Early Life
•Though Theodora became the most powerful woman in the his- tory of the Byzantine Empire, little is actually known of her early life. •It is known, however, that her fa- ther made his living as the bear trainer for a circus that performed in Constantinople. •Theodora made her early living as an actress. In those days, being an actress was also synonymous with being a prosti- tute. In other words, actresses not only per- formed on stage, but also off stage as well. She was well known for her obscene and burlesque shows, and her wild parties. •Around the age of 16, Theodora became the mistress of a man who became the governor of Libya in North Africa. He mistreated her, and she ran away, eventually making her way to Alexandria. •In Alexandria, she converted to Christianity and changed her lifestyle. She eventually made her way back to Constantinople, but did not return to her old ‘profession’. In- stead, she settled in a modest house and made a living spinning wool.
Princess Story
•Theodora was introduced to Justinian through mutual friends. At the time, Justin- ian was not yet Emperor, but was in line for the throne. They fell deeply in love. •The law forbid the marriage of an Emperor to an “actress”. Justinian begged his father Justin to change the law, and eventually he did so, and the two were married.
The Nika Revolt
•From all accounts, Justinian treated his wife as an equal, and relied heavily on her advice. •In 532, a chariot race
got out of hand, and fighting erupted in the streets. Mobs formed and created violence and chaos in the streets of Constantinople. Several Senators saw this as an opportunity to overthrow Justinian.
•Justinian’s advisors counseled him to flee the city, but Theodora told him that it was better to die a ruler than to live as nothing. Justinian took her advice and sent troops to deal with the revolt.
•The revolt was brutally suppressed (nearly 30,000 were killed in the process), and his- torians have credited Theodora’s courage for saving her husband’s rule.
Impact of Theodora
•Theodora obviously had great influence over her husband, and generally, she used it for good. After the Nika revolt, together they rebuilt Constantinople (much of it was damaged by the mobs), and they built more than 25 churches over the Empire. •As Justinian revamped Roman Law, Theo- dora convinced him to include laws that in- creased women’s rights. She had laws passed that prohibited forced prostitution and gave women more rights in divorce cases. She also built homes for prosti- tutes and shelters for Chris- tian leaders.