Theodora, Prostitute, Empress and Saint

We will present the history of the sensual Theodoraenergetic, ambitious and controversial, prostitute and actress, who became Empress from Great Eastern Roman Empire, often misnamed Byzantium. With plebeian blood and being sexual escort became the most influential woman in the history of the Roman Empire, from an infinitely praised beauty. It came to be considered even Santa.

The Roman Empire, despite losing its western provinces in the 5th century, lasted for a lengthy 1400 years. The Roman republic was reorganised as an empire in 27 AD and finally fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD with the final capture of the great city of Eastern Rome: ConstantinopleThe city was called Istanbul until the present day after falling into Turkish hands.

Theodora was born in Cyprus into a very humble family, her mother was an actress and dancer while her father was a bear tamer at the great hippodrome in Constantinople, a place where chariot races, dances, plays and exhibitions of exotic animals were held. Some believe that as a child she lived in the basement of the hippodrome, in an environment full of vice. 

At an early age, he would go to work in a brothel She left the city with one of her two sisters and later went to work in the theatre, where she worked as an actress and as an actress. courtesan. 

"Theodora began performing at the age of ten and soon, her delicate beauty and the character demonstrated in her theatrical roles, made her a favourite at the nobility's community parties, to the point that she quickly became the best paid and most celebrated actress in Constantinople", says Nora Carbonell in her academic article "Theodora of Byzantium, prostitute and saint".

The period seems to suggest an intimate relationship between theatre and prostitution. Thus, performing as an actress included a sensuality that was unrestrained on stage, nourishing the libido of her spectators, and provocatively undressing, thus manifesting Theodora's lofty beauty. According to Procopius, a historian of the time, "one of her favourite acts consisted of riding half-naked on spirited steeds".

It was at this time that she became close friends with the wife of the most famous Roman General of the time, Belisarius, as a first step towards rubbing shoulders with people of higher rank. The first step on a path that would lead her to the imperial royalty.

At one of those community feasts, having gained much fame throughout Constantinople, the sixteen-year-old Theodora began to serve as a companion to a Syrian officer named Ecebolus, governor of Cyrenaica, now the northern coast of Libya. 

After living with him for four years, she was abandoned, but her destiny, though she did not yet know it, would be one of eternal glory. Her friend, Belisarius' wife, "was the one who persuaded her to attend a party of aristocrats where she met Prince Justinian, who was immediately captivated by her beauty and proud attitude as an intelligent woman, superior to her circumstances". Justinian, after being confronted with the law prohibiting royalty from marrying prostitutes, maids or women of dubious origin, changed the laws of the time to make her his Empress. 

Thus Theodora, despite being of plebeian origin, managed to be crowned empress with the title Augusta. She exercised power as divinely chosen and was recognised as having the right to do so.

Testimonies are found that Theodora was very "determined and courageous" and "took action in matters related to the improvement of the quality of life of women" in the colossal Eastern Roman Empire.

"In her new role, Theodora showed herself to be equal to the situation, remaining faithful to her husband, taking an interest in the affairs of the state, demonstrating great penetration and exercising considerable influence over Justinian in matters of government". Luis Orrego Campano states in Empress Theodora: Constructing the political figure of women in the Byzantine Empire.

According to Nora Carbonell, "Theodora was proclaimed a saint by the Orthodox Church, due to her unquestionable humanitarian work in favour of minorities and the most underprivileged social classes, in an era of prohibitions and accentuated undervaluation of women". 

Thanks to Theodora, if a woman decided to work as a prostitute "they had to work in brothels run by themselves, with special regulations to avoid abuse".

Theodora, without having royal blood, "progressively acceded to and legitimised an autocratic use of power, which allowed imperial authority to adopt feminine forms during the 6th and 9th centuries" according to Perez Sanchez. Dionysius; 

References:
http://gredos.usal.es/jspui/bitstream/10366/73746/1/Identidad_nacional_y_modelos_femeninos_e.pdf
Nora Carbonell, "Theodora of Byzantium, prostitute and saint".
Isabel Lasala Navarro, "Public and political image of the empress Theodora. A study based on the work of Procopius of Caesarea".
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/38836718.pdf
José María de Francisco Olmos, "Women and supreme power in Byzantium, 5th-11th centuries. Numismatic approach".
Luis Orrego Campano, "La Emperatriz Teodora: Constructo de la figura política de la mujer en el Imperio Bizantino" (The Empress Theodora: Constructing the Political Figure of Women in the Byzantine Empire).

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