Born: c. 497
Died: June 28, 548, Constantinople [now Istanbul, Turkey]
Theodora was a Byzantine empress (527-48), wife of Emperor Justinian I, probably born in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). According to the Byzantine historian Procopius, her father was a trainer of circus animals, and she was an actor and a courtesan before marrying Justinian in 523. Four years later, Justinian became emperor and made her joint ruler. Many decisions concerning the government of the empire were made by Theodora. In 532, as a result of high taxes and religious and political controversies, an insurrection, called the Nika riot, broke out in Constantinople. Theodora helped save the throne by preventing Justinian from fleeing the city. Historians take issue with Procopius’s description of Theodora as tyrannical and cruel, but they agree upon her beauty and intellectual gifts. Her religious sympathies lay with the Monophysites.
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