Episode Details

Theodora rose from the stage and the streets of Constantinople to become empress of the Byzantine Empire. She co-ruled with Justinian, saved his throne during the Nika riots, and championed laws protecting women from trafficking and forced prostitution. Her enemies called her a harlot. She outmaneuvered every one of them.

This episode traces the most extraordinary social ascent in Roman history and examines how Theodora wielded power in an empire that had no room for a woman like her.

• Her early life as an actress and courtesan in Constantinople
• The Nika riots and how her refusal to flee saved the empire
• Her legal reforms protecting women and expanding their rights
• The Procopius problem: his Secret History and its reliability