Serena (Roman)

Serena (Roman)

Serena was a noblewoman of the late Western Roman Empire.

Her parents were Honorius, brother of the Emperor Theodosius I, and his wife Maria. Theodosius adopted her as his daughter, and in 384 arranged her marriage to the upcoming military officer, Stilicho. [Stephen Williams & Gerard Friell, "Theodosius: the Empire at Bay", (Routledge, 1994): 42, 189] Stilicho's marriage to Serena ensured his loyalty to the House of Theodosius in the years ahead.

A resident at the court of her cousin, Honorius, she selected a bride for the court poet, Claudian, and took care of Honorius' half-sister, her cousin Galla Placidia. She and Stilicho had a son, Eucherius, and two daughters, Maria and Thermantia, both of whom married Honorius.

Zosimus records how Serena, a Christian, took a necklace from a statue of Rhea Silvia and placed it on her own neck. An old woman, the last of the Vestal Virgins, appeared, who rebuked Serena and called down punishment upon her for her act of impiety. Serena was then subject to dreadful dreams predicting her own untimely death. [Zosimus, "The New History." V, 38. [http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/zosimus05_book5.htm] ]

Stilicho was executed on Honorius' orders in 408. During the siege of Rome by the Visigoths the following year, Serena was falsely accused of conspiring with the Goths, and was executed with Galla Placidia's consent.

Notes

Bibliography

*cite book|author=Claudianus|title=Elogium of Serena
*Santo Mazzarino. "Serena e le due Eudossie". Roma, Istituto Nazionale di Studi Romani, 1946 ISBN 9788873112211


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Serena — may refer to:People* Serena (porn star) (b. 1951), (also Serena Blaquelord), American erotic actress * Serena (Roman) (c. 370 408), important noblewoman of the late Western Roman Empire * Serena Altschul (b. 1970), broadcast journalist * Serena… …   Wikipedia

  • Roman Catholic Archdiocese of La Serena — Infobox Diocese| jurisdiction=Archdiocese name= La Serena latin=Archidioecesis Serenensis country= Chile rite=Latin Rite cathedral = Catedral de la Merced cocathedral = area= 30,596 population= 521,529 population as of= 2004 catholics= 428,702… …   Wikipedia

  • Serena Grandi — (eigentlich Serena Faggioli, * 23. März 1958 in Bologna) ist eine italienische Schauspielerin, die zu Beginn ihrer Karriere vor allem in Erotikfilmen besetzt wurde. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Filmografie (Auswahl) 3 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Roman Dirge — bei der Comic Con in San Diego (2007) Roman Dirge (* 29. April 1972) ist ein US amerikanischer Comiczeichner und autor, Illustrator und Zauberkünstler. Bekannt wurde er durch seine makaberen, schwarzhumorigen Comics. Sein bekanntestes Werk ist… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Serena Butler — Die nachfolgend aufgelisteten wichtigen Figuren der Dune Zyklen entstammen den Wüstenplanet Romanen. Es werden Figuren aus allen 12 bisher erschienenen Bänden von Frank Herbert, Brian Herbert und Kevin J. Anderson beschrieben. Inhaltsverzeichnis… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Roman Catholic Diocese of Copiapó — Diocese of Copiapó Dioecesis Copiapoënsis Location Country Chile Metropolitan La Serena …   Wikipedia

  • Roman Catholic Diocese of San Carlos de Ancud — The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Carlos de Ancud (in Latin: Dioecesis Sancti Caroli Anduciae) is a suffragan diocese of the archdiocese of Puerto Montt, in Chile. Its current bishop is Mgr. Juan María Florindo Agurto Muñoz. The retired… …   Wikipedia

  • Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Antofagasta — Archdiocese of Antofagasta Archidioecesis Antofagastensis Location Country Chile Statistics Area …   Wikipedia

  • Roman Catholic Diocese of Linares — Parish church of the village of Nirivilo, San Javier comuna, Linares Province, Chile. The building dates from Chile s colonial period. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Linares, Chile The Roman Catholic Diocese of Linares, or Diócesis de San… …   Wikipedia

  • Roman Catholic Diocese of San Felipe, Chile — This article is about the Roman Catholic Diocese in Chile. For the Roman Catholic Diocese in Venezuela, see Roman Catholic Diocese of San Felipe, Venezuela. Diocese of San Felipe Dioecesis Sancti Philippi Location Country Chile …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”