Woman in Gold

This coin was issued in 414, the same year that Aelia Pulcheria received the title augusta, empress of the Eastern Roman Empire. Her brother, emperor Theodosius II, was at that point young and unmarried, and since Pulcheria was already in charge of the imperial household, she was granted the title of empress. She is depicted on this coin with a diadem, put on her head by the hand of God (Manus Dei), to signify that she is augusta by God’s grace.

Despite the diadem on her head, Pulcheria’s power still depended on her influence on her brother Theodosius. Theodosius was still young, and a regent named Anthemius took care of most state affairs for him. But also in 414, Anthemius seems to have been sent away from the imperial court, since he completely disappeared from our sources.K. G. Holum, Theodosian Empresses: Women and Imperial Dominion in Late Antiquity (Berkeley 1982) 96. He was replaced with politicians who were allied to Pulcheria, which put her essentially in control of the government. To make sure no ambitious man could compete for her position by marrying into the imperial family, she took a vow of chastity – and made her sisters take that vow too.

Thus, by keeping the rivals away, she pretty much single-handedly made sure her brother stayed in power. The extent of her own political power is shown in various policies, from religion to war. This coin is also a marker of her power and status, as the next steps will show.