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[[Image:Theodora.jpg|right|frame|The Empress St. Theodora, Wife of [[Justinian , the Great]]; Mosaic, 6th c., Cathedral of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy]]
'''Theodora''' (''c''. 500-548) was empress of the [[Roman Empire]] during the 6th century. She was the wife of Emperor [[Justinian]] the Great.
==Life==
Theodora was born into the lowest class of Byzantine society, the daughter of a bearkeeper for the circus. Much of the information from this earliest part of her life comes from the ''Secret History'' of Procopius, published posthumously. Critics of Procopius—whose work reveals a man seriously disillusioned regarding his rulers and out to defame them—have dismissed his work as vitriolic and pornographicimmoral.
It is believed by some scholars that sometime before meeting Justinian, she became an adherent of [[Monophysitism|Monophysite]] Christianity, which claims Christ was of one nature, remaining their partisan throughout her life. Others instead argue that her association with [[Monophysitism]] is largely because of Justinian's putting her in charge of courting the Monophysites' reunion with the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council|Chalcedonian]] party in the Church, and so while remaining Chalcedonian herself, she was pastorally favorable toward the non-Chalcedonians.
