Theodora

Empress Theodora

...was one of the strongest women in the 6th century Eastern Roman Empire, also known as Byzantium. She was married to Justinian I, one of the last great emperors in ancient Rome but that's not how the story starts.
Theodora had a very humble beginning as a peasant dancer (and some say prostitute) in the Byzantine empire when the not so strong willed Justinian fell in love with her. They married and reigned over Constantinople equally. Like many Romans, they were sports fans and the athletes competing in the chariot races had a strong influence over all of the city. Justinian supported the blue team which had connections to a recent crime in the city. During one of the most famous races in the hippodrome in Constantinople, Justinian sided with his blue team on a call and the green team became upset. They turned on the emperor and riots broke out in the stadium. (This is known in history as the Nika riots)
At this time, Justinian was not the confident emperor we know from history today. He chose to order the guards to prepare a ship in the harbor. He planned on escaping before things got out of hand and the rioters tried to murder him. The ship was prepared and Justinian and Theodora were escorted out of the stadium and secretly guided to the well-stocked ship.
Right before they board the ship, Theodora stops and refuses to go any farther. Although her husband is urging her to hurry, Theodora refuses to get on and quotes her famous line, "Purple makes a great death shroud," meaning I'd rather die as an empress than run as a coward. Justinian probably said something like "yes, dear," and they went back to the stadium where they ordered all the exits blocked off by guards and the soldiers slaughtered everyone in the stadium to teach the people not to riot against the emperor.
This one incident reinstated Justinian's control over eastern Europe and they had a successful empire for a long time. In fact, Constantinople did not fall until 1453. Western Rome was completely gone by the 5th century so that gives us sound proof on the success of the eastern empire.
Theodora became so powerful that we have court records of officials complaining that they could not talk to the emperor without consulting her first. Theodora died 10 years before Justinian and it is said that he was never the same after he lost his beloved wife.
Many children were named after Theodora in the centuries following this famous couple and we have more than one famous Theodora in history. This wife of  Justinian made such an impact on history one has to wonder what would have happened if she had obeyed her husbands orders that day. This woman actually changed the role of the empire by making a stand, literally on the docks of Constantinople that one fateful day.
The image above is a section from a mosaic in the Hagia Sophia a huge church built by Justinian shortly after the Nika riots. The Byzantine artists were known all over the world for their beautiful hieratic and hierarchical style. The long necks and figures are part of that hieratic style that reinforces the majesty of the ruling class. In both Theodora's and Justinian's portraits, they are placed in the center of the mosaic creating a strong focal point while the government officials and clergy are at the ends. (hierarchical style)
Mosaic tiles are carefully fired twice in a kiln for each color. they would slip real gold leaf under clear glaze to give more sparkle. They would also tilt the tiles in different directions so one could see a shimmer as they walked by which adds to the iridescent appearance. We owe the monasteries of the Byzantine empire for keeping the Roman culture alive while the rest of the western empire was crumbling. This is where all the Greek literature and education was preserved.