All About - History - Hitler Versus Stain

Born to a bear trainer and an actress in
Constantinople, the woman fated to become
the wife of a Byzantine emperor hardly had
an auspicious start in life. In Theodora’s
early years her life took a path that her later
detractors would revel in, providing effortless fuel
for the gossip that would surround her even after
death. For there is little doubt that Theodora had
two intertwined and equally suspect occupations
before her marriage: she was well known both as
an actress and as a courtesan. This line of work was
also taken by at least one of her two sisters, and it
is said that her mother ushered the girls into their
professions after the death of their father, Acacius.
John of Ephesus, a writer sympathetic towards
Theodora, refers to her as having come “from
the brothel”, while the less friendly Procopius,
whose writings are our largest single source of
information on Theodora, also repeats this detail.
From Procopius, we learn that the young Theodora
made quite a name for herself: with her provocative
dress and habit of stripping on stage, she titillated
her audiences, even allowing buckets of grain to
be emptied between her legs for geese to peck out.
When the performances were over, Theodora went
further still and offered herself to all, both high and
low, attending banquets to drum up custom.
However true or not the worst exaggerations of
Procopius, this was not a life that would do for one
such as Theodora. Early on it became apparent
that she was intelligent, resourceful and able to
think for herself, traits that would serve her well. At
16, Theodora left Constantinople for North Africa,
where she spent four years in the role as mistress
to Hecebolius, a Syrian official. The whole matter
ended in tears, but this did not bring her down; on
her slow return to Constantinople via Alexandria
and Antioch, Theodora met patriarchs and others
of influence, learning and honing the skills and
manners that she displayed to such great effect as
empress. It was during this time that she is said to
have converted to the controversial Monophysite
religion, which held the belief that the human and
divine natures of Christ were fused into one.
Setting her former occupations behind her,
in 522, in her early 20s, Theodora returned to
Constantinople. She set herself up as a wool
spinner, making her home close to the palace. Here
she caught the eye of Justinian – heir and nephew
to Emperor Justin I. The middle-aged Justinian
was captivated by her, and was determined to
marry Theodora: but there was one, apparently
insurmountable, obstacle. An old law stated
that government officials were prohibited from
marrying actresses, and although Theodora had
renounced her previous role, her dalliance with the
stage now barred her from becoming the wife of
the man who was heir to the empire. To further