In 421, a Greek philosopher's daughter rose from poverty to become a Byzantine empress
The daughter of a penniless Greek philosopher defied the rigid social hierarchies of the fifth century to become the most powerful woman in the Byzantine Empire through her intellect and beauty.
In 421, Athenais, a highly educated woman from Athens, married Emperor Theodosius II and took the name Aelia Eudocia. Left with almost nothing in her father's will, she traveled to Constantinople to contest the inheritance, only to catch the eye of the imperial court.
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