AEL EVDOXIA AVG, diademed bust right, hand of god above / SALVS REIPVBLICAE, Victory seated right, inscribing shield resting on acolumn SMNA in exergue. 16mm, 1.6g. Nicomedia mint, rare mint of these. RIC X 102. Minted 401-403 AD.

Aelia Eudoxia (d. 404 CE) was a powerful empress of the Eastern Roman Empire, the wife of Emperor Arcadius (r. 395–408 CE), and one of the most influential women of her time. Of Frankish origin, she rose to prominence at the imperial court in Constantinople, where her political influence grew rapidly after her marriage to Arcadius in 395. Eudoxia became a dominant force at court, often overshadowing her husband and involving herself in both imperial politics and religious affairs.

She is best known for her bitter conflict with John Chrysostom, the outspoken Patriarch of Constantinople, whose criticisms of imperial extravagance and court corruption she took personally. Their feud led to John’s exile and eventual death, though it also caused unrest in the capital. Eudoxia died in 404 CE, possibly due to complications from a miscarriage. Her legacy is one of both ambition and controversy, representing the growing role of imperial women in late Roman statecraft.