Serena portrayed with his husband Stilicho e his son Eucherius, ca. 400.

Serena was a noblewoman of the late Western Roman Empire. A member of the House of Theodosius, she was the niece of Theodosius I. Sometime before her uncle's death in 395, he arranged for her to marry his magister militum, Flavius Stilicho. 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, both of whom married Honorius. 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. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 596 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1610 pixel, file size: 637 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Diptych of Stilicho, with his wife Serena and his child Eucherius, ca. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 596 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1610 pixel, file size: 637 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Diptych of Stilicho, with his wife Serena and his child Eucherius, ca. ... Stilicho (right) with his wife Serena and son Eucherius Flavius Stilicho (occasionally written as Stilico) (ca. ... Several people in history were named Eucherius: Saint Eucherius of Lyon, 5th century bishop Saint Eucherius of Orléans, 8th century bishop This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... The Western Roman Empire is the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 286. ... The House of Theodosius was a Roman family that rose to eminence in the waning days of the Roman Empire. ... An engraving depicting what Theodosius may have looked like, ca. ... Events After the death of emperor Theodosius I, the Roman Empire is divided in an eastern and a western half. ... Magister militum (Latin for Master of the Soldiers) was a top-level command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. ... Flavius Stilicho (c. ... Bronze coin bearing the profile of Honorius Flavius Augustus Honorius (September 9, 384–August 15, 423) was Emperor of the Western Roman Empire from 395 until his death. ... Claudius Claudianus, Anglicized as Claudian, was the court poet to the Emperor Honorius and Stilicho. ... Portrait of Galla Placidia, from her mausoleum in Ravenna. ... Events Theodosius II succeeds his father Arcadius as Emperor of the Eastern half of the Roman Empire In the summer of this year, the usurper Constantine III captures Spain, destroying the loyalist forces defending it. ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5... Migrations The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East Germanic tribe (the Ostrogoths being the other). ...

Zosimus records^[1] how the christian Serena took from a statue of the Goddess Rhea a necklace and placed it on her own neck. An old woman appeared, the last of the Vestal Virgins, who proceeded to rebuke Serena and called down upon her all just punishment for her act of impiety. According to Zosimus Serena was then subject to dreadful dreams predicting her own untimely death. Augustine would be inspired to write The City of God in response to murmurings that the capture of Rome and the disintegration of its empire was due to the advent of the christian era and its intolerance of the old gods who had defended the city for over a thousand years. For the pope of this name see Pope Zosimus Zosimus, Greek historical writer, nourished at Constantinople during the second half of the 5th century A.D. According to Photius, he was a count, and held the office of advocate of the imperial treasury. ... Serena (meaning serene) is a female first name, with several famous holders of it including: Serena Williams, a famous tennis star. ... Augustine may refer to: Saints: Augustine of Hippo, (354-430) theologian, author of The City of God, Confessions Augustine of Canterbury, (d. ... The City of God, opening text, created c. ...

As Theodosius was an only child, and his mother Thermantia was his father's first and only wife, Serena's mother or father must have been from an earlier marriage of Thermantia, thus making her only a half-niece of Theodosius. (Theodosius was not an only child. He had an elder brother, Honorius,who had two daughters, Serena and Thermantia, both of whom were adopted by Theodosius and taken by him to Constantinople when his brother died.)

Notes and References

• Claudianus. Elogium of Serena.