Justinian was one of most ambitious and greatly regarded Roman emperors during the Byzantium era. He took back Africa and Italy from the Vandals and the Goths, rebuilt the Hagia Sophia, and wrote the Corpus Juris Civilis, a complete overhaul of Roman law (Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World). However, his success in these endeavors would not have been possible without his wife, Theodora. In his book “The Empress Theodora: Partner of Justinian”, James Allen Evans writes, “Theodora was, to quote Justinian’s own words in one of his laws, “our most pious consort given us by God””. Theodora was instrumental in restoring Roman rule to the west and further expanding the empire. With her influence, she increased women’s rights, kept …show more content…
Due to her career as an actress, it was illegal for Justinian, a royal official at the time, and Theodora to be married. His love for her pushed him to change that law and according to “Women in the Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia”, written by Nadia Margolis, “They began co-ruling as emperor and empress as of August 527. Theodora was no mere consort to her husband; Justinian definitely listened to her advice”. Theodora quickly took advantage of her newfound power and influence to manipulate her husband in increasing women's rights in the empire. This included implementing laws giving women guardianship of their children, allowing women to break unjust contracts and allowing people from different ranks to be married (Evans …show more content…
During her reign, the empire was in a craze for the sport of chariot racing, like football for Americans today. The empire was effectively divided into two factions; the blues or greens. Both emperor Justinian and empress Theodora were major supporters of the blue faction. However, one day a fight broke out between members of both factions and the law sentenced them to hang. Yet two members from opposing factions survived and found sanctuary. Emperor Justinian who was a regular to the games found the citizens united and demanded from the emperor to pardon the two surviving members. More and more the crowd grew unsettling and violent with each game passing, until the crown of over 100,000 rioted against the emperor and threatened his life. It was the start of a full-blown revolution! This is where the brilliance of the empress shines through. Her husband facing defeat and wanting to escape from the rioters is approached by his flawless wife. She begins to lecture to her husband and group of advisors that flight is not something that a real man does in the face of death. That it is much better to stay and face the danger instead of giving up all your riches and be cowards. She then says courageously “For a king, death is better than dethronement and exile”, explaining that all men die but it is unbearable to see an emperor live in exile as that is a fate worse
Did Justinian impact life as we know it because he is such a great ruler, or is he just a follower who keeps trying to hold on to the loose threads of a fallen empire? Some might say that without Justinian, humanity is a step further back. Others may argue evermore that Justinian is a two-faced liar who you cannot trust (Doc. 2). Contrary to many beliefs, Justinian creates a new Byzantine Empire after the fall of Rome that is influential to many different cultures, more advanced and educated than Rome, and more economically thriving than the Roman Empire.
Theodora’s story starts with a distinctive start. Her father was a bear trainer that worked in the Hippodrome in Constantinople and she grew up in the entertainment spotlight (Craig/Graham/Kagan/Ozment /Turner, 355, 2009). She was a mime and when she was older, she became an actress (Koeller, 1996). So, she not only lived in a circus, she also became a child star. Who would not want her childhood? But, back in that day, an actress was not a highly looked upon career for a women, therefore the term ‘actress’ was interchanged with ‘prostitute’ (Koeller, 1996). So, it might not have been the best...
The story of the fall of the Roman kingdom as told by Livy begins with king Tarquinius men gathered around a table praising their wives. Finally, one man declared that there was no use in arguing as his wife Lucretia was the most loyal. Another man suggested that as they are capable of it they should go to their houses unannounced in order to check up on their wives. Unlike the rest of the women, Lucretia was not going out but rather working on spinning with her servants in their house. Impressed by this her husband returned home for the night and invited the king's sons in for the night. several days later Sextus Tarquinius (one of the king’s sons) broke into Lucretia's bedroom held a sword to her neck and raped her. The next morning, she called in her father and husband. She explained to them what had happened. After explaining this to her father she killed herself due to her overwhelming feeling of dishonour. Due to this, her father rallied what was left of the senators and as a city, they expelled Tarquinius from all the territories of Rome. A general election was held to discover the new governing system the vote was for the republic. The monarchy was at an
Emperor Justinian of the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire, was one of Rome’s greatest leaders. By building numerous churches, schools, and hospitals throughout the empire, Justinian not only managed to revive Roman society, but he also preserved Roman culture for over a thousand years. Justinian’s brilliant leadership led the Roman Empire to conquer lands in Europe and Africa and expand to its greatest size. Additionally, he unified and strengthened the empire by moving the capital to Constantinople and establishing a single faith. After his death, Justinian left a legacy that allowed Rome to continue thriving. Under Justinian’s rule, Rome flourished into a culturally rich civilization.
