[11]
Sainthood[edit]
She is commemorated as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, her feast day being 14 September.[4][12]
References[edit]
- ^ Claudian, "Laus Serenae", 1922 translation
- ^ a b c Jones, Martindale & Morris, p. 342.
- ^ Jones, Martindale & Morris, p. 620.
- ^ a b c d Roman Catholic Encyclopedia (1909), article "Ælia Flaccilla" by J.P. Kirsch
- ^ Williams & Friell 1994, p. 25.
- ^ Holum 1982, p. 22.
- ^ Jones, Martindale & Morris, p. 341.
- ^ Holum 1982, p. 23.
- ^ "The Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret [English translation]". Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. III. Archived from the original on 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
- ^ Gregory of Nyssa, A Funeral Oration for the Empress Flaccilla, J.481
- ^ Gregory of Nyssa, A Funeral Oration for the Empress Flaccilla
- ^ Orthodox Saints commemorated in September
Sources[edit]
- Holum, Kenneth G. (1982). Theodosian Empresses: Women and Imperial Dominion in Late Antiquity. Berkeley, Los Angeles and London: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-04162-2.
- Jones, A.H.M.; J.R. Martindale & J. Morris (1971). Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire. Vol. 1. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-07233-6.
- Williams, Stephen; Friell, Gerard (1994). Theodosius: The Empire at Bay. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-07447-5.
External links[edit]
- Aelia Flaccilla – Catholic Encyclopedia article
- Her profile in the Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire
- Her entry in the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology
- Coins of Aelia Flaccilla and Numismatic information.
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