Theodora's father was a bear-keeper
at the Hippodrome of Constantinople, where the Roman crowd
went to enjoy the spectacles of chariot and horse racing, circus
performances and gladiatorial combats. Growing up among jugglers and
gladiators, Theodora ran with a dubious crowd. When she was a girl she
stood out among the capital's actresses, dancers and hetaerae (female
companions and courtesans) for her wit, her charm, her beauty and her
shamelessness. The Byzantine historian Procopius said of her: "She bared
her body front and back, inviting men to look at charms that are
supposed to remain unseen, and became an expert in the techniques of
exciting lust so as to hold worldly men in her thrall." Among her
admirers were judges, scholars and statesmen — and a young Senator named
Justinian. Roman law forbade the marriage of a Senator to an actress,
but the ardent aristocrat persuaded the Emperor Julian to revoke the law
so that he could marry her. Justinian's mother is said to have died of
grief.
Justinian became ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire in AD
527 and the one-time courtesan became an empress, reigning jointly with
her husband. We hear that priests who did not bend to her will were
persecuted and that she had a secret police which spied on and tortured
the thousands of people whom she considered her enemies. Her
ladies-in-waiting, with whom she is depicted in a mosaic in the church
of San Vitale at Ravenna, which was then a Byzantine outpost in Italy,
are all supposed to have been former courtesans. In the same church,
Emperor Justinian is portrayed with his attendants in another mosaic on
a wall directly opposite Theodora. The two rulers were to be seen
analogously to Christ and the Virgin, symbolizing the union of earthly
and spiritual authority and "divine kingship".
Procopius seems to have taken a leering delight in
writing Anecdota, an historical expose about an Emperor and
Empress, whom he held in contempt. But others considered Theodora to be
generous, compassionate towards the poor and a devout Christian.
Together with the Emperor she had churches and monasteries built, most
importantly Hagia Sophia (The Church of Holy Wisdom in Constantinople),
532—37, which remains the most important achievement of Byzantine
architecture. Contemporary historians are kindly disposed towards
Theodora. They admire her unusual erudition and intelligence and credit
her with doing much to strengthen the will of her indecisive husband and
inspiring him in the work of defending the Empire.
