Eudocia Sklerina

Eudocia Sklerina (1055-1132) was the wife and Empress of Isaac II Komnenos, and mother of his sons Manuel and Stephen. Between the death of the Emperor Alexios ' mother Anna Dalassēnē in 1092 and her own death forty years later, Eudocia was undoubtedly the most powerful and influential woman in the Roman Empire, perfoming the ceremonial role of Augusta for firstly her brother-in-law Alexios, then her husband Isaac, and finally her son Manuel.

Eudocia was one of twin daughters born to the aristocrat Bardas Skleros. When she was seven, her uncle Rōmanos was named Emperor in a failed revolt against the Emperor Isaac I, and the remaining Skleroi were imprisoned in Constantinople for several years afterward. As an insurance policy to ensure the loyalty of Bardas Skleros, Eudocia was married off to the Emperor Isaac's great nephew and namesake at the age of fourteen. Despite the shaky start, the marriage was a long and happy one.