Justinian Influence

Theodora I, the wife of Justinian I, is generally remembered as having played an essential role in the development of the Byzantine Empire and in enforcing her husband's position over his subjects. Procopius was her contemporary and his writings made it possible for the whole world to acknowledge her contributions to the Empire and the attitude that she employed regarding concepts that she appreciated. In spite of the fact that there is much controversy regarding her personae, the Byzantine Empress was probably one of the most influential individuals in the history of the Roman Empire, considering that she is responsible for having prevented her husband from losing authority in the Empire.

From the cradle to the grave, life in England during the late Middle Ages was dominated by religion. Whether born noble or common, people’s lives were marked by attending mass, receiving the sacraments, and observing numerous holy days. Yet the Catholic Church viewed women, because they were the ‘descendents of Eve,’ as particularly susceptible to sin. As a result it was far more challenging for a woman to lead an actively religious life in medieval society. Even among the peasants, where a woman’s work was equally important to that of a man for the function of the local community, females were still considered the lesser sex. Barred from the clergy yet deemed unsuitable for political interference, women relied on their various religious convictions to play a part in society.

Theodora, or Empress Theodora was born on circa 497. She was married to Justinian I who was the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire in 527 AD. She was very smart and intelligent. Theodora was very supportive of Justinian’s choices and ideas. She was also very helpful to Justinian and he accepted her advice. She was very powerful and influenced plenty of people. She is remembered as one of the first rulers to truly understand women's rights.

Prostitute, temptress, harlot: such degrading and demeaning images are most often used to represent the infamous Byzantine Empress, Theodora, wife of Justinian I. In both popular media and, most importantly, academic work, the Empress Theodora has been debased and vilified as a demanding succubus, using sex and corporal pleasure to wield influence over Byzantine policy. Though it not uncommon to encounter prominent females sexualized or cast into the outdated archetypes of evil temptress or holy virgin, it is unlikely that one will discover the accomplishments and contributions of such women in common historical records. Thus, the true character, nature, and influences of the Empress Theodora, hidden by historians and ignored for decades, must be uncovered and examined, so as to aptly measure the Byzantine leader’s place and importance in the history of the medieval world.

Theodora was Justinian’s wife when he was ruling. She helped him make decisions and gave him laws to pass. One thing Theodora strived for was equal rights for woman. Another thing she fought for was the punishment for adultery to be raised to death since it was such a big deal. A final thing she did was encourage her husband after the Nika riots when the Hagia Sophia was burned down and had to be rebuilt. A negative thing about Theodora was that she caused political corruption in the empire. The main way that she caused political corruption in the empire was by telling her husband Justinian what laws to make and what to do which gave her the power to get her way even if it wasn't what was best for the

Theodora was the empress of the Byzantine Empire and wife of Emperor Justinian. She is known for her strong influence towards her husband Justinian during the ruling of the Byzantine Empire. In the beginning of her life she was known as an actress. When Justinian met Theodora he fell in love but could not marry her because at the time his uncle, Uncle Justin I, along with a roman law prevented government officials from marrying actresses. Soon after his uncle died and Justinian took over as emperor he changed the law so he could marry Theodora. As a woman in the Byzantine time she had no real power over the empire. But through her husband she was able to help rule the Byzantine Empire. Theodora was known for many influential reforms. “Through

Born to a bear-keeper of Hippodrome in Constantinople and a miserable early life didn’t prevent Theodora from becoming Justinian’s wife and one of the most powerful empresses in Byzantine history. Theodora was born in the 5th century AD and married Justinian. She was known as empress of Byzantium and was one of the most influential and powerful woman in Byzantine history due to her success of ruling the empire, stunning beauty and quick wits.

Imagine being trap into a small, limited bubble for your whole life. That was what it was like for women in the Byzantine empire until a fine woman spoke up for them. Her name was Empress Theodora and she was one of the greatest people who helped establish rights for women and children. She lived in a low, poor class as the daughter of a bear keeper. Throughout her lifetime, she influenced the belief that women should have equal rights as men. Theodora’s intelligence and passion made her a trusty consultant for Justinian I. She was thought to be the most powerful woman in the history of the Byzantine Empire. Empress Theodora was a strong leader and role model for women and children.

