Unlikely Empress and Champion of the Weak
Theodora is a departure from women introduced in past articles. Not only was she born more than a millennium earlier, but her beginnings were humbler. She did not grow up with nurturing Christian parents or educational opportunities. Her childhood was traumatic. She came from a poor family in Constantinople (today Istanbul, Turkey). Her father had been a bear-tamer in the circus, but he died when Theodora was little. Her mother and stepfather could not provide for Theodora and her sisters, so sources record that the girls worked as “actresses” from an early age. More than likely, this means that they endured exploitation and abuse for many years. In her late teens, Theodora managed to escape her situation and was taken in by a government official in Libya, but he, too, abandoned her. Sometime during her sojourn in North Africa, however, Theodora’s life took a turn. She experienced a Christian conversion, returned to Constantinople, and began to work as a wool-spinner near the palace, where her wit and beauty attracted the Emperor himself. Improbably, the scandalous young woman married Justinian in 523, and she was crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire in 527.
Theodora possessed a strong intellect and undoubtedly influenced her husband’s policy decisions. Their marriage itself is a primary example. Under Roman law, it had been forbidden for aristocratic men to marry women of lowly background. As Christianity spread, these expectations were relaxed, but it was not until the reign of Justinian and Theodora that the change was written into law. From now on, powerful couples like themselves should not be an exception, but the law should apply to all. Justinian based his reasoning on God’s merciful character, pointing out that as God continually forgives our sins, we should imitate his clemency in situations where repentance is evident.
Theodora had a particularly strong influence on a body of work known as the Corpus Juris Civilis. This collection of documents, a revision of the entire law code, was marked by concern for women and others vulnerable to exploitation. Among other reforms, the laws criminalized those who ensnared women into lives of prostitution. They ensured the financial rights of women who were unjustly divorced, allowing their children to maintain the status of legitimate heirs. They made sure that if a woman’s husband was fined, her dowry would not be confiscated. They also looked out for women’s safety by demanding that even if a woman was imprisoned for serious crimes, she should be sheltered in a convent and not placed under the dubious care of male guards.
Theodora personally ransomed all the enslaved prostitutes in Constantinople, providing each with a small sum of money and a set of new clothes to enable them to return to their families. For those who had no family, she founded a religious order called the Convent of Repentance. She also had a particular wrath toward those who exploited children, and she determinedly prosecuted such abusers, even when these men occupied elite positions. Society at the time was not inclined to be sympathetic toward children, slaves, and other disadvantaged people who accused the wealthy and powerful, but Theodora came down unflinchingly on their side. Her childhood experiences almost certainly shaped her attitudes and efforts on behalf of others.
The historian Procopius claimed that the Emperor and Empress “never did anything apart from [each other] to the end of their joint lives.” It is not clear that the politically hostile Procopius meant this as a compliment. However, it seems to accurately capture the tone of their devoted marriage. Justinian and Theodora were unable to bear any children. Though he longed for an heir, Justinian remained steadfastly faithful to his marriage, and he continued to honor Theodora’s memory after she died of cancer in her late forties. By all appearances, it was a deeply loving partnership.
Described as small, stubborn, and possessing a fierce gaze, Theodora does seem to have had a hot temper. She sometimes made judgments and asked questions later. She had an eye for what was politically advantageous, and she made her share of enemies. Regardless of all else we might say about her, Theodora appeared to cherish the truth of God’s mercy toward the repentant. She believed in Christian marriage as a refuge for women who might otherwise fall through the cracks of society. Rather than defining herself by past tragedy, she leveraged her powerful position to look out for those who were as vulnerable as she had once been, transforming society in the process. For all the cultural and theological distance that separates us from the Empress, these facts alone make her an instructive figure worth knowing about.
Mrs. Sarah White
Pennsylvania (PCA)