My Favorite Power Couple of All Time

In honor of this Valentine’s Day, today’s post is all about my absolute favorite power couple in all of history: Justinian I and Theodora, Emperor and Empress of the Byzantine Emperor (during some really top years for the Empire, no less- spread all the way to Ravenna, Italy from Constantinople!).

Justinian (aka the Great, yeah that’s right, he’s great) was a fairly decent Emperor: he codified and revised Roman Law, was the patron of the amazing Hagia Sophia (seriously, if you don’t know what this is, you’re missing out, but you can click here for an explanation), and expanding his empire across north Africa, Italy and Spain. Pretty impressive, but his best judgment call by far was marrying Theodora, who served as his partner in ruling/potential world domination/ Sunday picnics after church for the rest of their lives.

My favorite part of the story is that Theodora isn’t exactly a blue blood. Her dad was a bear trainer at Constantinople’s hippodrome and her mom was a dancer and an actress. There were some nasty rumors that Theodora herself worked in a rather dodgy brothel. She came to some medium-level fame after performing in a play where she wore only some barley, which geese ate off her (for the record, Daniel Radcliffe, you are clearly not the first person to star in weird naked plays with farm animals). It turned out that some time in the early sixth century, Justinian and Theodora realized they both had something in common: they both liked the troupe Theodora’s dad performed in. Justinian soon became fond of Theodora, and she promised to give up her former “career” and become a wool spinner in 522. Although Justinian wanted to marry Theodora, there was pesky law banning government officials from marrying actress. However, Justinian had his uncle (Justin, emperor at the time) repeal this law so he could marry her.

Justinian and Theodora made a great ruling pair: he often consulted her for decision of the kingdom, and they can be seen shown as a powerful pair at the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, and at Hagia Sophia, in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). Furthermore, during the Nika riots in 532, when over 30,000 angry people rebelled, and the governing council wanted to flee from the palace, her insistence on saying may have saved  Justinian's reign (and his life).

When Theodora died at age 50 (17 years before Justinian) in548, it was reported that Justinian wept at her funeral. For a big, tough, ruler of the Empire, I find that very touching. And so, Justinian and Theodora are my favorite power couple of all time. Have a lovely Monday!