Empress Theodora (Θεοδώρα, 500?-548 CE) was the wife of Emperor Justinian (382?-565, reigned 527-568 CE) of the Byzantine Empire. Interestingly, they were crowned as equals on the death of Justinian's uncle, the emperor Justin I (450-527, reigned 518-527). In other words, Justinian was not crowned as emperor with a wife; they both had imperial power.
It is certainly true that Theodora traveled an unusual path to power. She was supposedly the daughter of a bear-tamer in the Constantinople hippodrome, the site of horse and chariot racing. As a child, Theodora became an actress, which was a nice way of saying that she was a stage performer, a stripper and a prostitute. At some point, after she had returned to the city from an unsuccessful "marriage," she attracted the attention of Justinian, then the heir to the throne. His desire to marry Theodora was foiled by (a) the opposition of his aunt, the empress Lupicina Euphemia, and (b) a Roman law that forbade marriage between a patrician (the ruling class) and an "actress." After the death of the aunt, Justinian had the law repealed, and he married Theodora. It was, by all indications, a happy marriage.
From 527 until her death in 548, Theodora was effectively co-ruler of the Byzantine Empire. She was Justinian's main adviser and took an active role in governmental actions. Officials had to take an oath of allegiance to her, and she received ambassadors/visitors.
In religious matters, and religion was very important in the Byzantine Empire where the emperor was head of the church, Theodora supported the monophysites. They held the belief that Jesus of Nazareth had only one, divine nature as opposed to the orthodox church view that he had two natures, human and divine. Justinian, as head of the orthodox church, viewed the monophysite view as heresy.
During the Nika revolt of January 532, it is widely acknowledged that Theodora's courage and resolve in not fleeing when rebels attacked the palace, saved the day. The revolt had its origins in discontent over increasing taxes to pay for the emperor's military campaigns. The immediate pretext was an event in the hippodrome. Chariot racing was very popular at the time, and there were four teams that competed. The two most important teams were the Blues and Greens. A small riot occurred over some of the races, and when the emperor refused to pardon the instigators, the crowd grew ugly. When Justinian appeared in the hippodrome on the opening day of the races, the crowd erupted in a full-scale riot and spread throughout the city shouting "Nika" (conquer).
Justinian hesitated. The crowd crowned a new emperor and marched on the imperial palace. In a meeting of the highest government council, it was Theodora who spoke against flight.
My lords, the present occasion is too serious to allow me to follow the convention that a woman should not speak in a man’s council. Those whose interests are threatened by extreme danger should think only of the wisest course of action, not of conventions. In my opinion, flight is not the right course, even if it should bring us to safety. It is impossible for a person, having been born into this world, not to die; but for one who has reigned it is intolerable to be a fugitive. May I never be deprived of this purple robe, and may I never see the day when those who meet me do not call me empress. If you wish to save yourself, my lord, there is no difficulty. We are rich; over there is the sea, and yonder are the ships. Yet reflect for a moment whether, when you have once escaped to a place of security, you would not gladly exchange such safety for death. As for me, I agree with the adage that the royal purple is the noblest shroud. (Procopius cited in Wikipedia)
Justinian's generals were able to quell the revolt. Allegedly, thirty thousand participants were slaughtered in the hippodrome. With the restoration of order, Justinian and Theodora oversaw the rebuilding of Constantinople's buildings, walls, aqueducts, bridges and churches, including the Hagia Sophia, considered one of the architectural wonders of the world.
Theodora, as empress created her own power structures in the government with her own friends and advisers and supposedly an extensive spy network throughout the empire. It has also been alleged that she ruled vindictively, severely, capriciously and that she was also the center of numerous political intrigues. But it has to be noted that we do not have a whole lot of historical sources about her, especially her early years. The source most often quoted is Procopius' Secret History (Anecdota), but that has to be used with caution because there is pretty clear evidence that he hated Theodora.
"It is perhaps important to consider, too, that our knowledge of Theodora only comes from male authors and a woman performing any other role than the traditionally submissive one in Byzantine society was bound to be, at best, disapproved of and, at worst, outright demonised." (Ancient History Encyclopedia)
It was said that Theodora was a better friend than the emperor as she firmly stood by her friends. She was known to try and improve the plight of women, buying girls who had been sold as slaves, closing brothels, arresting pimps. Theodora also tried to assist women who had been charged with adultery by their powerful husbands. It is also assumed that she influenced Justinian's legislation with respect to women: expanding divorce, guardianship and property rights, instituting the death penalty for rape, forbidding the exposure of unwanted infants.
Theodora died in 548 CE, probably about fifty-years-old and most likely of cancer. She was buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. All the imperial sarcophagi in that church were later vandalized by crusaders during the Fourth Crusade in 1204 CE.
Justinian never remarried in his ensuing seventeen years of reign. He had no heir but Theodora's grandsons all attained positions of prominence.
So setting aside the rags-to-riches story of her origins, it is pretty clear that Theodora was a powerful ruler in the Byzantine Empire. She seems to have been as competent, or more so, than any other emperors or kings of the ancient world, and she did become a champion of women's rights in the empire. Both her and Justinian are considered saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Some recommended online resources
- Wikipedia
- Ancient History Encyclopedia
- Britannica
- Theodora: How a Poverty Stricken Prostitute Became an Empress
- Brooklyn Museum
- New World Encyclopedia
- Tuomo Lankila, The Unknown Empress: Theodora As a Victim of Distorted Images
- For extra credit please suggest to your instructor a relevant website for this unit of the course. Send the title of the site, the URL and a brief explanation why you find the information interesting and applicable to the material being studied in this unit.