Nsaint theodora empress of byzantium book

Queens, saints, and viking slayers, from empress theodora to elizabeth of tudor. Along with her spouse, theodora is a saint in the eastern orthodox church. Her books include procopius and the sixth century, arguing it out, byzantine matters, and dialoguing in late antiquity. Theodora has always been a interesting historical figure and depending on who you ask is either a great woman of history or some one who should be ignored. She was a strong iconodule who after the death of her husband overrode his iconoclastic policies to finally restore veneration of icons in the eastern roman empire.

Actress, empress, saint women in antiquity only 2 left in stock more on the way. Buy a cheap copy of theodora, empress of byzantium book by charles diehl. The byzantine empress theodora only a few women reached the zenith of power in the maledominated world of the byzantines. Actress, empress, saint by david potter, paperback.

Empress theodora was one of the ancientworlds strongest advocates of womens rights. The book basically covers the life of the empress theodora, as the title pretty much gives that away. The greatest of these is hagia sophia, considered the epitome of byzantine. Empress theodora is the daughter of acacius, who was a bear trainer, and to her mother, who was a dancer and singer. Theodora was an eastern roman empress by marriage to emperor justinian. Holy monastery dormition of theotokos, parnitha commemorates on. Their son was born just a little over a year after the marriage. She became the motherinlaw to constantine vii in may or june, 919 with the marriage of the young emperor to her daughter helena lekapene. The contributors use evidence from written documents and artwork to offer a picture of women in byzantine society. Her intelligence and political acumen made her justinians most trusted adviser and enabled her to use. Theodora hardcover david potter oxford university press.

Actress, empress, saint by david potter, 2015 online. Justinian and his officials were ready to flee, but theodora convinced them that royal purple is the noblest shroud. Procopius in his secret history relates that theodora from an early age followed her sister komitos example and worked in a constantinople brothel serving lowstatus customers. The first book on your list, fourteen byzantine rulers by michael psellus, is an autobiographical history.

It is located in the san vitale basilica in ravenna, italy. Actress, empress, saint david potter s biography of the empress theodora brings to life a powerful woman previously much maligned by the writer procopius. Theodora, empress of byzantium book by charles diehl. November 15 as for the renowned empress theodora, she was from paphlagonia and was the daughter of a certain marinus, the commander of a military regiment. Using extensive scholarship on the byzantine worldthe careers of actresses, the. Actress, empress, whore tells the story of theodora, before and after she became one of the most powerful women in the byzantine empires history. Justinian took courage and according to procopius killed 30,000 rebels in the hippodrome. For her restoration of the veneration of icons, which ended the byzantine iconoclasm, she is venerated as a saint in the eastern orthodox church. The novel touches briefly on her adolescent years and how it began by the age of 5 when her mother offered up her and two other sisters as supporters to the blue faction. She was a native of paphlagonia near the coast of the black sea and a daughter of a military officer who came from a wealthy family. She became empress upon justinians accession in 527 and was one of his chief advisers. The empress theodora at the colisseum by jeanjoseph benjaminconstant c. Because i did not know much about her, it was fascinating how she rose up from humble beginnings to become an empress of the byzantine empire.

Theodora was the daughter of a bear trainer and a dancer and an actress. According to the historian tacitus, it was built on the european side of the strait of bosporus on the order of the god of delphi who said to build opposite the land of the blind. Books about empress theodora more books about the byzantine empire. The imagery is a symmetrical abstract butterfly form, each wing stretching to the edge of the plate. Theodoras plate was painted to resemble mosaic tiles. Like her husband, she is a saint in the orthodox church, commemorated on november 14. Theodora was born into that lowest rank of the empire in about 501, the daughter of the bear keeper of the blue faction of the hippodrome. Their reign was the most celebrated in byzantine history, bringing wealth, prestige. Theodora, in procopiuss account, made a name for herself with her salacious portrayal of leda and the swan.

