As long as the Empress Euphemia was alive, Justinian could not
contrive to marry Theodora. Though she did not oppose him on any other
point, she obstinately refused her consent to this one thing. She was
altogether free from vice, although she was a homely person and of
barbarian descent, as I have already said. She never cultivated any
active virtues, but remained utterly ignorant of State affairs. She did
not bear her own name, which was a ridiculous one, when she came to the
palace, but was re-named Euphemia. Soon afterwards, however, she died.
Justin was in his second childhood and so sunk in senility that he
was the laughing-stock of his subjects. All despised him utterly, and
disregarded him because he was incompetent to control State affairs,
but they paid their court to Justinian with awe, for he terrified them
all by his love of disturbance and reckless innovations.
He then resolved to bring about his marriage with Theodora. It was
forbidden by the most ancient laws of the State that anyone of the
senatorial order should marry a courtesan; so he prevailed upon the
Emperor to repeal the existing law and introduce a new one, whereby he
was allowed to live with Theodora as his legitimate wife, and it became
possible for anyone else to marry a courtesan. He also straightway
assumed the demeanour of absolute despot, veiling his forcible seizure
of power under the pretext of reasons of State. He was proclaimed
Emperor of the Romans, as his uncle's colleague. Whether this was legal
or not may be doubted, since he owed his election to the terror with
which he inspired those who gave him their votes.
So Justinian and Theodora ascended the Imperial throne three days
before Easter, at a time when it is forbidden to make visits or even to
greet one's friends. A few days later Justin was carried off by
disease, after a reign of nine years, and Justinian and Theodora
reigned alone.
Thus did Theodora, as I have told you, in spite of her birth and
bringing-up, reach the throne without finding any obstacle in her way.
Justinian felt no shame at having wedded her, although he might have
chosen the best born, the best educated, the most modest and virtuously
nurtured virgin in all the Roman Empire, with outstanding breasts, as
the saying is; whereas he preferred to take to himself the common
refuse of all mankind, and without a thought of all that has been told,
married a woman stained with the shame of many abortions and many other
crimes. Nothing more, I conceive, need be said about this creature's
character, for all the vices of his heart are thoroughly displayed in
the fact of so unworthy a marriage. When a man feels no shame at an act
of this kind, and braves the loathing of the world, there is thereafter
no path of wickedness which may not be trodden by him, but, with a face
incapable of blushing, he plunges, utterly devoid of scruple, into the
deepest baseness.
However, no one in the Senate had the courage to show
dissatisfaction at seeing the State fasten this disgrace upon itself,
but all were ready to worship Theodora as if she had been a goddess.
Neither did any of the clergy show any indignation, but bestowed upon
her the title of “Lady.” The people who had formerly seen her upon the
stage now declared themselves, with uplifted hands, to be her slaves,
and made no secret of the name. None of the army showed irritation at
having to face the dangers of war in the service of Theodora, nor did
anyone of all mankind offer her the least opposition. All, I suppose,
yielded to circumstances, and suffered this disgraceful act to take
place, as though Fortune had wished to display her power by disposing
human affairs so that events came about in utter defiance of reason,
and human counsel seemed to have no share in directing them. Fortune
does thus raise men suddenly to great heights of power, by means in
which reason has no share, in spite of all obstacles that may bar the
way, for nothing can check her course, but she proceeds straight on
towards her goal, and everything makes way for her. But let all this
be, and be represented as it pleases God.
Theodora was at this time handsome and of a graceful figure, but she
was short, without much colour, but rather of a pale complexion, and
with brilliant and piercing eyes. It would take a life-time to tell of
all her adventures during her theatrical life, but I think what little
I have selected above will be sufficient to give an indication of her
character. We must now briefly set forth what she and her husband did,
for during their married life neither ever did anything without the
other. For a long time they appeared to all to be at variance both in
their characters and in their actions; but afterwards this disagreement
was seen to have been purposely arranged between them, in order that
their subjects might not come to an agreement and rise against them,
but might all be divided in their opinion. First, they split up the
Christians into two parties and brought them to ruin, as I shall tell
you hereafter, by this plan of pretending to take different sides. Next
they created divisions amongst the State factions. Theodora feigned to
be an eager partisan of the Blues, and gave them permission to commit
the greatest atrocities and deeds of violence against the opposite
faction, while Justinian pretended to be grieved and annoyed in his
secret soul, as though he could not oppose his wife's orders; and often
they would pretend to act in opposition. The one would declare that the
Blues must be punished because they were evil-doers, while the other
pretended to be enraged, and angrily declared that she was overruled by
her husband against her will. Yet, as I have said, the Blue faction
seemed wondrously quiet, for they did not outrage their neighbours as
much as they might have done.
In legal disputes, each of them would pretend to favour one of the
litigants, and of necessity made the man with the worse case win; by
this means they plundered both the parties of most of the disputed
property. The Emperor received many persons into his intimacy, and gave
them appointments with liberty to do what they pleased in the way of
violent injustice and fraud against the State; but when they were seen
to have amassed a considerable amount of wealth, they straightway fell
into disgrace for having offended the Empress. At first Justinian would
take upon himself to inquire kindly into their case, but soon he would
drop the pretence of good-will, and his zeal on their behalf would
throw the whole matter into confusion. Upon this, Theodora would treat
them in the most shameful way, while he, pretending not to understand
what was going on, would shamelessly confiscate their entire property.
They used to carry on these machinations by appearing to be at
variance, while really playing into each other's hands, and were thus
able to set their subjects by their ears and firmly establish their own
power.