Question 1

True or false: Theodora was a trained gladiator who fought in the Roman arenas.

Accepted Answer

False. No evidence supports this; she was an actress and dancer, not a gladiator, though her early life involved public performance.

Question 2

True or false: Theodora single-handedly convinced Justinian to flee during the Nika riots.

Accepted Answer

False. Actually, she gave a famous speech urging him to stay and fight, rallying him to crush the revolt instead of escaping.

Question 3

True or false: Theodora was assassinated by a rival courtier jealous of her power.

Accepted Answer

False. She died of illness, likely cancer, in 548 CE, not by assassination; her death deeply affected Justinian and the empire.

Question 4

True or false: Theodora founded a convent for former prostitutes and reformed sex workers.

Accepted Answer

True. She established the Monastery of Repentance to rehabilitate women from the sex trade, offering them a new life—a bold social initiative.

Question 5

True or false: Theodora began her career as an actress and wool spinner before marrying Justinian.

Accepted Answer

True. She worked as a performer in the Hippodrome and a wool spinner, an unusual background for an empress, which shocked Byzantine elites.

Question 6

True or false: Theodora passed laws that granted women the right to own property and divorce abusive husbands.

Accepted Answer

True. She influenced legal reforms expanding women's rights, including property ownership and grounds for divorce, revolutionary for the 6th century.

Question 7

True or false: Theodora was a secret Christian heretic who worshipped pagan gods in private.

Accepted Answer

False. She was a devout Miaphysite Christian, clashing with Orthodox leaders, but never pagan; her faith was deeply Christian, just non-Chalcedonian.

Question 8

True or false: Theodora helped smuggle exiled Miaphysite bishops back into Constantinople.

Accepted Answer

True. She secretly protected and returned persecuted Miaphysite leaders, defying Justinian's official policy, showcasing her political influence.

Empress Theodora Trivia Questions