#empress theodora

[city-of-ladies]

Antonina: a powerful woman in the sixth-century Roman world

"Antonina was the most powerful uncrowned woman in the sixth-century Roman world. She deposed Pope Silverius, arranged for the sacking of John the Cappadocian, traveled across the Mediterranean with her husband, and even occasionally inserted herself into the running of his army. She knew soldiers, officers, the emperor, popes, bishops, and historians, and at various times commanded them, pleaded with them, and intimidated them. This is a remarkable resume, virtually unparalleled among Roman military wives, and certainly without parallel in the sixth century. She was a formidable woman and, like her friend and patron Theodora, one who was occasionally feared. If the reputation of Belisarius is sometimes inflated in modern evaluations, the reputation of Antonina has been chronically underappreciated. Historians have focused far too much on the Secret History story of Antonina’s affair and her supposed domination of Belisarius, and far too little on her exceptional career. She is evidence that elite women in the sixth century could take on public roles alongside their husbands."

Belisarius & Antonina: Love and war in the age of Justinian, David Alan Parnell

#antonina #leaders #powerful women #history #women in history #women's history #6th century #belisarius #byzantine empire #justinian I #empress theodora

[nancydrewwouldnever]

Early Byzantine, The Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora with their Court Retinues, ca. 547, mosaic (San Vitale, Ravenna)

Mosaics in situ (flanking apse windows beneath Christ in Majesty mosaic), details of Emperor and Empress

#byzantine #mosaic #art #portrait #empress theodora #justinian #6th century #ravenna

[suburbanbeatnik]

Justinian and Theodora romance sketch! I totally love these two as a couple-- the courtesan that married a prince!-- and there's not much art for them out there. So here it is, @byzantine-suggestions and @margaretkart!

#justinian #justinian and theodora #theodora #empress theodora #art #illustration #sketchbook #sketch #romance art #byzantine empire #byzantium #ancient rome

[angie-massei]

I think I’ll make more of them. These were all in my diploma about women in history.

1. Marie Casimire Louise de La Grange d'Arquien

2. Livia Drusilla/Iulia Augusta

3. Empress Theodora

4. Queen Tiye

5. Regelinda

(I’ll probably make a post about every one of them but yeah)

#the drawings are from 2022 so quite old #i’d draw them differently now #women in history #historical women #diploma #my art #empress theodora #theodora #regelinda #regelindis #livia drusilla #iulia augusta #marie casimire #maria kazimiera

[whispersobliviate]

Cleopatra | John William Waterhouse

An Egyptian Pottery Seller near Gizeh | Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann

The Sorceress | Georges Merle

Empress Theodora | Jean Joseph Benjamin Constant

#art #beauty #cleopatra #john william waterhouse #egyptian #elisabeth jerichau baumann #sorceress #georges merle #empress theodora #jean joseph benjamin #intensity

[hurremshiv]

OSP made another Byzantium video and Blue is once again talking about how cool Theodora was.

#empress theodora #overly sarcastic productions #YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT'S MY GIRL

[illustratus]

The Empress Theodora by Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant

#empress theodora #art #history #byzantine #byzantium #byzantines #constantinople #painting #europe #christianity #empress #theodora #jean joseph benjamin constant

[gayangstandshakespeare]

Been holding onto this beauty for a while 💕💜💙

The lovely Empress Theodora and her gossiping friend Antonina

#empress theodora #justinian the great #antonina #flavius belisarius #byzantium #byzantine empire #byzantine empress #6th century #history art #sketch #digital art #greek tag #roman tag

[uselessbard1031]

THEODORA OF BYZANTINE RANT:

OKAY! So I've been completely obsessed with this woman since I was in middle school, alright? I legit want 'purple is the noblest shroud' tattooed on my body forever at some point because what a fucking power quote. I submitted a google doodle in high school about her, alright? I'm a fan.

That being said, I am also recently obsessed with SIX: The Musical. For those of you unaware, it's a musical that tells the story of Henry the VIII's six wives. You know, like 'The Tudors?' Like 'That Boleyn Girl'? Like a gazillion other stories? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Six and it's portrayal of the wives as something separate from Henry.

YET YOU KNOW WHO HAS YET TO HAVE A MUSICAL, TV SHOW, OR EVEN JUST PUBLIC RECOGNITION????

I mean this woman was born to a bear keeper at a circus. became a child prostitute out of desperation, and ended up being empress of the fucking Byzantine Empire. Justinian didn't pass a single law after she died because she was the one really pulling the strings. This god damned power couple (and their genius general Belisarius -- who, side note, literally did the whole retire and return for one final battle thing) almost reunited Rome! THE FUCKING ROMAN EMPIRE!!! And if Theodora hadn't died, they might have!

Give this woman, who passed laws against sex trafficking, a movie I stg. I will write the damned thing! Give this woman, who got Justinian to change the law to marry her, a musical. I do not write songs. I do write stories and scripts. Get me a musically inclined partner and I'll have at it!

