The Byzantine Empire of that period of history is a world filled with palace intrigues, treachery and cruelty used in the struggle for power.
He ruled the country since 527 AD - Emperor Justinian the First, who left behind a memory for centuries, but his wife Theodora surpassed him in this field, since it was she who actually ruled Byzantium.
It is interesting that after birth, such ups were not foreseen in her fate, since she was born in a simple family of circus performers, and when she grew up, she also became a circus performer. True, the gods deprived her of her talent for circus art, and without hesitation she chose an easier way to make a living and became a heterosexual.
Hetero Phryne in front of the Areopagus, Painting by J.-L. Jerome, 1861, Kunsthalle, Hamburg.
Or, to put it more simply, a "courtesan" living off a rich lover. In this field, she discovered her real talent, and she gained fame as an educated and skillful girl in love joys, but at some point she fell under the influence of the sermons conducted by the Patriarch of Alexandria Timothy the Fourth and decided to break with her craft of the priestess of love and began to lead a righteous a life.
It is worth noting that her renunciation of the priestess of the most ancient craft on Earth appeared in her life story after she became an empress. In this regard, historians have great doubts about the fact of renunciation of prostitution.
In fairness, it should be noted that a hetero is not the same as a "prostitute", this craft can be compared with Japanese geisha. But even with this in mind, such an occupation was certainly not considered an honorable one at that time.
Actress and courtesan Theodora before meeting the Emperor Justinian. France, 1888.
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Becoming Empress Theodora used her power to "correct" her biography. For example, the meeting of Theodora with her future husband and the future emperor at that time, the heir to the throne, Justinian, is described:
“Theodora walked the streets of Constantinople and the heir Justinian, looking out the window, saw her and immediately fell in love. Soon the lovers got married."
Empress Theodora. Mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale.
But in order for a girl from a poor family of circus performers, a former circus performer and hetaira to become the wife of the emperor, it would probably not have been enough for her to just walk the streets of Constantinople, but she should have put her love skills into practice and in the historical documents of that time this version traced.
Sarah Bernhardt in Sardou's play Theodora (drawing by D. Clarin, 1902).
However, historians of that time claim that after becoming the wife of Emperor Theodore, she not only began to lead a righteous lifestyle, but also tried to erase all references to her past. Some short-sighted lovers from her past, imprudently talked about their relationship with her when she was a heterosexual and after such stories disappeared without a trace. Very soon, there were no more people wishing to spoil the reputation of the empress.
True, for all the "righteousness" the empress, in an effort to get rid of her "dark" past, did not stop at anything and it is she who is credited with the mysterious disappearance of her son, who was born to her even before her marriage with the future emperor. Before marriage, she managed to give birth to a daughter as well, but her brother's fate passed and she lived quietly and comfortably, and the empress even brought her son and her grandson closer to the court and contributed to his marriage to the daughter of a very influential and famous commander Belisarius.
And such righteousness and cruelty followed hand in hand in her life. So, Theodora ordered to build an underground prison under the palace in which all who dared to cross her path disappeared forever. The prisoners lived in the pitch darkness of the dungeon, on the same water and bread, and the empress forbade their overseers to talk to the prisoners.
Emperor Justinian. Mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale.
The Imperial Palace under the Empress was constantly shaken by all sorts of intrigues. The wife of the commander Belisarius, whose daughter Theodora married her grandson in her youth, just as she was a heterosexual, but if the empress ascended the throne broke with the past, then Antonina continued to lead a riotous lifestyle in marriage.
Belisarius adopted a boy named Theodosius and raised him like his own son, and when he grew up Antonina made him her lover. Belisarius heard rumors about the indecent behavior of his wife, and several times he even found lovers at the scene of the "crime", but turned a blind eye to what was happening.
But when the servants told him about what was happening in his bedroom in his absence, he flared up and ordered to kill Theodosius. But someone managed to warn the dissolute young man and he managed to escape from the inevitable punishment. And what awaited the libertine Antonina? Nothing.
Courtesan - depiction of Tullia d'Aragon by Joseph Heinz the Elder.
She was able to calm her husband and even obtained forgiveness from him for her sins. Belisarius forgave his wife and, as a gift as a sign of reconciliation, gave his wife those servants who had reported on her. Antonina ordered to cut off the tongues of the talkers, chop them into pieces, and put the remains in bags and throw them into the sea. Belisarius also forgave Theodosius, who was allowed to return to his father's house.
It is easy to guess that soon the love affair between Antonina and Theodosius flared up with renewed vigor.
Antonina's son, whose name was Photius, informed Belisarius about the new affair of his unfaithful wife. Belisarius was Photius' stepfather, and without hesitation suggested that he kill Theodosius. "Ordered" in modern language.
Her husband decided to deal with Antonina personally. While he was hatching plans for cruel revenge, Antonina's son and his henchmen caught her lover, but Photius was afraid to kill him, fearing revenge from his mother. Still fresh in the memory were the servants who paid for the long tongue.
Empress Theodora. Spain, XIX century.
