The Power Game in Byzantium: Antonina and the Empress Theodora

by James Allan Evans

This title presents an original portrayal of Justinian's reign, its politics and theological disputes, focusing on the lives of two extraordinary women who wielded power and influence. A fascinating exploration of the corridors of power in Byzantium of the time of Justinian (527-565), the book reveals how Empress Theodora and Antonina, both alumnae of the theatre, were remarkable examples of social mobility, moving into positions of power and influence, becoming wives of key figures.

Theodora had three aims: to protect those Christians who would not accept the Chalcedonian Creed; to advance the careers of her family and friends; and to defend the poor and assist the defenceless and, in particular, women - a mission which she claimed publicly. Finally, there was the allure of power, and though the exercise of power cannot be qualified as an 'aim', there can be no doubt that Theodora loved authority: she made and unmade marriage contracts, and appointed men to office, or destroyed them if they got in her way. Antonina was both friend and agent, and equally ruthless. She managed her husband, Belisarius, and advanced his career, though she was unfaithful to the marriage bed, and would outlive the main players of the age of Justinian.

Genres: History

264 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

James Allan Evans is Professor Emeritus of Classical Near Eastern and Religious Studies at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Reviews

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read by one of the scholars who knows the period best, but gets admittedly speculative in places. Takes Procopius' Secret History at face value a bit more than is perhaps wise, but it makes for an undeniably engaging narrative.

[Graeme · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Allan Evans charts the careers of the Empress Theodora and her friend Antonina, showing how their influence and interventions impacted on the campaigns of Belisarius in North Africa and Italy and the course of the doctrinal conflict between Chalcedonian orthodoxy and Monophysitism. In the early chapters, the author's determination to establish their less than respectable origins in the theatre of Constantinople becomes tiresome. Terms like "whore", "scum of society" and "pariah class" are deployed with the abandon of a giddy court gossip, but Evans recovers his composure as the story unfolds.