Serena

Serena (died 409) was a Theodosian imperial woman, niece of Theodosius I. In 384, Theodosius arranged her marriage to a rising military officer, Stilicho. Stilicho's marriage to Serena ensured his loyalty to the House of Theodosius in the years ahead. 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, Maria and Thermantia, successively the first and second wives of Honorius. According to the pagan historian Zosimus, Serena took a necklace from a statue of Rhea Silvia and placed it on her own neck. However, this was later dismissed; Serena was not a pagan and did not associate with them.