by Stella Duffy
They were quiet with the body, and quiet when they left, walking slowly back to the rooms that had not truly felt theirs while Justin was alive, rooms that would still take time to become theirs, now he had really gone.
Later, after the funeral, Justinian lay on his bed, Theodora stroking his forehead with a cloth infused in camomile and lavender.
Eventually, he spoke aloud, ‘It’s over.’
‘Yes.’
‘I’m old to consider myself an orphan, I know, but I feel it now, I feel them gone.’
‘They were your family, it makes sense.’
Justinian cried a little, and Theodora continued to stroke his forehead. After a while they both slept for a short time and when she woke, Justinian was staring at her in the gloom of the semi-dark room, the sun nearly set, no candles yet lit.
‘What is it?’
‘It is just me now, isn’t it?’
‘In the purple?’
‘With you beside me.’
‘Yes,’ she answered. ‘With me beside you.’
He smiled then, and she smiled back, and a thrill of fear and excitement, astonishment and joy ran from one to the other. Grief was still present, grief for his uncle-father and for her friend, but it was not the only emotion, not at all.
A week later Justinian and Theodora, August and Augusta, walked the short distance from their state rooms, through the private tunnel to emerge into the Kathisma, the royal box of the Hippodrome, the box now draped in purple and gold and fresh greenery for their first presentation to the public. The capacity crowd of a hundred thousand were already in their seats. Most of them had been there since the early morning, many more stood crammed together on the top tiers, by the gates, outside the stands. The Imperial couple were in the heavy purple silk of Emperor and Empress, a small retinue behind them. Narses was already seated with Belisarius and Antonina, Comito and Sittas close by. Hypatia was keeping an eye on Ana and Mariam. Germanus was there, of course, as were Hypatius, Pompeius, Probus, and the ranks of senators, citizens and soldiers. Sophia was not seated, she was part of the troupe picked to entertain the crowd while they waited for the August to arrive.
The performances had begun two hours earlier. Coming closer to the doors of the Kathisma, Theodora knew exactly the temperature of the Hippodrome, could smell the heat in the arena, the sweet-acid perfume of the people’s keen anticipation. She held Justinian’s hand, feeling the new Imperial ring on her finger, with her own regal inscription, saw herself lifted on to her father’s shoulders, carried out into the centre of the performance space, saw three little girls with flowers in their hair begging for kindness, saw the owl on her obelisk bringing her home.
Just before the doors were opened for them and Justinian walked out on to the Kathisma, he turned to her and whispered, ‘I saw you once, years ago, at a dinner. You were a child and you stopped your little sister from being punished, you were the keeper and she the bear. You were magnificent. As you are now.’
She thought she might weep at the enormity of it all, and she heard Menander reminding her to take her time, to make them wait, to make them want her.
Justinian walked forward, a step ahead, the cry went up from the crowd, calling Emperor, calling August, and then he turned, holding out his hand for his partner, and the people called Theodora.
Bibliography
Bridge, Antony, Theodora – Portrait in a Byzantine Landscape (Academy Chicago Publishers, 1993; first published Academy Chicago, 1984)
Browning, Robert, Justinian & Theodora (Thames and Hudson, 1987)
Cesaretti, Paolo (trans Rosanna M. Giammanco), Theodora Empress of Byzantium (Magowan Publishing and Vendome Press, 2004)
Cormack, Robin and Vassilaki, Maria (eds), Byzantium 330–1453 (Royal Academy of Arts, 2008)
Evans, James Allen, The Empress Theodora, Partner of Justinian (University of Texas Press, 2002)
Freely, John, Istanbul: The Imperial City (Penguin, 1998; first published Viking, 1996)
Graves, Robert, Count Belisarius (Penguin, 2006; first published Cassells, 1938)
Herrin, Judith, Byzantium – The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire (Allen Lane, 2007)
——, Women in Purple – Rulers of Medieval Byzantium (Phoenix Press, 2002; first published in Great Britain Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2001)
Maas, Michael (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Justinian (Cambridge University Press, 2005)
Norwich, John Julius, Byzantium: The Early Centuries (Penguin, 1990; first published Viking, 1988)
O’Donnell, James J., The Ruin of the Roman Empire (Profile Books, 2009)
Procopius (trans G. A. Williamson), The Secret History (Penguin, 1981; first published 1966)
Rosen, William, Justinian’s Flea (Jonathan Cape, 2007)
Salti, Stefania and Venturini, Renata, The Life of Theodora (Edizioni Tipolito Stear, 2001)
Author’s Note and Acknowledgements
It goes without saying that this is a work of fiction – but I’ll say it anyway. While Theodora was a very real person, like most women of history, her story has been hidden, watered down and in some cases (Procopius!) certainly exaggerated; all of which makes her ripe for fiction. And while I’ve done my best to offer a real setting – historically, geographically, politically – what personally excites me is the story and so there are inevitably moments where historical accuracy has been sacrificed for plot or pace or character. I’m a novelist, not a historian, and this book makes no claims to be the one true story – just a story.
There are many people who have helped with this new leap in my work, from those in Ravenna who proudly showed off their Eighth Wonder of the World, to those in London who made all the right noises when I first gave them my Theodora précis. Specifically, I also owe great thanks to: Antonia Hodgson, Zoe Gullen, Beth Humphries and everyone at Virago and Little, Brown, along with my agents Stephanie Cabot and Lucinda Prain, all wonderfully enthusiastic Theodorans. Chiara de Stefani and Nevio Galeati, Paolo Pingani, Giancarlo Daissè, Federica Angelini, Mariacristina Savioli of the Gialla Luno Nero Notte, Ravenna, who gave me the mosaics and a great time. Rehan Kularatne, who would make a splendid RA guide. Manda Scott, who made ‘writing history’ a little less scary. Shelley Silas, who has had to live with Theodora for far too long now. And the Board, as ever. A special thank you to Brooks of SE24 who showed me the magic garden and then said of the Theodora on his mantelpiece, ‘Ask her questions, she will give you answers.’ Maybe some of those answers are here.
Author’s Note and Acknowledgements
It goes without saying that this is a work of fiction – but I’ll say it anyway. While Theodora was a very real person, like most women of history, her story has been hidden, watered down and in some cases (Procopius!) certainly exaggerated; all of which makes her ripe for fiction. And while I’ve done my best to offer a real setting – historically, geographically, politically – what personally excites me is the story and so there are inevitably moments where historical accuracy has been sacrificed for plot or pace or character. I’m a novelist, not a historian, and this book makes no claims to be the one true story – just a story.
There are many people who have helped with this new leap in my work, from those in Ravenna who proudly showed off their Eighth Wonder of the World, to those in London who made all the right noises when I first gave them my Theodora précis. Specifically, I also owe great thanks to: Antonia Hodgson, Zoe Gullen, Beth Humphries and everyone at Virago and Little, Brown, along with my agents Stephanie Cabot and Lucinda Prain, all wonderfully enthusiastic Theodorans. Chiara de Stefani and Nevio Galeati, Paolo Pingani, Giancarlo Daissè, Federica Angelini, Mariacristina Savioli of the Gialla Luno Nero Notte, Ravenna, who gave me the mosaics and a great time. Rehan Kularatne, who would make a splendid RA guide. Manda Scott, who made ‘writing history’ a little less scary. Shelley Silas, who has had to live with Theodora for far too long now. And the Board, as ever. A special thank you to Brooks of SE24 who showed me the magic garden a
nd then said of the Theodora on his mantelpiece, ‘Ask her questions, she will give you answers.’ Maybe some of those answers are here.
