Albia Dominica

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Albia Dominica (Also referred to as Dominica, Albia Domnica, Domnica, or Domnica Augusta; c. 337 - after 378) was a Roman Augusta, wife to Emperor Valens. Valens, who ruled from 364-378, was emperor of the East and co-emperor with his brother Valentinian I.[1]

Contents

[edit] Early Life and Family

Dominica was the daughter of the powerful and unpopular praetorian prefect Petronius, who was hated for his greed and cruelty. Her father's unpopularity was so great that it led to the rebellion of Procopius, a rival of Valens, in 365.[2] She married Valens (c. 354) and bore two daughters, Anastasia and Carosa, before she bore a son and heir, Valentinianus (366-373).

[edit] Religious Scandals and the Death of Galates

The history of the Christian Church in the early 4th century was marked by the Trinitarian conspiracy. The Council of Nicea in 325 had established the Nicene Creed, which declared that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were all equal to each other and of the same substance. The theologian Arius, founder of Arianism, disagreed with this and believed that the three parts of the Trinity were materially separate from each other and that the Father created the Son. Dominica was already an Arian and is rumored to have persuaded her husband Valens to convert to the Arian sect.[3] Valens was one of the few emperors of the century to favor the Arians. The empress is accused, with no proof, of having urged her husband to persecute the Trinitarian sect, including persecting many prominent bishops. Persecution was common throughout his reign.[4] Valens imposed a series of “witch hunts” in 371-372, in which nearly all of the pagan philosophers in the Eastern empire were killed.[5]

The young Valentinianus's early death was a great blow to his parents, surrounded by religious scandal and quarrels. According to Socrates, Dominica told her husband that she had been having visions that their son’s illness was a punishment for ill treatment of the bishop Basil of Caesarea. Basil was a prominent orthodox leader who opposed the emperor's semi-Arian beliefs. When asked to pray for the child, known as Galates, Basil is said to have responded by giving Valens’ commitment to orthodoxy as the condition for the boy’s survival. Valens refused to comply and baptize Galates Catholic. He instead gave his son an Arian baptism. Basil replied by saying that God’s will would be done, and Galates died soon after. [6][7]

[edit] Defeat at Adrianople and the Death of Valens

Valens perished in battle against the Goths at the Battle of Adrianople on August 9, 378. The exact circumstances of his death are unknown. The Goths then continued to move east and attacked Constantinople. Because there was no emperor to lead the forces, the empress Dominica was forced to organize a counterattack. Dominica paid soldiers’ wages out of the imperial treasury to any civilian volunteers who were willing to arm themselves against the invaders. [8]

After the death of her husband she ruled as de-facto regent and defended Constantinople against the attacking Goths until his successor, Theodosius I arrived. The date and circumstances of her death remain unknown. [9]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Smith, William, ed. (1862), “Valens”, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: Spottiswoodes and Shaw, pp. 1202-1205 
  2. ^ Grant, Michael (1985). The Roman Emperors. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 263-265. 
  3. ^ Schaff, Philip. Theodoret, Jerome, Gennadius, and Rufinus: Historical Writings. Vol. 3. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1892. Christian Classics Ethereal Library. 17 May 2007 <http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf203.i.html>.
  4. ^ Schaff, Philip. Theodoret, Jerome, Gennadius, and Rufinus: Historical Writings. Vol. 3. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1892. Christian Classics Ethereal Library. 17 May 2007 <http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf203.i.html>.
  5. ^ Lewis, Naphtali, and Meyer Reinhold, eds. Roman Civilization: Volume II: the Empire. New York: Columbia UP, 1990. 594-597, 614-615.
  6. ^ Socrates; Walford, Edward, de Valois, Henri (1853). The Ecclesiastical History of Socrates. London: Bohn, 211-261. 
  7. ^ Banchich, Thomas (11-3-97). Domnica Augusta, Wife of the Emperor Valens. Canisius College. Retrieved on 5-10-07.
  8. ^ Lenski, Noel (1997). "Initium mali Romano imperio: Contemporary Reactions to the Battle of Adrianople". Transactions of the American Philogical Association 127: 129–168. 
  9. ^ Banchich, Thomas (11-3-97). Domnica Augusta, Wife of the Emperor Valens. Canisius College. Retrieved on 5-10-07.

J. McCabe, The Empresses of Rome (1911).

  • "Women in power Year 1- 500" url accessed 10/01/07
  • Socrates; Walford, Edward, de Valois, Henri (1853). The Ecclesiastical History of Socrates. London: Bohn, 211-261. 
  • Banchich, Thomas (11-3-97). Domnica Augusta, Wife of the Emperor Valens. Canisius College. Retrieved on 5-10-07.
  • Lenski, Noel (1997). "Initium mali Romano imperio: Contemporary Reactions to the Battle of Adrianople". Transactions of the American Philogical Association 127: 129–168. 
  • Smith, William, ed. (1862), “Valens”, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: Spottiswoodes and Shaw, pp. 1202-1205 
  • Grant, Michael (1985). The Roman Emperors. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 263-265. 
  • Lewis, Naphtali, and Meyer Reinhold, eds. Roman Civilization: Volume II: the Empire. New York: Columbia UP, 1990. 594-597, 614-615.
  • Schaff, Philip. Theodoret, Jerome, Gennadius, and Rufinus: Historical Writings. Vol. 3. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1892. Christian Classics Ethereal Library. 17 May 2007 <http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf203.i.html>.
Preceded by
Marina Severa		 Empress of Rome
364–378
(with Marina Severa, Justina, Flavia Maxima Constantia)
 Succeeded by
Flavia Maxima Constantia
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