What Role Did Eudokia Play In The Byzantine

The choice to depict Theophano and subsequently, Eudokia, as virtuous saints can be found in antiquity ideals. The empress proved to be a pivotal figure in expressing both the virtues of the emperor and the health and status of the empire. The Romans regarded marital harmony to be vital in maintaining the political amity and health of the empire. They exalted the ideal of the faithful matron and devoted mother, which empresses were expected to uphold. The ideal of the empress transformed with the conversion to Christianity however these notions remained ingrained in Byzantine society due to syncretism. In Byzantine society, the Virgin Mary served as a model of virtuous upstanding and therefore, the empress was expected to stress the importance

In the Eastern church, second marriages were only reluctantly tolerated while third marriages were severely discouraged. Multiple marriages were traditionally regarded with hostility by the Orthodox church because it communicated discord as well as impropriety in the empire. Leo VI’s second marriage had proven to be ill-favored not only because it was his second marriage, but also because Zoe was seen as an immoral woman and therefore, his rule was seen as iniquitous. After Zoe had died and left Leo without an heir, Leo was forced to marry more times than allowed by the church. Nevertheless, the patriarch of the church, Antony Kauleas, issued a dispensation permitting Leo to marry for the third time without a normal canonical penalty on the grounds of the Byzantine economy. A later patriarch, Nicholas Mystikos, conceded that this third marriage was allowable because of the need for an empress for imperial ceremonies. Thus, a few months after Zoe’s death Leo married and crowned as empress the very beautiful Eudokia Blaine. Unfortunately, Eudokia died on Easter day while giving birth to a boy. The boy was christened as Basil after his grandfather, but Basil died shortly afterward. Eudokia followed in Theophano’s footsteps since she had provided an heir and was seen as a matronly figure akin to the Virgin. Thus, Eudokia’s image was used to erase the memory of Zoe, immortalize the third saintly bride of Leo and proclaim that Leo’s third marriage was acceptable due to his bride’s