Question

Why was Justinian's wife and adviser considered to be from a degrading background?

Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

Theodora, the wife of Justinian and the empress of the Eastern Roman Empire, came from the family of people who worked in sort of the circus of the time. Her father was the bear trainer and her mother dancer and the actress.

Similar to her mother, Theodora was working on the Hippodrome, preforming as the dancer (the records talk about her famous act with the swan) and actress. These professions were considered degrading and provocative at the time, often connected to the loose women.

Procopius wrote a lot about this, but we cannot be sure of the accuracy of the texts, and how controversial Theodora's background really was. Procopius was very vocally against Justinian and his wife, writing about their cruelty, incompetence and vulgarity, something that has not been recorded in other sources.