Why are we not talking about Theodora? Why are we not talking about her and Justinian's attempts to reunite Rome? Why are we not talking about her being a feminist and one of the first outspoken miaphysitists (early Christians) to rule? Her bad-fucking-ass speech to her husband and his court of advisors, who all wanted to flee, that ended with 'purple is the noblest shroud' and a conviction to stay and face a riot that they untimely succeeded in stomping out UNDER HER ORDERS??? The woman who Justinian saw as his intellectual equal despite her background and gender.

Where is her story? Where is her movie? Her TV show? Her musical?

You know what? Fuck it, this is a call to action. You write music? Shoot me a message, leave a comment. Let's write this thing. I'll produce it myself.

If you actually read this far, namaste, and thank you.

#theodora #theodora of byzantine #byzantine #byzantine empire #empress #empress theodora #six the musical #six #henry the 8th #justinian the 1 #belisarius #musical #history #forgotten history #rome #roman empire #roman empress

[alalumin]

ROUND TWO

Theodora was a Byzantine empress and Justinian's wife, acting at one of his advisors. She held an important role during the Nika riots.

Laskarina Bouboulina was Greek naval commander and heroine of the Greek War of Independence (1821). Considered the first woman in Greece to gain the rank of admiral

#greek sexywomen of tumblr #greek iconicwomen #polls #empress theodora #Bouboulina

[lightdancer1]

Next is the Empress Theodora of Byzantium:

Empress Theodora was and is one of the main figures of Byzantine history, and of the Empire in its glory days. Like Queen Isabella of Castile she was both partner to her husband, the Emperor Justinian, and all of his brain cells. When she died, so died the glory of Justinian and of the great Byzantine state. She was also liable to various libels by the historian Procopius for her main offense, political success while female. She was controversial for the same reason that other women like her were, that in reality women very much did exercise power and influence no matter what ideology said, but since ideology mattered just as much to ancient historians as modern it became easy to believe a set of lies and bullshit that may or may not have had a grain of truth, but when the lies converge on the same territory it also hinges on the view that the historians of times past both had and used double-standards.

#lightdancer comments on history #women's history month #medieval history #byzantine history #empress theodora

[suburbanbeatnik]

Good-bye 2023, hello 2024! One of my New Year's Resolutions is to draw more (whispers-- and to catch up on my commissions) and here are sketches of Byzantine emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora, based on the famous San Vitale mosaics and these busts of Justinian (and the bust of Theodora in Milan here).

#justinian #theodora #empress theodora #illustration #art #sketchbook #sketch #byzantium #byzantine empire #byzantine #justinian and theodora

[mote-historie]

1900 Sarah Bernhardt in character as Theodora the Empress of Byzantium (Empress Theodora) in "Theodora: A Drama in Five Acts and Eight Tableau" (1885) by Victorien Sardou. Premiered: Theatre de la Porte Saint-Martin in Paris, France. 

Sardou's enthusiasm for historical authenticity was shared by his star. Weeks before ordering her costumes, she journed to Ravenna and stood long hours in the Church of San Vitale studying the magnificent mosaics with their startling portraits of Theodora and Justinian staring menacingly forth from barbaric gold. She made sketches of every robe, every fold, every detail or ornamentation. When she returned to Paris she had completed in detail a dressmaker's design for each outfit, as well as those for her stage jeweller, even to that death-dealing hairpin. Her wardrobe along cost more than the average production. Her costumer figured out that toiling in her work rooms she and her assistants had sewn on by hand more than 4,500 'gems'. (x)

Her costume is a replica of the celebrated mosaic of the Byzantine Virgin in the Church of Ravenna -- her robe is yellow satin embroidered with topazes; her coiffure is ablaze with jewels, and in her hand she carries a white lily, which tradition says was Théodora's favourite flower. The Empress seats herself on a couch of tigers' skins, and gives audience to her courtiers and to ambassadors from foreign lands.

#1900 #drama #sarah bernhardt #oriental costum #costume #oriental #byzantine costume #byzantine #theodora #empress theodora #Theodora the Empress of Byzantium #byzantine empress #feminist #victorien sardou #theatre de la porte saint-martin #paris #france #french actress #bernhardt #la emperatriz theodora #the empress theodora

[jennyofoldflowers]

empress theodora deserves a tv show...being a sex worker who has an emperor become down horrendous for her...battling her heinous mother in law...pioneering rights for female sex workers...becoming an empress...where is her three season, eight episodes PER season, HBO television show??

#empress theodora #emperor justinian #history #byzantine #byzantium #empire #random #shitpost #history shitpost #someone get this woman a tv show PLEASE

[hurremshiv]

when most people try to curtail sports hooligans it's fine. But when I, Empress Theodora...

#empress theodora #nika rebellion #byzantine

[incorrectbyzantines]

Me listening to a lecture on Justinian every time Theodora is mentioned

#empress theodora #byzantine