Theodora 497548 was a byzantine empress, wife of the emperor justinian i and the most powerful woman in byzantine history. Hormisdas before hormisdas had entered the priesthood. Women and religious life in byzantium by maryalice talbot. This particular article is the 500th ever posted on this site. Ruthlessly criticized and reviled by her contemporaries, theodora, the beautiful wife of emperor justinian, began her life as the daughter of a bearkeeper and rose to be justinians partner in politics as well as in life, ruling from 527 to 548. Along with her husband, she is a saint in the orthodox church, commemorated on november 14 life.

They would rule together in a golden period of byzantine history. Despite very humble beginnings, theodora rose to become empress of the byzantine. Actress, empress, saint, david potter penetrates the highly. Actress, empress, saint by david stone potter goodreads. The daughter of a bearkeeper, theodora went on to become a mime in obscene productions, a prostitute, a mistress of wealthy patrons, and, at last, an empress. This book is a gripping, longoverdue biography of one of the most intriguing and powerful female figures of western history. Theodora was born into the lowest class of byzantine society, the daughter of a bearkeeper for the circus. David potter is to be warmly congratulated on having written a book that offers a.

Empress theodora ancient champion of womens rights. The ancient city of byzantium was founded by greek colonists from megara around 657 bce. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the. I decided that it was very important to have a book by a byzantine, because you get a much stronger sense of the culture and the atmosphere of byzantium by reading what an individual who lived then wrote. Two of the most famous mosaics from the ancient world, in the church of san vitale in ravenna, depict the sixthcentury emperor justinian and, on the wall facing him, his wife, theodora 497548. Theodora, famously an actress and concubine, married the emperor justinian, and had a profound effect on the politics and laws of early byzantium. The empress theodora and her courtiers depicted in a mosaic in san vitale, ravenna.

Much of the information from this earliest part of her life comes from the secret history of procopius, published posthumously. He also contracts a marriage which makes him and his bride the most famous couple in byzantine history. The extended wings represent theodoras ability to expand her own role in byzantium and to create freedoms for women during her time. Saint silverius, born, frosinone, campania italydied dec. With her glorification as a saint the church remembers her role in this restoration. Saint theodora the empress of byzantium byzantine icon. In this book david potter creates a portrait of one of the most significant women. Theodora is perhaps the most influential and powerful woman in the byzantine empires history.

The empress theodora and justinian essay examples bartleby. Theodora, empress and her son, emperor michael iii. I n september 2006, in a nearempty church in ravenna, in northeast italy, i. Born from humble origins, theodora reigned over the byzantine empire alongside her husband from 527 until her death in 548. Empress of byzantium is a very comprehensive biography of empress theodora. This summer i read theodora empress of byzantium by paolo cesaretti, a book chronicling theodoras life and accomplishments. To be an empress in byzantium was to understand where power. This was in reference to the inhabitants of chalcedon who had built their city on the eastern shore of the strait. Critics of procopius have dismissed his work as vitriolic and pornograpic, but have been unable. She was married by constantine v, ruler of the eastern empire, to his son, the future leo iv, in 769.

The righteous theodora was the wife of emperor theophilus the iconoclast during the middle of the ninth century. Together with her husband, theodora transformed the. Set in sixthcentury byzantium, this is a real ragstoriches story about one of the most fascinating women of antiquity. The present one included, five books have appeared since the turn of the millennium focused on theodora, late roman empress d. Byzantine empress and consort of justinian i, the daughter of aracius of cypriot a bearkeeper at the hippodrome, had, according to procopius, already been an actress, dancer and courtesan when she won the heart of the ambitious justinian, she eventually became his mistress, wife and the sharer of his throne 527. In addition to his many books, he regularly contributes to important italian publications. I have decided to dedicate it to theodora, empress of the byzantine empire who also happened to be born around the year 500. This majestic portrait gives no inkling of theodoras very humble beginnings or. See more ideas about byzantine, byzantine art and ancient jewelry. The emperor who comes to the throne in527 restores the western empire to much of its former glory, reforms the legal and administrative system of his realm, and commissions churches and mosaics which emphasize the imperial dignity of christianity. Silverius was a subdeacon when the ostrogothic king theodahad nominated him to. A member of the politically prominent sarantapechos.