The birth of an eastern circus woman attracted no attention at all in mid-millennium year 500. No one could ever imagine that this baby would grow up to be one of the most remarkable women in history of the World. She was the daughter of the bear keeper, a public performer,wife of Justinian, Empress of the Byzantine Empire and a natural beauty whose name became the one name in the voluminous annals of the Byzantine empire known to almost everyone; Theodora. Once the former show girl settled down to respectable married life, she touched every branch of life in the Empire. She had her finger on everything including military campaigns, architectural developments, and government policy and law reforms. With her intelligence and charm and her indomitable willpower she became the backbone of Justinian by being the partner in power. Her supremacy and authority over Justinian and her role in the empire made her a significant woman in the history and the empress of one of the great civilizations of the world. She brought Justinian a stabilizing influence and helped him shaped his policies and became the foreground of every picture of the period. For all the long series of masterful empresses none is as astonishing and stunning as the consort of Justinian. This essay will analyze the dynamic of the marriage between Justinian and Theodora and it will argue the importance of this marriage for the strength of the Byzantine Empire.
Hill, Barbara. Imperial Women in Byzantium 1025-1204: Power, patronage and ideology. New York: Longman, 1999. Print.
The Significance of Women in the Imperial Family During the time of the Roman Empire women were not allowed to play any part of the political life of the empire. However, women were still able to influence powerful men and manipulate them to use their power. for the wants of the woman. The most powerful woman in the Roman society was either the wife of a principal or the mother of one. Examples of influential women in the imperial family include Livia Drusilla, Julia.
“I am the Emperor!” cried Harrison. “Do you hear? I am the Emperor! Everyone must do what I say at once!” He stamped his foot and the studio shook. “Even as I stand here,” he bellowed, “crippled, hobbled, and sickened – I am a greater ruler than any man who ever lived!” Harrison may be viewed as a hero in some people’s eyes, but the following evidence proves that Harrison Bergeron is a danger to society. He is aggressive, condescending, and unfit to control the government as emperor.
2. Procopius starts this document stating that Theodora is nothing more than a prostitute. He goes on to say that she was not of class or had any dignity, because she would perform on stage almost completely nude. Procopius portrays her as someone who is ruthless and will do whatever she needs to do to accomplish her goals. Justinian would fall in love with her, but was not allowed to marry her because of his social status, because
Trajan was the second of the five good emperors. He was considered Optimus Princeps or “best emperor” because he not only renewed the Titus-Nerva oath of protecting senators’ lives, he also respected the people. For instance, Pliny stated that “Trajan behaved as one of us, just like a private citizen” and so he gained the respect of the roman people. Furthermore, he gained even greater respect from the people as he allowed for freedom of speech. Not only did Trajan have a great relationship with the Roman Senate and people, he also benefited the Empire tremendously. He was able to extend the Roman Empire into Dacia, Arabia, and Parthia and his wars with the Parthian Empire allowed him to take over the areas of Armenia and Mesopotamia. Moreover, Trajan’s campaigns resulted in the largest Roman Empire that the world would see. Trajan also made possible the building of the Alcantara Bridge, making travel easier in the Roman province of Spain. Nerva, Trajan’s predecessor, was unable to benefit the Roman Empire in a great fashion, and so he is considered only a...
Justinian was one of the most influential rulers of Byzantium. When he came into power in 527 AD, he inherited a civilization in disarray. Justinian had a positive impact on the Byzantine Empire. Most notably, he introduced an improved set of laws and conquered many surrounding nations, nearly restoring the former glory of the Roman Empire. In addition to these contributions, Justinian also made advances with the Christian Church and Byzantine architecture.
Imagine a world where if the Senate did not like the President, they murdered him. In some years there would be up to five different rulers in a year. What would it be like to have murder mixed in with the craziness of politics? How would your life change if people were murdered by the Senate because they did not like the person? This was the way of life in many ancient empires. Murder was a just a way of life in ancient Rome. The Roman Senate would be so fed up with losing power that they killed several Emperors. However, there were five good emperors in a row who became known as The Five Good Emperors. These Emperors were Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius. They were mainly considered good for gaining the support of the Senate (Encyclopedia Britannica). After gaining the support of the Senate, these Emperors brought in and improved the tradition of adoption, doing different public works; the way they died also showed many truth about how these Emperors Ruled.
...they didn’t like the way he ruled(Movie). They thought Commodus was great at first, he was a young emperor and ordered 150 days of gladiatorial games in remembrance of his father. After a while people soon got bored with this, as anyone would.
Violence plays an essential role in Empress of Rome because it is a tool used to keep the nation unified. The power of the Roman Empire was maintained through the federation of the people, once they were happy peace was guaranteed. Quinn provides examples throughout the novel of ways in which this was accomplish. “The Colosseum had been thrown open to the crowd for the festival day, and the games were planned. No doubt a thousand lions would be slaughtered by spearmen, five thousand exotic birds by archers, and a few hundred prisoners by guards, and half the unlucky bastards sentenced to the gladiatorial fights would get dragged out on hooks through the Gate of Death” (Quinn 20). Violence is this era was seen as entertainment. The colosseum
Julius Caesar was a strong leader of the Romans who changed the course of the history for the Roman world decisively and irreversibly. With his courage and strength, he created a strong empire and guided the empire for almost 20 years. His life was short, but had many adventures. I will tell of some of this man’s remarkable life. He did many things, therefore, I will only discuss a few. His name, part of his reign, one of his greatest battles, and his death will be told.