I was asked which woman in history I would want to sit down and talk to and Empress Theodora was the first woman that came to mind for me. Of all the woman in history I could have chosen from you may be wondering why I choose her over more popular figures such as Marie Antoinette, Princess Diana, or say Anne Frank…

Empress Theodora and her court in the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy.

Well, Theodora was the Byzantine empress and wife of Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century BCE. She was a determined and intelligent woman who had a keen interest in politics. She was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth but rather had a more unconventional upbringing. It is said that Theodora began a life of acting and prostitution at a young age but she did not let this define her role in life. She met Justinian I and won him over securing a powerful position next to him on the throne as his most trusted advisor. This allowed her to exercise a considerable amount of influence over political affairs in the empire and eventually used her power to recognize the rights of women, something that was quite uncommon during this time. Because of her background in prostitution, she introduced laws that prohibited trafficking of young girls in addition to granting more rights and benefits to divorced women. Upon her death there was very little changes to legislation that took place during the remainder of Justinian’s reign which proves how much influence and power she had, and how she used her own interests to change social policies that benefited the lives of women throughout the empire.

So, now that you have a better understanding of who Empress Theodora was, where she came from, and how she gained political power and advocated for women’s rights can you see why I would want to sit down with her and pick her brain? I find her such an interesting and strong character and I admire her advocacy efforts. Her humble roots allowed her to experience oppression in some of the worst ways and I admire that she used those experiences to create change in a time when women were viewed as the weaker sex. She proved that women need not be oppressed. She made a lot of powerful men very uncomfortable when she brought women’s rights to the political table and challenged legislation.

Her modern views helped pave the way for modernization of women’s roles in the ancient Roman Empire by opening the doors for women to begin claiming bigger roles in public spaces and demanding change in legislation.

Throughout the next few months we will explore how women influenced reformation and capitalist expansion in early modern Europe.

So now I ask you, if you could sit down with any woman in history who would you choose and why?

Reference

Raddato, Carole. "Empress Theodora & Her Court." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified January 27, 2016. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4503/empress-theodora--her-court/.