An engaging biography of one of history's most intriguing and powerful women: Theodora, Empress of Byzantium.

¿ A fascinating portrait of a woman who rose from professional courtesan to influential advisor and empress ¿ Takes advantage of the latest research on early Byzantium ¿ Penetrates the highly biased accounts of her found in the writings of her contemporaries

[Empress Theodora's] greatest moment was when she stiffened the resolve of the weak Justinian, persuading him not to flee in the face of dangerous rioting in the capital. Admittedly, this limited set of details forms the basis of a fascinating story, even if a biographer has to pad it out with speculation. But Potter's learned yet highly readable book diverges from the familiar formula. Theodora is revealed as a skillful operator who knew how to build useful alliances and work through them. Procopius's hostile version cannot be the whole story. To be an empress in Byzantium was to understand where power really lay, and some, like Theodora, exploited power to the full.