Aelia Eudocia Augusta (
Late Greek: Αιλία Ευδοκία Αυγούστα; 401 – 460 AD), also called
Saint Eudocia, was the wife of
Theodosius II, and a prominent historical figure in understanding the rise of
Christianity during the beginning of the
Byzantine Empire. Eudocia lived in a world where Greek paganism and Christianity were existing side by side with both pagans and unorthodox Christians being persecuted. Although Eudocia's work has been mostly ignored by modern scholars, her poetry and literary work are great examples of how her Christian faith and
Greek upbringing were intertwined, exemplifying a legacy that the Byzantine Empire left behind on the Christian world.