Serena (died 409) was a member of the

Theodosian dynasty The Theodosian dynasty was a Roman imperial family that produced five Roman emperors during Late Antiquity, reigning over the Roman Empire from 379 to 457. The dynasty's patriarch was Count Theodosius, Theodosius the Elder, whose son Theodosius t ...

as the niece of the emperor

Theodosius I Theodosius I ( ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. He won two civil wars and was instrumental in establishing the Nicene Creed as the orthodox doctrine for Nicene C ...

, as well as the wife of the military commander

Stilicho Stilicho (; – 22 August 408) was a military commander in the Roman army who, for a time, became the most powerful man in the Western Roman Empire. He was partly of Vandal origins and married to Serena, the niece of emperor Theodosius I. He b ...

Family

Serena was the daughter of Honorius, the brother of

and son of Theodosius the Elder, and her mother's name is presumed to be Maria. She had an elder sister named Thermantia. Serena's father died prior to 379, after which she was adopted by her uncle Theodosius. Around the year 384, she was married to the general

. The poet Claudian stated that the union had been arranged by Theodosius due to Stilicho's military capability, but some modern scholars have disputed this. Their arguments contend that as Stilicho was relatively undistinguished at the time, it is more likely that Serena herself had chosen to marry the general. The couple had a son, Eucherius, and two daughters, Maria and Thermantia, respectively the first and second wives of the emperor

Honorius Honorius (; 9 September 384 – 15 August 423) was Roman emperor from 393 to 423. He was the younger son of emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla. After the death of Theodosius in 395, Honorius, under the regency of Stilicho ...

Life

A resident at the court of Honorius, Serena selected a bride for Claudian, and took care of Honorius' half-sister

Galla Placidia Galla Placidia (392/3 – 27 November 450), daughter of the Roman emperor Theodosius I, was the mother and a tutor and advisor to emperor Valentinian III. She was queen consort to Ataulf, King of the Visigoths from 414 until his death in 415, ...

Zosimus Zosimus, Zosimos, Zosima or Zosimas may refer to: People * * Rufus and Zosimus (died 107), Christian saints * Zosimus (martyr) (died 110), Christian martyr who was executed in Umbria, Italy * Zosimos of Panopolis, also known as ''Zosimus Alch ...

reported that during Theodosius I's visit to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in 394, Serena, a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, took a necklace from a statue of

Rhea Silvia Rhea (or Rea) Silvia (), also known as Ilia, (as well as other names) was the mythical mother of the twins Romulus and Remus, who founded the city of Rome.Livy I.4.2 This event was portrayed numerous times in Roman art. Her story is told in the ...

and placed it on her own neck. An old woman, the last of the

Vestal Virgins In Religion in ancient Rome, ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins or Vestals (, singular ) were Glossary of ancient Roman religion#sacerdos, priestesses of Vesta (mythology), Vesta, virgin goddess of Rome's sacred hearth and its flame. The Vestals ...

, appeared, rebuking Serena and calling down punishment upon her for her act of impiety. Serena was then subject to dreadful dreams predicting her own untimely death. Alan Cameron and John Matthews are both skeptical of the entire tale, believing that Theodosius' reported visit to Rome should be rejected. Honorius had Stilicho and Eucherius executed in 408. In the following year Serena was falsely accused of conspiring with the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian military group unite ...

besieging Rome, and was executed with Galla Placidia's consent.

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Serena 409 deaths 4th-century Christians 5th-century Christians Executed ancient Roman women 5th-century Roman women Theodosian dynasty Romans from Hispania 5th-century executions Year of birth unknown 4th-century births People executed by the Roman Empire Executed ancient Roman people Ancient Romans from unknown gentes 4th-century Roman women 4th-century Romans Ancient Roman adoptees