In the year 500 CE, a woman was born. Her
name was Theodora. History has forgotten the place, with claims being made for
Cyprus and Syria, but that is not important. She was the daughter of Acacius, a
bear trainer in the hippodrome (or colosseum) in Constantinople (today knowns
as Istanbul). At the age of four, however, her father died, and her mother took
her and her sisters to the hippodrome to work.
Thus, at the age of 5, she became an
actress, a mime, a dancer, an artist, a comedienne and a prostitute. To be an ‘actress’
in those days was not a savoury occupation, but she performed well. By the age
of 14, she had her first child. It is said that her performances at the
hippodrome were close to the extremes of modern burlesque, and her salacious
portrayal of Leda and the Swan
brought her many admirers.
At age 16, she became the mistress of
Hecebolus, and accompanied him to his post as governor of Libya at the age of
18. When they broke up, she started travelling back to Constantinople, and at
Alexandria in Egypt, she converted to Christianity. From there, she continued
onwards, first to Antioch in Syria, and reaching Constantinople in 522 CE. She
gave up her previous lifestyle, and became a wool spinner in a house near the
palace.
Given her beauty and wit, it should be no
surprise that she drew the attention of a young Justinian. Justinian, son of a
pig farmer, had moved to Constantinople at age 11 after being adopted by his
uncle Justin, a member of the Royal Guard. But 4 years before, Justin had been
appointed Emperor of the Roman Empire after the previous emperor had died
without an heir. Justinian was quite
taken with Theodora, but the law forbid anyone of high position in the Empire
from marrying an actress, even if she was a former one.
Justin’s wife, the Empress Euphemia, who
ordinary did not refuse Justinian anything, was dead set against this marriage.
But in 525 CE, she died, and Justinian got his uncle Justin to repeal the law,
and he married Theodora. Two years later, the Emperor Justin I died as well,
and Emperor Justinian I and Empress Theodora was crowned.
Theodora shared in Justinian’s plan and
political strategies, and he referred to her as his ‘partner in his
deliberations.’ Theodora had her own court, entourage and imperial seal. In 532
CE, however, she showed her mettle. During the Nika riots, when opposing
factions had proclaimed a new emperor, Justinian was fearing for his life, and
preparing to flee. While discussing this at their government council, Theodora
interrupted them, and said,
“My
lords, the present occasion is too serious to allow me to follow the convention
that a woman should not speak in a man’s council. Those whose interests are
threatened by extreme danger should think only of the wisest course of action,
not of conventions. In my opinion, flight is not the right course, even if it
should bring us to safety. It is impossible for a person, having been born into
this world, not to die; but for one who has reigned it is intolerable to be a
fugitive. May I never be deprived of this purple robe, and may I never see the
day when those who meet me do not call me empress. If you wish to save
yourself, my lord, there is no difficulty. We are rich; over there is the sea,
and yonder are the ships. Yet reflect for a moment whether, when you have once
escaped to a place of security, you would not gladly exchange such safety for
death. As for me, I agree with the adage that the royal purple is the noblest
shroud.”
Her speech convinced Justinian to make a
stand, and he attacked the hippodrome, where the rioters had congregated,
killing all 30 000 of them. Justinian never forgot that it was Theodora who
saved his throne. Afterwards, they rebuilt Constantinople, which had burned in
the riots. One result of this was the Hagia Sophia, one of the architectural
wonders of the world. They carefully supervised the magistrates, to reduce
corruption. But Theodora did not stop there.
Justinian recodified Roman law, into the
Corpus Juris Civilis, and Theodora took the time to pass much needed reform.
She passed laws to increase the rights of women, prohibited forced
prostitution, she closed brothels and made pimping illegal. She expanded the
rights of women in divorce and property ownership, and instituted the death
penalty for rape. She gave mother guardianship rights over their children, and
forbade the killing of wives who committed adultery.
But on 28 June 548 CE, Theodora succumbed
to cancer. Justinian wept bitterly at her funeral, and after her death, he
passed very little effective legislation. She was buried in the Church of the
Holy Apostles in Constantinople, and to this day is considered a saint by the
Greek Orthodox Church.
Theodora was but one woman, from very lowly
beginning, and yet she achieved so much. In the wake of International Woman’s
Day, it is perhaps time that we realise that that same power is inside every
woman around us. These Empresses in ordinary clothing looked after farms and
children, while their men were off working at the far edges of our country during
the contract labour era.
Even today, they keep the communal farms
going, teaching the children, while their husbands are off working wherever
they find it. In a country with such reverence for heroes – in a country with a
Heroes Acre! – why is it then that these heroes of our country are not
venerated with a single monument?
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