Eudokia, wife of Justinian II
Encyclopedia
Empress
The name and place of burial of Eudokia in the Church of the Holy ApostlesChurch of the Holy Apostles
The Church of the Holy Apostles , also known as the Imperial Polyandreion, was a Christian church built in Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, in 550. It was second only to the Church of the Holy Wisdom among the great churches of the capital...
was recorded in De Ceremoniis
De Ceremoniis
De Ceremoniis is the Latin title of a description of ceremonial protocol at the court of the Eastern Roman emperor in Constantinople. It is sometimes called De ceremoniis aulae byzantinae...
by Constantine VII
Constantine VII
Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, "the Purple-born" was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 913 to 959...
. However little else is known of her.
She is presumed to have been married to Justinian II
Justinian II
Justinian II , surnamed the Rhinotmetos or Rhinotmetus , was the last Byzantine Emperor of the Heraclian Dynasty, reigning from 685 to 695 and again from 705 to 711...
during his first reign (685–695) and to have either predeceased him or divorced him by the time of his second marriage to Theodora of Khazaria
Theodora of Khazaria
Theodora of Khazaria was the second Empress consort of Justinian II of the Byzantine Empire.- Family :She was a sister of Busir, Khagan of Khazars. Their relation to other Khazar rulers such as Bihar, father of Tzitzak, is unknown.- Marriage :...
in 703.
A daughter of Justinian is reported by the chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor
Theophanes 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,...
and the Chronographikon syntomon of Ecumenical Patriarch Nikephoros I of Constantinople to have been betrothed to Tervel of Bulgaria
Tervel of Bulgaria
Khan Tervel also called Tarvel, or Terval, or Terbelis in some Byzantine sources, was the Emperor of the Bulgarians at the beginning of the 8th century. In 705 he received the title Caesar which was a precedent in history. He was probably a Christian like his grandfather Khan Kubrat...
between 704 and 705. Her name is presumed to have been Anastasia, after her paternal grandmother. She is the only known child attributed to Eudokia.
Possible descendants
Modern genealogists have theorised Eudokia and Justinian II may have descendants among later Bulgarian and Byzantine royalty and nobility. The theories rely on the successful marriage of her daughter "Anastasia" to Tervel of BulgariaTervel of Bulgaria
Khan Tervel also called Tarvel, or Terval, or Terbelis in some Byzantine sources, was the Emperor of the Bulgarians at the beginning of the 8th century. In 705 he received the title Caesar which was a precedent in history. He was probably a Christian like his grandfather Khan Kubrat...
; however, the Byzantine chroniclers give us only fragmentary knowledge of the Bulgarian royal lineages of her time and no clear description of the relations the Bulgarian monarchs had to each other. Thus there is little evidence to support them beyond the theoretical level.
Among the theorised grandchildren of Eudokia are 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...
and Maria
Maria, wife of Leo III
-Empress:The throne of the Byzantine Empire was unstable in the early 710s. Justinian II had been deposed and executed in 711. His deposition was followed by the brief reigns of Philippikos , Anastasios II and Theodosios III...
, wife of Leo III the Isaurian
Leo III the Isaurian
Leo III the Isaurian or the Syrian , was Byzantine emperor from 717 until his death in 741...
; however, such close relations between the two would be rather unlikely to escape the notice of Theophanes.