Supersluts of History: Roman Empress Theodora
episode
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
42 min
4 speakers
8 chapters
transcribed 3 months ago
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What is the context of Theodora's rise to power in the Roman Empire?
Do you want even more shocking and scandalous history? Like why the ancient Greek statues had such small manhoods or what went on behind closed doors in the Georgian era? Well sign up to History Hit where you can see me discover the scandalous side of history as well as hundreds of hours of original documentaries plus new releases every week covering everything from prehistoric Scotland to the Treaty of Versailles. Sign up to join me in locations around the world and explore the past. Just visit historyhit.com forward slash subscribe. Hello, my lovely Betwixters. It's me, Kate Lister. Welcome back once again to Betwixt the Sheets. We need the fair dues warning before we go any further. Here it is. This is an adult podcast, spoken by adults to other adults, about adult things in an adult way, covering a range of subjects, and you should be an adult too.
We have to keep telling you that because on the off chance that a newbie has wandered in thinking Betwixt the Sheets was some kind of podcast about interior design, and they're going to be shocked and upset with what is about to assail their ears. Right. Everyone's feeling safer. Let's crack on. Constantinople is burning and the year is 532 AD. And here in the greatest city in the Roman world, it's all kicking off. You've got rival political factions, the Blues and the Greens, uniting against the Emperor Justinian I. And for days, riots have been engulfing the city. Buildings are burned, officials have been killed, and understandably, inside the Great Palace, well, everyone's absolutely losing their minds.
Cortier's urging Justinian to flee, but his wife, the Empress Theodora, who, by the way, is not of noble blood, has other ideas. Her story is remarkable, as we're about to find out. Maybe it was her time as a performer that enabled her to deliver the killer line of defiance, purple makes a fine burial shroud. That'll make more sense when we talk about it in the episode, but trust me, that's an absolute belter. And with that line, Justinian's resolve hardened. The rioters were quashed and the Roman Empire lived to fight another day. Well, a few more days.
Thank you.
Hello and welcome back to Betwixt the Sheets, the history of sex, scandal and society with me, Kate Lister. Today we are starting a new limited series which celebrates and explores the so-called super sluts of history. The four women that we are going to be featuring over the next month have been defined by their sexuality for better or for worse and I want to know how it affected them. Was it a reputation that was well-deserved? Was it one that they enjoyed and cultivated, or one that they resisted and resented? Was their sexuality a superpower, or something that was used to beat them about the head with, or both? Well, today we're heading back to the last days of the Roman Empire, where the Empress Theodora is one of the most powerful women in the world, and a lot of people have to say that she was a super slut.
Incredibly, she was from a very impoverished background and was likely to be a sex worker before she rose to be empress. Now that is a career trajectory, isn't it? Taking us through Theodora's story is the author Stella Duffy, who's published two books about this amazing woman's life. Right, without further ado, I think we should be cracking on. Well, hello and welcome to Betwixt the Sheets. It's only Stella Duffy. How are you doing? I'm good, thank you, Kate. I'm thrilled that you are here because this is the first instalment in our little wryly titled miniseries of Super Sluts Through History. You are the author of Theodora, Actress, Empress, Whore. Today we are looking at... And the Purple Shroud, which is the follow-up.
And the Purple Shroud. They're a double act because the first one is just until she becomes Empress. The second one is her time as Empress until she dies. Fabulous. Not a spoiler that she's dead. She dies in 548.
She's hanging on in there with a bowl to the wall skincare routine. But we are talking about the Empress Theodora.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the context of Theodora's rise to power in the Roman Empire?
0:00–7:13
2
How did Theodora's early life influence her later decisions?
7:13–10:45
3
What were the significant contributions made by Theodora during her reign?
10:45–14:22
4
What was Theodora's role during the Nika Rebellion?
14:22–18:18
5
How did Theodora challenge societal norms of her time?
18:18–22:59
6
What controversies surrounded Theodora's legacy?
22:59–28:49
7
Why was Theodora canonized as a saint?
28:49–31:55
8
How is Theodora's story relevant to discussions of women's power today?
31:55–42:24