Bio

 

Born to the daughter of a bear keeper and dancer/actress in Syria, Cyprus, Constantinople, or even Alexandria, Theodora’s family was employed by the circus, and she had two sisters. Her family was likely Christian and spoke Greek. When her father died when she was five, the family became destitute. Though her mother remarried, her stepfather was not given the new bear-keeper position, and so her mother, desperate, brought her daughters to their authorities to beg for another position for her husband. Though he was given it, eventually, the family still struggled, and biased accounts, such as from a book by Procopius, say that Theodora and her sisters were involved in sex work even as young teens until they were old enough to act onstage. There is no concrete evidence for this, but Procopius claims that her job as an actress would have also included acrobatics, dancing, and sexual acts both on and offstage, such as one he said she was famous for that included allowing birds to eat seeds off of her body. She was also said to be very beautiful, attracting quite a following, reaching some fame as a comic actress. 

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She fell in love at this time with a Syrian governor named Hecebolus and she moved with him to Libya even though their relationship was forbidden and he likely mistreated her. She likely had a child or two with her by that time, so when the relationship dissolved, she moved to Alexandria, where she spun wool for a living and became interested in and converted to Monophysite Christianity, which argued that Christ was divine only and had no human nature. This was not a common belief at the time, but her change of heart here signals a change for the rest of her life to come. 

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Theodora next moved to Antioch where she met a dancer named Macedonia who was a spy and informer for the Emperor. Whether or not she herself also became a spy, this relationship allowed her to meet Justinian, heir to the throne, once she returned to Constantinople. Justinian fell in love with her for her beauty and intelligence, but could not marry her because of her background. He demanded the law be changed for him to be able to do this, and though his aunt, the current Empress, was against this marriage, once she died, his uncle allowed them to be married, and this shocked the Empire, especially when Theodora’s daughter, who also would have been barred from marrying nobility with this former law, was approved to marry into the Emperor’s family as well. 

Though she was never officially a co-ruler, Justinian insisted she be crowned as his equal rather than consort, and Theodora exercised more authority over the empire than her husband often did, and was known to appreciate luxury, ceremonies, and overt signs of respect granted to her. She participated in councils and strategy planning, and Justinian deferred to her for decisions. She was known to be loyal and determined, but also, occasionally, vindictive and willing to do anything to instill fear into those she was against. For example, in 532, when riots broke out between political chariot racing factions, with leaders put to death for their crimes, survivors burned buildings and proclaimed a new emperor. Justinian wished to flee out of fear, but Theodora persuaded them to be brave and stay, and instead, Justinian’s forces killed a huge number of the rebels and the man they had named their new emperor. 

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Aside from this, Theodora’s name was mentioned in all laws passed from the time she and Justinian constructed many new buildings (including the Hagia Sophia) and was often the one to meet with foreign envoys. She was also known to play matchmaker, arranging marriages for many members of the royalty, including one each to her sister and niece, and on the other hand, she also had personal enemies that she conspired to bring down, such as corrupt Praetorian Prefect John the Cappadocian, whom she helped plot against. Most importantly, though, was her work with advancing the rights of women, particularly exploited women who were slaves or sex workers. She worked to eradicate the brothel-keepers of Constantinople, setting up homes for the women to go to instead, buying their freedom if need be. She also gave them money to set up their new lives, providing training, also, for them to land jobs or be married. Even when women who were married appeared in the court seeking a divorce, Theodora was said to be more inclined to believing them and granting their wishes even though strict laws at the time only granted women a divorce on the basis of abuse or adultery. She also passed laws to prohibit the trafficking of young girls, laws that allowed women to inherit property, and new laws against rape, especially against minors. 

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Theodora also personally and legally protected Monophysite Christians, a faith that was persecuted and still so important to her. She likely acted alone on these accounts without Justinian, who differed in his faith as a Chalcedonian (believing Christ both fully human and divine). She sheltered Monophysite clergy members in her palaces and appointed them to positions of Church authority in the Alexandria and Constantinople Sees, and even sent their missionaries to Nubia and converted the region to her faith. While some think that she and Justinian were only “pretending” to be at odds on their faith, Justinian, though not able to have outmaneuvered his wife before she made her appointments or sent her own missionaries, was successful at exiling 300 Monophysites.

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In 542, when plague struck the empire and Justinian was infected, Theodora ruled in his stead, using the time to quickly remove her enemies from power.

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At the age of ~48-53, Theodora died from what was most likely cancer. Though Justinian ruled for another 17 years, he was deeply saddened by the loss of his wife and the rest of his rule was apparently not as memorable. Though the two had no heir together, Theodora’s grandsons, the sons of her daughter born outside of marriage, became well-known figures in the court.

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Procopius, a field marshall for Justinian, who wrote such a scathing biography of Theodora that was found after his death (having published a much more positive work about the couple during his lifetime), says that she was still very sexual during her reign and that the couple was corrupt and cruel. A book that he wrote after this one, however, that was also published while he was still alive, shows the couple in a much more positive light as future saints, and this work was likely commissioned by Justinian while he was still alive. While historians say, again, that he is not the most trustworthy historian of the time, his changing attitudes in his books may reflect more of the general attitude towards the ruling couple.

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Theodora has been remembered throughout history with a plate at Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, an appearance in a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and much more.