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Euphemia (empress)
Encyclopedia
Empress Euphemia whose original name was Lupicina, was the consort of Justin I
of the Byzantine Empire
and founder of the Justinian Dynasty
that lasted from 518 to 602.
Empress Euphemia is credited with the ecclesiastical policies of Justin and she founded a Church of Saint Euphemia
, where she was buried following her death in either, 523 or 524. Justin was buried by her side in 527.
According to the Secret History
of Procopius
, Lupicina was both a slave
and a barbarian
. He asserted that she had been the concubine
of her owner. The information from the Secret History was published posthumously. The seven volumes of histories that were published in his lifetime were the antithesis
of this published work, being most laudatory of the new dynasty. Critics of Procopius (whose secret history reveals a man seriously disillusioned with his rulers) have dismissed his posthumously published work as a severely biased source, being vitriolic and pornographic, but without other sources, critics have been unable to discredit some of the assertions in the publication. Although its motives are suspect and it can not be verified, its titillating nature has kept it as a popular reference.
The marriage of Euphemia and Justin is estimated to have occurred during the reign of Anastasius I
(reigned 491-518) when Justin had a prosperous career in the Byzantine army
.
. He was born in a hamlet near Bederiana in Naissus (modern Niš, South Serbia). As a teenager, he fled from a barbaric invasion, took refuge in Constantinople, and rose in the ranks of the army of the Eastern Roman Empire.
In Justin, the First: An Introduction to the Epoch of Justinian the Great (1950), Alexander Vasiliev theorised that the original name of his wife may indicate a linguistic association in another language, with prostitution
. Vasiliev connected the name to the Latin
word "Lupae" (she-wolves). While the word in its singular Latin form "Lupa" could literally mean a female wolf
, it also was the epithet
or disparaging slur
for the lowest class of Roman prostitutes. The derivative Latin word "Lupanar
" was the name of a brothel
in Pompeii. Many of these denigrating uses may have origins in derisive comments about the priest
esses of a cult of the Etruscan religion that predated the Roman, in which the deity was represented as a she-wolf (similar to Artemis
in Greek Mythology
), which would imply a quite different derivation and make greater sense of the choice of Euphemia, hence a euphemism
, as an alternative name for the empress. The wolf, Lupa
, who nursed Romulus and Remus
is related to the cult
of this wolf-goddess and the matrilineal, Etruscan civilization
that preceded the Roman. Acca Larentia
is another name for the wolf or the deity represented.
Emulation of the cultural hero, the religious martyr Saint Euphemia, may have had a more contemporary association and reason for selection as the royal name for the empress, especially given the religious changes taking place in Constantinople at the time and the apparent interest of the empress in the veneration of the saint.
, the imperial bodyguard). On the night hours of 8 July 518 – 9 July 518, Anastasius died and his silentarii
summoned Justin and Celer
to his deathbed. Celer was the magister officiorum
and commander of the palace regiments of the Scholae palatinae
. By morning the event had been announced through Constantinople
. The high officials, including the recently appointed John of Cappadocia
, Patriarch of Constantinople, were summoned to the Great Palace of Constantinople
for the election of the new emperor. Meanwhile the people were gathered in the Hippodrome of Constantinople
and awaited the proclamation of a new emperor.
Anastasius died childless, but had several known relatives. His brother Flavius Paulus had served as Roman consul
in 496. A sister-in-law, known as Magna, was mother to Irene and mother-in-law to Olybrius. This Olybrius was the son of Anicia Juliana
and Areobindus. The daughter of Olybrius and Irene was named Proba. She married Probus and was mother to a younger Juliana. This younger Juliana married another Anastasius and was mother of Areobindus, Placidia, and a younger Proba. Another nephew of Anastasius was Flavius Probus, Roman consul in 502. Caesaria, sister of Anastasius, married Secundinus. They were parents to Hypatius and Pompeius. Anastasius Paulus Probus Moschianus Probus Magnus, Roman Consul in 518 also was a great-nephew of Anastasius. His daughter Juliana, later married Marcellus
, a brother of Justin II
. The extensive family may well have included viable candidates for the throne.
Nonetheless, Justin was elected as the new emperor by the council. According to John Malalas
, the praepositus sacri cubiculi
, Amantius, had intended to elect a comes domesticorum, commander of an elite guard unit of the late Roman Empire
, by the name of Theocritus
to the throne. His election is described as the result of a combination of commanding the only effective troops within the capital and buying the support of the other officials. Supposedly Amantius had given a substantial sum of money to Justin in order to buy his support, however, Justin used the sum to buy support for himself. Both Amantius and Theocritus were executed nine days after the election. On 1 August 518, Justin sent a letter to Pope Hormisdas
where he claimed he was an unwilling participant in his own election.
