Empress Theodora

It is the ultimate Cinderella story. A dashing Emperor falls in love with an actress and changes the law to make her his bride. Empress Theodora was born into a life on the stage and in sex work, but after her marriage to Emperor Justinian, she became the most powerful woman in the Byzantine Empire. But her name has been sullied by the salacious publication The Secret History by Prokopios in which she is depicted as the ultimate Wicked Woman.Featured Guests: Dr. Leslie Brubaker, an expert in Byzantine illuminated manuscripts, and award-winning author Stella Duffy who has written two novels about Theodora, Theodora and The Purple Shroud. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Om Podcasten

They were adulterers, murderers, mistresses, religious zealots, thieves, and traitors. They were queens, wives, mothers, young, and old. What binds the women together in this podcast is their legacies. These are women who were known during their lifetimes or reinvented after their deaths as wicked women. The lenses of history are often gendered, damning women for some of the same actions that men have been lauded for. The nuances surrounding the women in this podcast were removed in exchange for a one-sided portrayal. Within Wicked Women: The Podcast, I do not attempt to excuse or condone the wrongs committed by these women, instead, the podcast looks at their overarching story and examines the origin of their negative legacy. Alongside a brief biographical overview of the woman, I will be incorporating interviews I have held with experts on the subject to provide multiple and diverse perspectives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.