EMPRESS THEODORA, THE NEW VERSION OF A 6TH CENTURY MATER FAMILIAS
EMPRESS THEODORA, THE NEW VERSION OF A 6TH CENTURY MATER FAMILIAS

Summary/Abstract: The honors which the severity of Roman morals had been able to grant to the wives of princes were not sufficient for Theodora's ambition, nor for the passion of her husband, Justinian I. He placed her on the throne with the rank of a colleague, his equal and independent of him, and in the oath of fidelity which was required of the governors of the provinces, the name of Theodora was joined to that of Justinian. Theodora wielded considerable influence over Justinian I and, although she was never associated with power, her intelligence and skills in political affairs lead many historians to believe that it was she and not the emperor who reigned over the Byzantine Empire. The empress is remembered as one of the first rulers who recognized women's rights and, moreover, she was the cause of that strict laws prohibiting prostitution and modifying divorce legislation in the 6th century.

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