As Justin I, he was proclaimed emperor in the hippodrome
in accordance with tradition. Lupicina became his empress consort under the name Euphemia. The name was probably chosen for reasons of respectability. The original Euphemia was a Christian martyr
during the Diocletianic Persecution. She was a local saint of Chalcedon
and the Council of Chalcedon
(451) had taken place in a cathedral consecrated in her name. An alleged miracle in her grave had supposedly confirmed the decisions taken. The selection of this name is suspected to be an early indication of both Justin and Lupicina being fervent Chalcedonian
Christians. Anastasius had supported Monophysitism
and his succession marked a change in religious policies.
Procopius also claims that both members of the imperial couple attained the throne in the closing years of their lives. Being childless, their heir was Justinian I
. He was the nephew and adoptive son of Justin. In The marriage of Justinian and Theodora. Legal and theological reflections, Catholic University of America Law Review 16 (1967), which relates to the marriage of the successor to Justin I, David Daube
noted that there were legal obstacles to a freedwoman
marrying a state official of the ranks he held prior to his elevation to the throne. Daube theorised that Theodora was retroactively granted freeborn
status in order to legitimize the marriage.
Procopius
implies that Euphemia opposed the marriage of her nephew to Theodora
as she was opposed to the supposed vice
of her prospective niece. Procopius clarifies that only following her death was Justinian able to arrange his betrothal and marriage to Theodora. The widowed Justin I proceeded to pass a law allowing intermarriage between social classes, presumably for the interest of his heir. Vasiliev estimated the death of Euphemia to have occurred in 523 or 524. The marriage of Justinian and Theodora has been estimated to 525. She became an equal ruler with her husband and was greatly admired by many.
Justin I
Justin I was Byzantine Emperor from 518 to 527. He rose through the ranks of the army and ultimately became its Emperor, in spite of the fact he was illiterate and almost 70 years old at the time of accession...
of the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
and founder of the Justinian Dynasty
Justinian Dynasty
The Justinian Dynasty is a family who ruled over the Byzantine Empire from 518 to 602. It originated with Justin I and ended with Maurice. Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople , whose father was named Justinian, might have been a descendant of the dynasty...
that lasted from 518 to 602.
Empress Euphemia is credited with the ecclesiastical policies of Justin and she founded a Church of Saint Euphemia
Saint Euphemia
The Great Martyr Euphemia , known as the All-praised in the Orthodox Church is a Christian saint, who was martyred for her faith at Chalcedon, c. 304-307 AD.-Hagiography:...
, where she was buried following her death in either, 523 or 524. Justin was buried by her side in 527.
According to the Secret History
Secret history
A secret history is a revisionist interpretation of either fictional or real history which is claimed to have been deliberately suppressed, forgotten, or ignored by established scholars.-Secret histories of the real world:...
of Procopius
Procopius
Procopius of Caesarea was a prominent Byzantine scholar from Palestine. Accompanying the general Belisarius in the wars of the Emperor Justinian I, he became the principal historian of the 6th century, writing the Wars of Justinian, the Buildings of Justinian and the celebrated Secret History...
, Lupicina was both a slave
Slavery in ancient Rome
The institution of slavery in ancient Rome played an important role in society and the Roman economy. Besides manual labor on farms and in mines, slaves performed many domestic services and a variety of other tasks, such as accounting...
and a barbarian
Barbarian
Barbarian and savage are terms used to refer to a person who is perceived to be uncivilized. The word is often used either in a general reference to a member of a nation or ethnos, typically a tribal society as seen by an urban civilization either viewed as inferior, or admired as a noble savage...
. He asserted that she had been the concubine
Concubinage
Concubinage is the state of a woman or man in an ongoing, usually matrimonially oriented, relationship with somebody to whom they cannot be married, often because of a difference in social status or economic condition.-Concubinage:...
of her owner. The information from the Secret History was published posthumously. The seven volumes of histories that were published in his lifetime were the antithesis
Antithesis
Antithesis is a counter-proposition and denotes a direct contrast to the original proposition...
of this published work, being most laudatory of the new dynasty. Critics of Procopius (whose secret history reveals a man seriously disillusioned with his rulers) have dismissed his posthumously published work as a severely biased source, being vitriolic and pornographic, but without other sources, critics have been unable to discredit some of the assertions in the publication. Although its motives are suspect and it can not be verified, its titillating nature has kept it as a popular reference.
