The future Empress Theodora. The incredible fate of the hetaera and the circus artist
J. Constant "Empress Theodora in the box of the circus"
Some episodes of the world stories so implausible that such plots are not expected to be encountered even when reading tabloid novels. However, they are described in serious sources, the authenticity of which there is no reason to doubt.
One of these almost impossible heroines is Theodora, who went from a circus dancer to the empress of the Eastern Roman Empire in a fantastic way. Contemporary authors, and later historians after them, did not spare her, depicting her not only dissolute, but also vindictive, vindictive and cruel. Procopius of Caesarea, for example, wrote of her:
“No one has ever seen Theodora reconcile with the one who annoyed her, even after his death. But the son of the deceased, as if something that belonged to his father, having inherited the enmity of Vasilisa, passed it on to the third generation. For her ardor, extremely disposed to be aroused in order to destroy people, was completely incapable of appeasement.
But the Church turned out to be more indulgent, canonizing her together with her husband, Emperor Justinian I. Dimitri of Rostov writes about this couple in the Lives of the Saints:
“Thus, living in purity and piety, Justinian reigned for 39 years and died peacefully in the Lord. For the merits of the Church and for piety, he was canonized after death as a saint. Together with him, his wife, Empress Theodora, who was at first a sinner, but then repented and spent the rest of her life in purity and piety, was canonized.
Of course, ruling monarchs of either sex are holy and pious only in the Lives. However, Feodora was not even some incredible monster - Caligula in a female guise, and does not stand out much among her contemporaries and contemporaries.
The Secret History of Procopius of Caesarea
One of the main sources about Theodora's life is The Secret History - a pamphlet by Procopius of Caesarea, secretary of the famous Byzantine commander Belisarius.
The French historian of the XNUMXth century E. Renan, after reading this work, called the imperial court of Constantinople "the world of poisoners, murderers and unbridled madmen." In Byzantium itself, this work, apparently, was little known, but it was not forgotten either. Under the name Anekdota (unpublished), it is mentioned in the "Court" - an encyclopedic dictionary of the X-XI centuries. Knew about him and lived in the XII-XIII centuries. church historian Nicephorus Callixtus.
The next mention refers to the 1623th century - the French naturalist and translator Pierre Gilles speaks about the "Secret History" in his writings. And in the XNUMXth century, Niccolo Alamanni found two manuscripts of The Secret History in the Vatican library at once, but the book of Procopius was published only in XNUMX - in Lyon.
Historia Arcana, 1623 edition
At the end of the 12th century, the number of found manuscripts of the book of Procopius reached 8, new copies were found in the Ambrosian Library of Milan (XNUMX), the Riccardian Library of Florence and the National Library of Paris (one each). The earliest of these manuscripts date from the XNUMXth century.
It was Procopius of Caesarea who turned out to be the most fierce and implacable critic of Theodora. Fortunately, other sources have been preserved, where the activities and personality of this empress are assessed more objectively.
The origin and early years of Theodora's life
The future empress was born in the year 500 into a family of circus performers, whom some call immigrants from the island of Cyprus. They say that Theodora was born in the city of Famagusta. Her father was a bear trainer, her mother was an actress, Theodora was the second of three daughters born to this couple. The family lived in poverty, and after the death of its head (Theodora was then 5 years old) she found herself on the verge of poverty, from which her mother’s new marriage did not help either.
It is not surprising that all three girls from a very early age began to earn extra money in the circus. At the same time, according to Procopius, the eldest of the sisters, Komito, was the star of the performances. About Theodora, he disparagingly writes that she was
"Hetaera from those that in ancient times were called" infantry ". For she was neither a flutist nor a harpist, she did not even learn to dance, but only sold her youthful beauty.
But elsewhere the same author reports that Theodora
"she was unusually elegant and witty, because of this, everyone was delighted with her."
It is hardly possible to blame the young girl for the fact that the "most respectable public" was interested only in very frank numbers with her participation. In any case, the half-poor Theodora had little choice - to earn money with obscene numbers in the circus or go straight to the port brothel. In his Secret History, Procopius gives the following details of Theodora's speeches:
“Often in the theater, in full view of all the people, she took off her dress and found herself naked in the middle of the meeting, having only a narrow strip on her groin and shameful places, not, however, because she was ashamed to show them to the people, but because no one was allowed to appear here completely naked without a bandage. In this form, she arched back and lay on her back. The ministers who were entrusted with this work threw grains of barley on her shameful places, and the geese, specially prepared for this purpose, pulled them out with their beaks and ate them.
Procopius also speaks about the attitude of the townspeople towards the young Theodora:
“When any of the more decent people happened to meet her in the market, they turned away and hastily moved away from her so as not to touch the clothes of this woman and thus not to stain themselves with this evil spirits. For those who saw her, especially in the morning, this was considered a bad omen.”
