Eudocia's Exit: Byzantine Bane or Roman Relief?

Well, friends, it's happened — our dear Empress Eudocia has vacated her Eastern perch in Byzantium. It's been a spectacle that has had the entire Empire's toga in a twist. The missus has packed her silk-stitched bags and, like a disillusioned actress, exited the grand stage of Byzantium. You can almost hear the collective sigh of relief echoing through our beloved cobblestone streets.

So What?

Is it a Byzantine bane or a Roman relief? To be perfectly frank, it's about as big a bane for Byzantium as a hiccup in a hurricane. But for our Rome, for us, it's a breath of fresh air.

Now, don't get me wrong. I've nothing personal against Empress Eudocia, but let's face it: she was about as Roman as a Parthian pastry. More at home in the poetic parlours of Athens than the stately halls of the Imperial Palace. I dare say, her brand of 'cultured' extrinsic influence was becoming as welcome as a Gaul at a gladiatorial match.

The Empress and Her Exit

Athenais, or Eudocia as she was re-christened, was a Greek bird from Athens. She had her head in the clouds and her heart in poetry, and the Emperor, bless his old heart, fell for her hook, line, and Homer. But what did we Romans get out of it? A Greek empress trying to tell us Romans how to do things. It's like asking a Pict to paint the Sistine Chapel!

A fan of culture and literature, she was. A patron of the arts and sciences, they say. But this is the Roman Empire, not a philosophy symposium, and we could do with a little less pontificating and a lot more ruling.

The Future?

So, what now? What does this mean for our Empire? The purists among us might see this as a chance to return to our Roman roots, to the days of Caesar and Augustus, when Rome was Rome, and we didn't have to worry about whether our emperors preferred Plato to Pliny.

As for me, I'm just a humble chronicler, narrating the daily happenings in our great Empire. But as a true son of Rome, I can't help but feel a spark of optimism. Eudocia's exit might just be the breath of fresh Roman air we didn't know we needed.

So here's to the future, Romans. May it be as Roman as the Tiber and as glorious as the Colosseum! And as for Eudocia, we wish her all the best in her future endeavours. May the Muses inspire her