Serena (wife of Stilicho) facts for kids

Serena was an important woman from the House of Theodosius, a powerful family in the Roman Empire. She was the niece of Theodosius I, who was a Roman emperor. Serena lived during a time when the Roman Empire was facing many challenges.

In the year 384, Emperor Theodosius I arranged for Serena to marry Stilicho. Stilicho was a skilled military leader who was becoming very important. This marriage helped make sure that Stilicho would stay loyal to the emperor and his family.

Life at Court

Serena lived at the court of her cousin, Emperor Honorius. She played a role in court life. For example, she helped choose a wife for the court poet, Claudian. Serena also looked after her cousin, Galla Placidia, who was Honorius's half-sister.

Serena and Stilicho had a son named Eucherius. They also had two daughters, Maria and Thermantia. Both Maria and Thermantia later married Emperor Honorius. Maria was his first wife, and after she passed away, Thermantia became his second wife.

A False Accusation

A historian named Zosimus wrote about Serena. He claimed that Serena took a necklace from a statue of an old Roman goddess and wore it. However, this story was later shown to be untrue. Serena was a Christian and did not follow the old Roman religions. She was not involved with people who did. This shows how people could sometimes be falsely accused in those times.

The End of Her Life

In 408, Serena's husband, Stilicho, was killed by order of Emperor Honorius. The next year, the city of Rome was under attack by the Visigoths, a powerful group of people. During this difficult time, Serena was wrongly accused of working with the Visigoths against Rome. Because of these false accusations, she was put to death. Her cousin, Galla Placidia, sadly agreed to this.

Images for kids

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  Serena with her husband Stilicho and son Eucherius, around the year 400.

See also

In Spanish: Flavia Serena para niños