The marriage of Euphemia and Justin is estimated to have occurred during the reign of Anastasius I
Anastasius I (emperor)
Anastasius I was Byzantine Emperor from 491 to 518. During his reign the Roman eastern frontier underwent extensive re-fortification, including the construction of Dara, a stronghold intended to counter the Persian fortress of Nisibis....
(reigned 491-518) when Justin had a prosperous career in the Byzantine army
Byzantine army
The Byzantine army was the primary military body of the Byzantine armed forces, serving alongside the Byzantine navy. A direct descendant of the Roman army, the Byzantine army maintained a similar level of discipline, strategic prowess and organization...
.
New royal names
Originally named Istok, the man who would become Justin I was a Thracian or Illyrian peasant from the Latinophone region of Dardania, which is part of the province of IllyricumIllyricum (Roman province)
The Roman province of Illyricum or Illyris Romana or Illyris Barbara or Illyria Barbara replaced most of the region of Illyria. It stretched from the Drilon river in modern north Albania to Istria in the west and to the Sava river in the north. Salona functioned as its capital...
. He was born in a hamlet near Bederiana in Naissus (modern Niš, South Serbia). As a teenager, he fled from a barbaric invasion, took refuge in Constantinople, and rose in the ranks of the army of the Eastern Roman Empire.
In Justin, the First: An Introduction to the Epoch of Justinian the Great (1950), Alexander Vasiliev theorised that the original name of his wife may indicate a linguistic association in another language, with prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
. Vasiliev connected the name to the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
word "Lupae" (she-wolves). While the word in its singular Latin form "Lupa" could literally mean a female wolf
Gray Wolf
The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...
, it also was the epithet
Epithet
An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...
or disparaging slur
Slur
Slur can mean:*Pejorative, any term of disparagement.*Slur , unclear or abnormal enunciation.*Slur , a symbol in Western musical notation indicating that the notes it embraces are to be played legato ....
for the lowest class of Roman prostitutes. The derivative Latin word "Lupanar
Lupanar (Pompeii)
The Lupanar of Pompeii is the most famous brothel in the ruined Roman city of Pompeii. It is of particular interest for the erotic paintings on its walls. "Lupanar" is one of the most common words in Latin for "brothel" and means "den of she-wolves," lupa being misogynistic slang for "prostitute,...
" was the name of a brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
in Pompeii. Many of these denigrating uses may have origins in derisive comments about the priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
esses of a cult of the Etruscan religion that predated the Roman, in which the deity was represented as a she-wolf (similar to Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
in Greek Mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
), which would imply a quite different derivation and make greater sense of the choice of Euphemia, hence a euphemism
Euphemism
A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience...
, as an alternative name for the empress. The wolf, Lupa
Lupa
Lupa can refer to:* a female wolf * the wolf in the story of Romulus and Remus, or the Lupa Capitolina , a bronze statue representing the wolf...
, who nursed Romulus and Remus
Romulus and Remus
Romulus and Remus are Rome's twin founders in its traditional foundation myth, although the former is sometimes said to be the sole founder...
is related to the cult
Cult (religious practice)
In traditional usage, the cult of a religion, quite apart from its sacred writings , its theology or myths, or the personal faith of its believers, is the totality of external religious practice and observance, the neglect of which is the definition of impiety. Cult in this primary sense is...
of this wolf-goddess and the matrilineal, Etruscan civilization
Etruscan civilization
Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to a civilization of ancient Italy in the area corresponding roughly to Tuscany. The ancient Romans called its creators the Tusci or Etrusci...
that preceded the Roman. Acca Larentia
Acca Larentia
Acca Larentia or Acca Larentina was a mythical woman, later goddess, in Roman mythology whose festival, the Larentalia, was celebrated on December 23.-Foster mother:...
is another name for the wolf or the deity represented.
Emulation of the cultural hero, the religious martyr Saint Euphemia, may have had a more contemporary association and reason for selection as the royal name for the empress, especially given the religious changes taking place in Constantinople at the time and the apparent interest of the empress in the veneration of the saint.
Succession of Justin I
By 518, Justin had risen to the position of comes excubitorum (Commander of the ExcubitorsExcubitors
The Excubitors were founded in circa 460 AD as the imperial guards of the early Byzantine emperors. Their commanders soon acquired great influence and provided a series of emperors in the 6th century...
