This book has so far focused on the Tetrarchs themselves and their sons, but of course an understanding of dynastic politics and representation is incomplete when one does not take account of women. Within Roman dynasties women played important roles as mothers, wives, sisters and daughters. They produced heirs and married those with whom an alliance was desirable. Because of their proximity to the emperor, they could influence the ruler and could even serve as regent, as in the case of Theodosius II’s older sister Pulcheria. Their proximity and wealth ensured that they were valuable to those involved in politics, and they amassed networks of allies and clients. These factors ensured that imperial women made an impact on historiography, and to this day certain empresses continue to fascinate and capture the imagination. Livia, Messalina and Agrippina the Younger are among the most renowned of the Julio-Claudians, and Julia Domna, Galla Placidia and Justinian’s wife Theodora stand out among the personalities of the later empire. Increasingly, modern research has also paid attention to the women of the Tetrarchy and their representation within contemporary media. Indeed, much can be gleaned about Tetrarchic emperorship from how women appear in representations of the regime, especially those which were made by imperial directive or which can be expected to accord with imperial self-representation. Moreover, despite there being only a small amount of information on the lives of these women, that which exists carries important implications. A fascinating debate attends this topic, and as we will see below, there are issues that remain to be investigated.

Augustae and Diuae in the Later Third Century

Women had long been important to the representation and self-representation of imperial regimes. Women connected important men to one another through marriage and procreation. They produced heirs as the wives of emperors, and if an emperor and successor were not cosanguinary, their bond was secured through the latter’s marriage to the former’s daughter. Women could thus symbolise political stability, a stable succession and distinguished ancestry. However, like emperors, the messaging attached to imperial women was multifaceted. For example, since the late second century, women had sometimes received the title mater castrorum (mother of the camps).