Who is theodora

Anecdota The Secret History , c. Cameron, Averil. Procopius and the Sixth Century. Berkeley: University of California Press, Evans, James Allan Stewart. London and New York: Routledge, Garland, Lynda. New York: Greenwood Press, Herrin, Judith. Women in Purple: Rulers of Medieval Byzantium. Princeton: Princeton University Press, The Anecdota of Secret History, translated by H.

Cambridge, Mass. Judy Chicago American, b. The Dinner Party Theodora place setting , — Mixed media: ceramic, porcelain, textile. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, Photograph by Jook Leung Photography. The Dinner Party Theodora plate , — The Dinner Party Theodora runner , — Although they did not officially rule as joint monarchs, they in fact did.

It is not correct to suggest that Theodora dominated her husband. Neither is it correct to suggest that by intrigue or otherwise she pursued goals of which he was ignorant. Rather, they complemented each other, even when, as in the case of religious issues, they pursued opposite goals.

Justinian championed the cause of Christian orthodoxy, while at the same time he allowed Theodora to pursue the objective of religious tolerance for the Monophysite heretics with whom she identified. Theodora rightly foresaw that the future of the Empire lay in the Middle East, while Justinian spent much of his reign in a futile attempt to reconquer the old Roman Empire in the West.

In the area of women's rights, she achieved legislation which prohibited forced prostitution as well as alterations in the divorce laws which made them more favorable to women. Justinian allowed Theodora to share his throne, not simply because he adored her, but because he recognized in her the qualities of a true sovereign.

Until her death, writes Diehl: "He never refused her anything, either the outward show or the real exercise of supreme power. Theodora proved during the Nika Revolt of January that she was a true statesman. The revolt started on Tuesday, January 13, as the chariot races were to begin in the hippodrome. The two factions, Blues and Greens, set aside their traditional rivalry and made common cause against the government.

Before the day was over, many public buildings were in flames. By the evening of the next day, the crowd was proclaiming a new emperor.

Failing to regain control of the situation, Justinian prepared to abandon his throne and flee. At a meeting of the Imperial Council on Sunday, January 18, Theodora sat silently listening to the men present debating whether or not Justinian should attempt to flee. Preparations were made, and a ship sat ready in the harbor to carry the emperor and empress to safety. Then Theodora rose and—as quoted in Browning's Justinian and Theodora —made what must be considered one of the greatest short speeches ever recorded:.

Whether or not a woman should give an example of courage to men, is neither here nor there. At a moment of desperate danger one must do what one can. I think that flight, even if it brings us to safety, is not in our interest. Every man born to see the light of day must die. But that one who has been emperor should become an exile I cannot bear. May I never be without the purple I wear, nor live to see the day when men do not call me "Your Majesty.

We are rich, and there is the sea, and yonder our ships. But consider whether if you reach safety you may not desire to exchange that safety for death. As for me, I like the old saying, that the purple is the noblest shroud.

After Theodora sat down, there were moments of nervous silence as the men present looked at one another.

Any thought of fleeing fled before the courage of the empress. We are told by the chroniclers that it was two loyal generals, Belisarius and Mundus, who first broke the silence. They began to discuss military plans. Having assembled their German mercenaries, and joined by a third general, they proceeded to the hippodrome.

After securing the exits so that none could escape, they fell upon the rebellious crowd of Blues and Greens. Soon the cries for Justinian's removal were changed to cries for mercy mingled with the screams and groaning of the dying. When the generals finally called a halt to the killing, the benches of the hippodrome were drenched with the blood of an estimated 30, to 40, rebels.

Historians agree that Theodora's timely display of courage saved Justinian his crown. She had proven herself a great statesman and a worthy partner in power. No one was more aware of that fact than Justinian. Far from arousing in him any sense of jealously, her resolute action only deepened his respect and love for her. Throughout the remainder of her life, she was Justinian's active assistant in all matters of importance.

She was not a dark power behind the throne, but shared openly in both the decision-making and the glory of her husband's reign. Her name appeared linked with his upon church walls and over the gates of citadels. Even in the mosaics that decorated the apartments of the Sacred Palace, writes Diehl, "Justinian had in like manner associated Theodora with him in connection with his military triumphs and the brightest glories of his reign.

They transformed it into the most splendid city in the world, so much so that Europeans during the Middle Ages referred to it as simply "The City.

Justinian and Theodora built more that 25 churches and convents in Constantinople. The greatest of them, and indeed the greatest church in all of Christendom prior to the building of St. Peter's in Rome, was the Hegia Sophia, rebuilt by the imperial couple. With its great dome, feet in diameter, and decorated in rich marbles and mosaics, it dazzled visitors for centuries. One European churchman who visited Constantinople during the high Middle Ages recorded that upon entering the Hegia Sophia he felt as if he had died and entered heaven itself.

Both Justinian and Theodora recognized the importance of religious issues. Complex theological issues dominated the lives of even the common people. They were inseparable from the important political issues of the day. After her relationship with Hecebolus broke down, Theodora joined an ascetic community in the desert near Alexandria, where she converted to a branch of early Christianity, Monophysitism. During her reign with Justinian, she would be known to explicitly work against her husband, who was the leader of the Byzantine church and protector of orthodoxy.

She would protect and house monks who adhered to monophysite beliefs, even using the Great Palace of Constantinople to do so. Justinian was said to have moved significantly in favour of monophysitism towards the end of his life.

Theodora is credited with supporting, and ultimately achieving the adoption, of Monophysitism in Nubia around CE. After her conversion, Theodora travelled to Constantinople where she met Justinian, who was 20 years her senior. When Emperor Justin I died in , Theodora was crowned empress of Rome, in the same coronation ceremony as her husband. In order to legalise their marriage, Justinian had a law changed to raise her status and created another to allow her to marry. The couple were said to have matched each other in intelligence, ambition and energy.

Together, they heralded a new era for the Byzantine Empire and its people. Justinian treated his wife as his intellectual partner, and in doing so Theodora was able to have a major impact on the political decisions of the Byzantine Empire. Although she was never made co-regent, many believed that it was she who ruled Byzantium and not her husband.

Theodora could in many ways be described as an early feminist. She is remembered as one of the first rulers to recognise the rights of women. As empress, she set up a house where prostitutes could live in peace.