Theodosius was taken away from Antonina and her jealous husband and thrown into a secret underground prison. Belisarius was sure that his wife's lover had been executed and was already intending to deal with the unfaithful Antonina, when suddenly Empress Theodora herself intervened in this family triangle.
She had an extensive network of spies and spies who informed her about the impending murder of her friend. Theodora, using her unlimited power, which was ensured by the position of her husband, literally forced Belisarius to reconcile again with his wife, a harlot.
Belisarius agreed, gritting his teeth, but he was not going to let his wife out of her treason so easily and thought about how to take revenge on her and not fall into disfavor with the emperor.
Theodora also wasted no time and instructed her spies to find out where the lover of her friend Theodosius was hidden. When it was not possible to find out the place of his imprisonment, she ordered to kidnap the people loyal to Belisarius and, under torture, find out from them where Theodosius was being held.
Civilization V. Theodora: Dancer, actress, empress.
Photius, whom Belisarius instructed to kill his wife's lover, suffered the most. He was secretly kidnapped by the empress's henchmen and brutally tortured. However, despite all efforts, Photius did not reveal the whereabouts of Theodosius, which he had kidnapped.
But this did not stop Theodora's spies from finding her friend's lover. They took him to the palace and the empress hid him in her palace. After that, Antonina met him there, committing adultery under the roof of the emperor's palace, where her husband could not invade.
It is not known how long this debauchery would last, but Theodosius unexpectedly fell ill and died suddenly.
Empress Theodora with her retinue.
These events give an idea of the personality of Theodora and her passion for intrigue, and they were not always so "harmless".
Amalasunta - Queen of the Ostrogoths was regent with her young son Atalaric, who was considered king. The Ostrogoths were actually ruled by her, not her son, and the rules were very cruel.
However, she was distinguished not only by cruelty, but also by her intelligence. She was a good politician and built good relations with Byzantium. Naturally, no one liked the constant executions of the nobles disliked by the queen - a conspiracy was ripe.
Noble Goths spread false rumors about the queen, trying to defame her honor. For example they said. that she commits adultery with a commoner. Moreover, the unequal lovers even wanted to escape, but supposedly her mother, upon learning of this, sent knights who seized the fugitives and brought them back to Ravenna (the capital of the Gothic state).
The commoner's lover was castrated and then executed in front of his mistress Amalasunta. Of course, she could not forgive such a “gray cardinal” ready to forgive his mother. During one of the church services, she poured poison into the communion cup and gave a drink from the cup to her hated mother. Death overtook the queen mother right at the church altar with a bowl in her hands.
Justinian I and Theodora. Stills from A still from the 1954 Franco-Italian film Theodora, Empress of Byzantium.
Whether these rumors were true or were they a lie, but it had its effect on the people and on the young king Atalarich, who completely believed them and hated his mother. To annoy her, he fell into unrestrained drunkenness and debauchery. Whether this behavior harmed his mother is not known, but the king himself soon died of syphilis.
The death of her son was not beneficial to the queen, since he died before reaching adulthood and never became a real king. Amalasunta was the regent of her son, but not the official heir to the throne. Power escaped and she, in pursuit of it, offered herself to be married to her cousin Theodahad, but on the condition that he would become king only in words, but in fact she would rule the country. Of course, he agreed, they played a magnificent wedding and he ascended the throne, but he did not fulfill his promise and became king, ordered to arrest his wife.
Amalasntu was arrested and sent into exile on an island in the middle of Lake Bolsena in the Central Apennines. But Amalasunta was not going to rot on this island until the end of her days, and through her entourage, turned to the emperor of Byzantium with a request to shelter her in her palace.
G. Semiradsky. Socrates finds his disciple Alcibiades at the getra.
If Justinian agreed, then she would become out of reach of her enemies, and soon she would be able to regain the throne, relying on the power of the ruler of Byzantium.
Everything could have gone well for her, but Justinian told his wife Theodora about her request. She pretended to agree that he would help Amalasunte. The very same, while her husband was sending ambassadors, who were to demand that the queen be handed over to them, she ordered her to be killed.
Moreover, she gave her order to the very ambassador who was sent by her husband with the order to release Amalasunta and deliver to Byzantium. It was here that it became apparent who the real ruler of Byzantium was - the ambassador obeyed the order not of the emperor, but of his wife.
The ambassador managed to organize everything in such a way that it would seem that he was ready to do it themselves. He sent a group of noble Goths to the island, whose relatives had previously been executed by Amalasunta. Arriving at the place of imprisonment, they grabbed the queen and boiled her alive in boiling water. This method of execution does not speak of the extreme cruelty of the Goths, at that time this type of execution was very common not only among the Goths, but also in Byzantium itself.
Theodora achieved her goal and showered the performer with honors and gifts. She was the real ruler of Byzantium. A simple woman who, with the help of her mind and cruelty, has always achieved her goals.
Who was she - a sinner or a saint? Even her contemporaries could not figure this out. In the written historical sources that have come down to us, she appears in the dark tones of a cruel killer and in the light clothes of a righteous woman.