Another contemporary of Theodora, John of Ephesus, is more sympathetic towards this woman, but also in the Lives of the Eastern Saints calls her "Theodora from the brothel." And Procopius also reports on the numerous pregnancies of the future empress, which ended in miscarriages. Some authors speak of two children of Theodora, born by her before her marriage to Justinian. The same Procopius claims that she had a son, John, who was brought up in his father's family in Arabia. He also speaks of a daughter whose son (Theodora's grandson) married the daughter of the commander Belisarius.
In general, there can be no doubt that in the first years of her life, the future empress really led a very reprehensible lifestyle. Therefore, one has only to be surprised at the strength of her character, which allowed this girl to radically change her fate and get out of such mud.
Patriarch Sevir of Antioch, personally acquainted with Theodora, called her “the queen who honors Christ,” and Bishop John of Ephesus called her “the faithful queen.” The chronicler Michael the Syrian states that Theodora "cared for the world of the churches more than her husband." John Malala in his "Chronography" says that this empress built a "monastery of repentance" on the banks of the Bosphorus for former hetairas and prostitutes with a very strict charter - so strict that, according to Procopius of Caesarea, some "harlots" could not stand it and ended in despair life of suicide.
John Malala also reports that Theodora bought girls from the owners of brothels, who were sold to them by their impoverished parents.
Transfiguration of Theodora
Theodora was already quite famous and even popular in Constantinople, when she suddenly left the capital of the empire for Alexandria - she went there together with the imperial official Hekebol, who was appointed archon of Pentapolis. Perhaps she was already hatching plans to change her fate, but her lover did not justify her hopes and soon left her.
It was said that she again returned to the craft of hetaera, but at the same time she met influential supporters of the teachings of the Monophysites, who recognized only one divine essence in Christ. Among her acquaintances were the patriarchs Timothy IV of Alexandria and Severus of Antioch (the future saint), communication with which had a great influence on the young woman.
A completely different Theodora returned to Constantinople, who began to lead a modest lifestyle and earn a living by spinning yarn. At this time, she met the future emperor Justinian, who either accidentally saw this girl through the window, or was introduced to her by the actress Macedonia, in whose house Theodora rented a room.
Justinian
Procopius of Caesarea describes Justinian as a very white-skinned man, of short stature and inclined to some corpulence, who had early bald patches and gray hairs. But his health was excellent, he was distinguished by endurance, slept little (and received the nickname "Sleepless Sovereign"), was unpretentious in food, moderate in drinking wine. But he was ambitious and appropriated the title "isapostol" - "equal to the apostles".
The character of Justinian, apparently, was very controversial. The brave and resolute commander sometimes behaved like the last coward (this was especially evident during the Nika uprising). At times he was magnanimous and generous, but at other times he was pettily stingy. He could show generosity, but more often he was vindictive, cunning and merciless towards enemies.
Supposed image of Justinian on the mosaic of the Church of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna
And this is how Justinian (performed by I. Smoktunovsky) was seen by the audience of the Soviet film “Original Rus'” (1986):
The future emperor was born either in 482 or in 483 in the Byzantine prefecture of Illyria, which included two dioceses - Macedonia and Dacia.
Monument to Justinian I in Skopje (capital of North Macedonia)
Most researchers believe that the future emperor was a Thracian, although it has been suggested that he was of Slavic origin. Initially, it bore the name Upravda (Upravda). But they also talk about another name - Peter Savvaty. Justinian could not boast of a “high origin”: his parents were peasants. The testimony of Procopius of Caesarea is curious:
“They say that the mother of Justinian used to tell someone close to him that he was not born from her husband Savvaty and not from any person. Before she became pregnant with him, a demon visited her, invisible, but left her with the impression that he was with her and had intercourse with her like a man with a woman, and then disappeared as in a dream.
The story is, frankly, not original. Many rulers claimed to have been born from their mother's connection with some kind of deity, for example, Alexander the Great, his diadochi Ptolemy and Seleucus.
The boy's uncle, Justin, who began military service as a simple legionnaire in the army of Emperor Leo I, made a good career in Constantinople, rising to the important position of head of the palace guards. Being childless, he called his nephew to the capital of the empire, and later even adopted him. When adopted, the young man received a new name - Justinian. The illiterate campaigner Justin made sure that his 25-year-old relative received a good education, and then he was hired as the bodyguard of the emperor. In July 518, after the death of Emperor Anastasius I, Justin managed to seize power, and his nephew became the head of his guard.
Solidus of Emperor Justin I
In the next article, we will talk about the fateful meeting of Justinian and Theodora. About how Justinian ascended the throne, and Theodora became empress. And about the further fate of this, of course, strong and outstanding woman.
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