Eudokia Baïana
Encyclopedia
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 from the Opsician Theme. The Opsician Theme was originally composed of all of Bithynia
and Paphlagonia
, stretching from Abydos
on the Dardanelles
to Sinope
on the Black Sea
and inland to Ancyra. In the 20th century, the lands once belonging to the Theme form most of the northwestern quarter of Asia
tic Turkey
.
In Spring, 900, Leo VI married Eudokia. His previous two wives had predeceased him. De Ceremoniis
by Constantine VII names as many as three daughters born of the previous marriages but no son. Leo wanted to secure his succession by this marriage. George Alexandrovič Ostrogorsky points that a third marriage was technically illegal under Byzantine law
and against the practices of the Eastern Orthodox Church
at the time. Leo VI had to seek permission by Ecumenical Patriarch Antony II of Constantinople.
A year later Eudokia died while giving birth
. Theophanes considers the son stillborn
and unnamed. However "De Ceremoniis" while listing the children of Leo VI names a son called Basil, which might indicate her son survived long enough to be named. "De Ceremoniis" gives her burial place as the Church of the Holy Apostles
in Constantinople
.
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...
.
The work Theophanes Continuatus
Theophanes Continuatus
Theophanes Continuatus or Scriptores post Theophanem is the Latin name commonly applied to a collection of historical writings preserved in the 11th-century Vat. gr. 167 manuscript. Its name derives from its role as the continuation, covering the years 813–961, of the chronicle of Theophanes the...
was a continuation of 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,...
by other writers, active during the reign of 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...
. The work records the few details known about her.
According to Theophanes, Eudokia came from the Opsician Theme. The Opsician Theme was originally composed of all of Bithynia
Bithynia
Bithynia was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor, adjoining the Propontis, the Thracian Bosporus and the Euxine .-Description:...
and Paphlagonia
Paphlagonia
Paphlagonia was an ancient area on the Black Sea coast of north central Anatolia, situated between Bithynia to the west and Pontus to the east, and separated from Phrygia by a prolongation to the east of the Bithynian Olympus...
, stretching from Abydos
Abydos, Hellespont
For other uses, see Abydos Abydos , an ancient city of Mysia, in Asia Minor, situated at Nara Burnu or Nagara Point on the best harbor on the Asiatic shore of the Hellespont. Across Abydos lies Sestus on the European side marking the shortest point in the Dardanelles, scarcely a mile broad...
on the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
to Sinope
Sinop, Turkey
Sinop is a city with a population of 36,734 on İnce Burun , by its Cape Sinop which is situated on the most northern edge of the Turkish side of Black Sea coast, in the ancient region of Paphlagonia, in modern-day northern Turkey, historically known as Sinope...
on the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
and inland to Ancyra. In the 20th century, the lands once belonging to the Theme form most of the northwestern quarter of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
tic Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
In Spring, 900, Leo VI married Eudokia. His previous two wives had predeceased him. 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 names as many as three daughters born of the previous marriages but no son. Leo wanted to secure his succession by this marriage. 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. Leo VI had to seek permission by Ecumenical Patriarch Antony II of Constantinople.
A year later Eudokia died while giving birth
Maternal death
Maternal death, or maternal mortality, also "obstetrical death" is the death of a woman during or shortly after a pregnancy. In 2010, researchers from the University of Washington and the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, estimated global maternal mortality in 2008 at 342,900 , of...
. Theophanes considers the son stillborn
Stillbirth
A stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. The Australian definition specifies that fetal death is termed a stillbirth after 20 weeks gestation or the fetus weighs more than . Once the fetus has died the mother still has contractions and remains undelivered. The term is often used in...
and unnamed. However "De Ceremoniis" while listing the children of Leo VI names a son called Basil, which might indicate her son survived long enough to be named. "De Ceremoniis" gives her burial place as the Church of the Holy Apostles
Church 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...
in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
.