Theodora saved kingdom built homeless shelters, passed that allowed women to own property,illegal to throw children out to die of exposure,built hospitals,built bridges to ease transportation,changed laws dealing with marriage,improved social status for women.First of all Empress Theodora was a woman of great importance who improved conditions in her empire. For example,when she gave a speech to convince Justinian to stay and fight,the empress persuaded them”not to flee to the shame of safety but to fight with courage to the death”Almanac 6}.This demonstrates that Theodora persuaded Justinian to fight the

Most consider Justinian one of the most important late Roman and Byzantine emperors. Justinian’s reign was from 527 to 565 CE. Not a great deal is known about his life. He was adopted at a young age by his uncle and brought to Constantinople for his education’s sake. Justinian aimed to take Italy, Sicily, and Africa by initiated an enormous military enterprise. During his reign he ordered the rebuilding of the Hagia Sophia church (in 532 CE) along with an empire-wide construction drive, ending in new churches, monasteries, forts, water reservoirs, and bridges. Justinian had a legal expert in his court gather together numerous legal documents, commentaries, and laws of the Roman legal system into one book which would hold all laws. This

he main historical sources for her life are the works of her contemporary Procopius. The historian offered three contradictory portrayals of the Empress. The Wars of Justinian, largely completed in 545, paints a picture of a courageous and influential empress who saved the throne for Justinian.

The Crusades were a new era for Europe and the Middle East. In 1095, Pope Urban II’s called to rescue the holy lands from the unbelievers. This lead to the Europeans’ exceptional dedication to the Crusades and their beliefs that the eastern society that was in control of the sacred lands of God were unfit to occupy the lands. With the Crusades came a whole new way of life for everyone in these areas. This new way of life affected everyone, but an often overlooked group that was greatly affected is women. Females throughout history have actively participated in a vast majority of roles. The time of the Crusades was no different. Women continue to adapt too many different roles to fulfill the needs of their time and the situations they are

Justinian began his rule in A.D. 527 to 565. (History.com “Staff Empire under Justinian”) One Justinian’s greatest accomplishment was the code of Justinian which was a set of reformed laws that the entire empire had to rule by and was a stepping stone for many laws created later in history. During Justinian’s rule he had a hunger for reclaiming the lost land that once belonged to his Empire and as such he reclaimed many of them through war and trade. As a consequence this later brought high taxes upon the people of the Byzantine Empire. The fall of Byzantine was a slow and gradual one. Over many years the wares of conquest and what seemed to be a fate of unlucky turns of events brought Byzantine to its knees and eventually to its death. Plague, war, conquest, natural disasters, barbaric raiders and

Justinian I was a ruler in the Byzantine Empire from 527 to 565 CE. When he first came into power Justinian I was not favored by the overall population. Procopius, a scholar and historian in the 6th century, described Justinian as a man “both an evil-doer and easily led into evil, the sort of a person whom they call a moral pervert, never of his own accord speaking the truth to those with whom he conversed, but having a deceitful and crafty intent behind every word and action.” Also the Nika Riots were revolts against Justinian’s rule that took place in Constantinople over the span of a week. This resulted in the death of thirty-thousand people. But despite the early animosity towards Justinian’s reign it is clear that Justinian brought prosperity to the Byzantine Empire during and after his rule. Justinian I influenced art specifically

Theodora had a major influence on many of the reforms of her husband. Clearly being a feminist, she was one of the first rulers to recognize the rights of women and to end legal concubinage. She helped pass laws to stop the trafficking of young girls. Theodora altered divorce laws so that women had more rights and property ownership, and she allowed it for mothers to have a greater governing role over their children. She disallowed the killing of adulterous wives and she made rape punishable with the death penalty. It can be said that she was so sympathetic towards women of humble birth