, the imperial bodyguard). On the night hours of 8 July 518 – 9 July 518, Anastasius died and his silentarii
Silentiarius
Silentiarius, Hellenized to silentiarios and Anglicized to silentiary, was the Latin title given to a class of courtiers in the Byzantine imperial court, responsible for order and silence in the Great Palace of Constantinople...
summoned Justin and Celer
Celer (magister officiorum)
Flavius Celer was a Byzantine general and magister officiorum under Emperor Anastasius in the early 6th century.Celer was of Illyrian origin, and nothing is known of his early life. In 503, Emperor Anastasius named him general in the ongoing war against the Sassanid Persians in the East...
to his deathbed. Celer was the magister officiorum
Magister officiorum
The magister officiorum was one of the most senior administrative officials in the late Roman Empire and the early centuries of the Byzantine Empire...
and commander of the palace regiments of the Scholae palatinae
Scholae Palatinae
The Scholae Palatinae , were an elite military guard unit, usually ascribed to the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great as a replacement for the equites singulares Augusti, the cavalry arm of the Praetorian Guard...
. By morning the event had been announced through Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. The high officials, including the recently appointed John of Cappadocia
John of Cappadocia
John II, surnamed Cappadox or the Cappadocian, was Patriarch of Constantinople in 518-520, during the reign of Byzantine emperor Anastasius I after an enforced condemnation of the Council of Chalcedon. His short patriarchate is memorable for the celebrated Acclamations of Constantinople, and the...
, Patriarch of Constantinople, were summoned to the Great Palace of Constantinople
Great Palace of Constantinople
The Great Palace of Constantinople — also known as the Sacred Palace — was the large Imperial Byzantine palace complex located in the south-eastern end of the peninsula now known as "Old Istanbul", modern Turkey...
for the election of the new emperor. Meanwhile the people were gathered in the Hippodrome of Constantinople
Hippodrome of Constantinople
The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square named Sultanahmet Meydanı in the Turkish city of Istanbul, with only a few fragments of the original structure surviving...
and awaited the proclamation of a new emperor.
Anastasius died childless, but had several known relatives. His brother Flavius Paulus had served as Roman consul
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
in 496. A sister-in-law, known as Magna, was mother to Irene and mother-in-law to Olybrius. This Olybrius was the son of Anicia Juliana
Anicia Juliana
Anicia Juliana was a Roman imperial princess, the daughter of the Western Roman Emperor Olybrius, of the Anicii, by Placidia the younger, daughter of Emperor Valentinian III and Licinia Eudoxia....
and Areobindus. The daughter of Olybrius and Irene was named Proba. She married Probus and was mother to a younger Juliana. This younger Juliana married another Anastasius and was mother of Areobindus, Placidia, and a younger Proba. Another nephew of Anastasius was Flavius Probus, Roman consul in 502. Caesaria, sister of Anastasius, married Secundinus. They were parents to Hypatius and Pompeius. Anastasius Paulus Probus Moschianus Probus Magnus, Roman Consul in 518 also was a great-nephew of Anastasius. His daughter Juliana, later married Marcellus
Marcellus (brother of Justin II)
Marcellus was a brother of Byzantine emperor Justin II and general under his uncle, Justinian I .Marcellus was the son of Vigilantia, the sister of Justinian, and Dulcidio , and thus the brother of Justin II and Praejecta...
, a brother of Justin II
Justin II
Justin II was Byzantine Emperor from 565 to 578. He was the husband of Sophia, nephew of Justinian I and the late Empress Theodora, and was therefore a member of the Justinian Dynasty. His reign is marked by war with Persia and the loss of the greater part of Italy...
. The extensive family may well have included viable candidates for the throne.
Nonetheless, Justin was elected as the new emperor by the council. According to John Malalas
John Malalas
John Malalas or Ioannes Malalas was a Greek chronicler from Antioch. Malalas is probably a Syriac word for "rhetor", "orator"; it is first applied to him by John of Damascus .-Life:Malalas was educated in Antioch, and probably was a jurist there, but moved to...
, the praepositus sacri cubiculi
Praepositus sacri cubiculi
The praepositus sacri cubiculi was one of the senior palace offices in the late Roman Empire. Its holder was usually a eunuch, and acted as the grand chamberlain of the palace, wielding considerable authority and influence. In the 7th or 8th century, the title was also given to an order of rank...
, Amantius, had intended to elect a comes domesticorum, commander of an elite guard unit of the late Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, by the name of Theocritus
Theocritus (comes domesticorum)
Theocritus was a candidate to the throne of the Byzantine Empire in 518. He lost to Justin I.- Sources :Theocritus is an obscure individual, primarily mentioned by two authors: John Malalas and Marcellinus Comes. The former mentions him as a domestikos...
to the throne. His election is described as the result of a combination of commanding the only effective troops within the capital and buying the support of the other officials. Supposedly Amantius had given a substantial sum of money to Justin in order to buy his support, however, Justin used the sum to buy support for himself. Both Amantius and Theocritus were executed nine days after the election. On 1 August 518, Justin sent a letter to Pope Hormisdas
Pope Hormisdas
Pope Saint Hormisdas was Pope from July 20, 514 to 523. His papacy was dominated by the Acacian schism, started in 484 by Acacius of Constantinople's efforts to placate the Monophysites...
where he claimed he was an unwilling participant in his own election.
