June 28

Anniversary of the Death of Empress Theodora
 
he story of Theodora's ascension to Empress of Byzantium as the most powerful woman of the sixth century makes the story of Eva Peron's rise to power pale by comparison. However, there were some striking similarities. Both were actresses. Theodora started out as a circus perfumer and was the daughter one of the Hippodrome' s bear keepers. They were both prostitutes, although Theodora began when was only seven and, according to Procopius, the sixth-century historian, insinuated herself into that profession with a passion that has not been matched since.

Critics of Procopius have been unable to discredit some of its facts. For example, the sources do not dispute Theodora emerged as a comical actress in burlesque theater, and that her talents tended toward what might be called low comedy. While her advancement in Byzantine society was up and down, she made use of every opportunity.

Here is Procopius' account of her early life: 		 

Mosaic of Theodora
in the Basilica San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy


 
  "But as soon as she was old enough and fully developed, she joined the women on the stage and promptly became a courtesan, of the type our ancestors called a "camp follower"... Often she would go to a party with ten young men given up to unlimited self-indulgence, all at the peak of their physical powers and with fornication as their chief object in life...and copulate with every one of then: but not even so could she satisfy her lust .... Servants on whom this task had been imposed would sprinkle barley grain on her private parts, and geese trained for the purpose used to pick them of one by one with their bills and swallow  them."  

After a brief stint as the mistress of a minor official in North Africa, Theodora was unceremoniously dumped and had to work her way back home by turning tricks. When she stopped over in Alexandria, she met the Monophysite Patriarch Timothy, and underwent a religious conversion,  She  gave up prostitution for a job as a wool spinner. When she met Justinian, the Emperor's nephew and heir, it was passion at first sight. Justinian was nearly fourteen-years older than Theodora and had lived an abstemious life. He was a compulsive work addict, had no sense of humor, and little interest in sex. But everything changed when he met Theodora.  His love for her necessitated him having the Emperor Justin issue a decree that actresses who had renounced their former life could marry any Roman, regardless of rank. Up to that time there was a law that actresses could not marry senators. So Justinian inadvertently set the wheels in motion that  facilitated the marriage of Elizabeth Taylor and Senator John Warner fifteen-hundred years later.

Theodora married Justinian and, on his accession to the Roman Imperial throne in 527, he made her joint ruler of the empire. She was centuries ahead of her time as a ruler and gave women the same legal rights as men, established homes for ex-prostitutes, allowed women to own and inherit property, gave mothers  guardianship rights over their children, and enacted the death penalty for rape. Along with her husband, she is a saint in the Orthodox Church

With the extraordinary power and drama of Theodora's life, it's remarkable that she has not become a popular theatrical subject, such as Catherine the Great or Elizabeth I.  Sardou created the only major play about her life, Théodora, a vehicle for Sarah Bernhardt (October 27) which became the basis for several novels. The only major film treatment was an Italian potboiler, Teodora, Imperatrice di Bisanzio, in which the empress was played by Gianna-Marie Canale.

Because of the major Byzantine influence in Italy, especially in Ravenna, there are many Italian dishes celebrating Theodora' s memory including consumato Théodora (asparagus in consommé), and filetti di sogliola Théodora (fillets of sole with a lemon cream sauce).

Consumato Théodora
(Asparagus in Consommé)
 
Ingredients
 
9 cups beef bouillon
1&1/2 lbs. ground round steak
3 egg whites 
1 doz. medium asparagus stalks 		1 cup leeks, sliced in 2" pieces
1 cup broccoli, sliced in 2" pieces
3 strips lemon zest
 


 
Instructions
 
  1. Boil bouillon over medium heat until it is reduced by 1/3rd.
  2. Cut off· asparagus tips about 3" down. Reserve tips. Use stalks for consommé.
  3. Beat egg whites until frothy. Add beaten whites  to boiling bouillon, stirring constantly.
  4. Add ground steak, zest, leeks, asparagus stalks, and broccoli to bouillon. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for two hours. Strain liquid through several layers of cheesecloth.
  5. Bring consommé back to a simmer. Add asparagus and simmer for 8 minutes,  Serve with three asparagus tips per bowl.

Serves 6