FREE ESSAY ON THEODORA

THEODORA

Theodora
Theodora was the wife of Justinian I who was crowned Emperor of the Byzantine Empire 
in 527 AD. As his wife, she ruled by his side, as his partner, and her intelligence
helped to 
advance the Empire.
The exact place of her birth has not been agreed upon. While some historians say she was

born on the island of Crete off the coast of Greece, others speculate that she might have
been 
born in Syria. Whichever the case, she was brought up as the daughter of a bear trainer
who 
worked at the Hippodrome (a huge stadium-like circus), in Constantinople. She worked
there as 
a mime, and later as a full time actress. At the time, acting was not a highly esteemed
occupation 
especially for women, so the term 'actress' was considered synonymous with the term
'prostitute'. 
While on stage she was remembered for her daring entertainment skills, off stage however,
she 
lived a normal youthful life and was most remembered for her wild parties.
At the age of 16, she traveled to northern Africa as the companion of an official. She 
stayed there for 4 years before returning to Constantinople. She stopped by Alexandria,
the 
capital of Egypt and here she adopted Monophysitism. This was a form of Christianity that

believed that Jesus Christ was wholly divine and not both human and divine as was the
orthodox 
Christian belief. Monophysites were thus not liked by orthodox Christians since their
teachings 
did not conform to those of the orthodox church. On conversion to Monophysitism, she gave
up 
her former lifestyle, and upon reaching Constantinople in 522, settled down as a wool
spinner in 
a house near the palace of the Emperor. It was while in this humble lifestyle, at the age
of 20, 
that she drew the attention of Justinian, then a government official.
Theodora was not only beautiful, but intelligent, witty and amusing, which is perhaps 
why she won Justinian's love so much that he appealed against an old Roman law that
forbade 
officials from marrying actresses in order to marry her. Justinian and Theodora were
married in 
525. In 527, Justin, the emperor of Byzantium, and Justinian's father died. The couple
assumed 
control of the Empire and were crowned Emperor and Empress on 4th April of that same
year. 
They ruled unofficially as joint monarchs with Justinian allowing Theodora to share his
thrown 
and take active part in decision making.
Perhaps the most significant event during Empress Theodora's rule was the Nika revolt in

which she proved herself a worthy and able leader. During this event, two rival political
groups 
started a riot at the Hippodrome. They set many public buildings on fire and proclaimed a
new 
emperor. Justinian and his officials, unable to control the crowd prepared to flee, but
Theodora 
spoke up and gave a moving speech about the greater significance of the life of someone
who 
died as a ruler, over that of someone who lived but was nothing. Her determined speech 
convinced Justinian and his officials and they attacked the Hippodrome, killing over
30,000 
rebels and emerging victorious. Historians agree that it was Theodora's courage and 
determination that save Justinian's empire.
Throughout the rest of her life, Theodora and Justinian transformed the city of 
Constantinople, building it into a city that for many centuries was known as the most
wonderful 
cities in the world. They built aqueducts, bridges, and more than 25 churches, the most 
significant of these being the Hagia Sophia - 'Church of Holy Wisdom'. To women, Theodora

may well be considered a noble pioneer of the women's liberation movement. She passed on

laws prohibiting forced prostitution and established homes for prostitutes, passed rights
that 
granted women more rights in divorce cases, instituted the death penalty for rape and
established 
laws allowing women to own and inherit property. She also provided safe shelter for 
Monophysite leaders who faced opposition from the majority orthodox Christians, even
though 
her husband Justinian was an orthodox Christian.
Empress Theodora died on 28th June, 548. Her body was buried in the Church of the 
Holy Apostle, one of the splendid churches that she and Justinian had built in
Constantinople. 
Beautiful mosaics in Empress Theodora's remembrance exist to this day at the Church of
San 
Vitale at Ravenna in Northern Italy. Even after her death, her spirit lived on, and in
this way she 
was able to have influence on the Empire. Through what she had began, Justinian was able
to 
bring harmony between the Monophysites and the Orthodox Christians, and the status of
women 
in the Byzantine Empire was elevated high above that of the women in the Middle East and

Europe.
I got all of my information from http://www.salve.edu
Bibliography
I got all of my information from http://www.salve.edu