As Justin I, he was proclaimed emperor in the hippodrome
Hippodrome
A hippodrome was a Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words "hippos and "dromos"...
in accordance with tradition. Lupicina became his empress consort under the name Euphemia. The name was probably chosen for reasons of respectability. The original Euphemia was a Christian martyr
Christian martyrs
A Christian martyr is one who is killed for following Christianity, through stoning, crucifixion, burning at the stake or other forms of torture and capital punishment. The word "martyr" comes from the Greek word μάρτυς, mártys, which means "witness."...
during the Diocletianic Persecution. She was a local saint of Chalcedon
Chalcedon
Chalcedon , sometimes transliterated as Chalkedon) was an ancient maritime town of Bithynia, in Asia Minor, almost directly opposite Byzantium, south of Scutari . It is now a district of the city of Istanbul named Kadıköy...
and the Council of Chalcedon
Council of Chalcedon
The Council of Chalcedon was a church council held from 8 October to 1 November, 451 AD, at Chalcedon , on the Asian side of the Bosporus. The council marked a significant turning point in the Christological debates that led to the separation of the church of the Eastern Roman Empire in the 5th...
(451) had taken place in a cathedral consecrated in her name. An alleged miracle in her grave had supposedly confirmed the decisions taken. The selection of this name is suspected to be an early indication of both Justin and Lupicina being fervent Chalcedonian
Chalcedonian
Chalcedonian describes churches and theologians which accept the definition given at the Council of Chalcedon of how the divine and human relate in the person of Jesus Christ...
Christians. Anastasius had supported Monophysitism
Monophysitism
Monophysitism , or Monophysiticism, is the Christological position that Jesus Christ has only one nature, his humanity being absorbed by his Deity...
and his succession marked a change in religious policies.
Empress Euphemia
Although Procopius states in his secret history that Euphemia was unacquainted with affairs of state and thus unable to take part in government, an official church source which dates to 540, the Chronicle of Edessa, attributes the ecclesiastical policies of Justin to Empress Euphemia.Procopius also claims that both members of the imperial couple attained the throne in the closing years of their lives. Being childless, their heir was Justinian I
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
. He was the nephew and adoptive son of Justin. In The marriage of Justinian and Theodora. Legal and theological reflections, Catholic University of America Law Review 16 (1967), which relates to the marriage of the successor to Justin I, David Daube
David Daube
David Daube DCL, FBA was the twentieth century's preeminent scholar of ancient law. He combined a familiarity with many legal systems, particularly Roman law and biblical law, with an expertise in Greek, Roman, Jewish, and Christian literature, and used literary, religious, and legal texts to...
noted that there were legal obstacles to a freedwoman
Freedman
A freedman is a former slave who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves became freedmen either by manumission or emancipation ....
marrying a state official of the ranks he held prior to his elevation to the throne. Daube theorised that Theodora was retroactively granted freeborn
Freeborn
"Freeborn" is a term associated with political agitator John Lilburne , a member of the Levellers, a 17th-century English political party. As a word, "freeborn" means to be born free, rather than to be born in slavery or bondage or vassalage...
status in order to legitimize the marriage.
Procopius
Procopius
Procopius of Caesarea was a prominent Byzantine scholar from Palestine. Accompanying the general Belisarius in the wars of the Emperor Justinian I, he became the principal historian of the 6th century, writing the Wars of Justinian, the Buildings of Justinian and the celebrated Secret History...
implies that Euphemia opposed the marriage of her nephew to Theodora
Theodora (6th century)
Theodora , was empress of the Roman Empire and the wife of Emperor Justinian I. Like her husband, she is a saint in the Orthodox Church, commemorated on November 14...
as she was opposed to the supposed vice
Vice
Vice is a practice or a behavior or habit considered immoral, depraved, or degrading in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a defect, an infirmity, or merely a bad habit. Synonyms for vice include fault, depravity, sin, iniquity, wickedness, and corruption...
of her prospective niece. Procopius clarifies that only following her death was Justinian able to arrange his betrothal and marriage to Theodora. The widowed Justin I proceeded to pass a law allowing intermarriage between social classes, presumably for the interest of his heir. Vasiliev estimated the death of Euphemia to have occurred in 523 or 524. The marriage of Justinian and Theodora has been estimated to 525. She became an equal ruler with her husband and was greatly admired by many.