theodora

English - English

Definition of theodora in English English dictionary

A female given name, most famously borne by two empresses of Byzantium

Peter Mathias and the baby, a tiny girl with a ridiculous name, had gathered around their mother. What was her name, something barbaric, an empress, not Cleopatra - Theodora.

most famously borne by two empresses of Byzantium

born 497 died June 28, 548, Constantinople Byzantine empress, wife of Justinian I. The daughter of a bear keeper at the Hippodrome in Constantinople, she became an actress and the mistress of Justinian. He married her in 525, and when he became emperor in 527 she was proclaimed empress. Probably the most powerful woman in Byzantine history, she was her husband's most trusted adviser, sponsoring legal reforms and wielding great influence in diplomacy, military appointments, and internal politics. Her impassioned speech gave Justinian the strength to order the brutal suppression of the Nika revolt (532) and save his empire. She recognized the rights of women and ended persecution of Monophysite Christians, with whom she sympathized

Related Terms

Theodora Sarah Orne Jewett

born Sept. 3, 1849, South Berwick, Maine, U.S. died June 24, 1909, South Berwick U.S. writer. Concerned to capture the folkways of a vanishing culture, she wrote realistic sketches of aging Maine natives, whose manners, idioms, and pithiness she recorded with pungency and humour. Outstanding among her 20 volumes are Deephaven (1877), A White Heron (1886), and The Country of the Pointed Firs (1896)

Hyphenation

The·o·do·ra

Turkish pronunciation

thiıdôrı

Pronunciation

/ˌᴛʜēəˈdôrə/ /ˌθiːəˈdɔːrə/

Etymology

() From the Ancient Greek feminine form of Theodore.