Read the following excerpt. It is adapted from a 532 CE speech that Byzantine Empress Theodora gave to her husband, Justinian I, and his advisors. The court was preparing to surrender the throne due to a rebellion.
- My lords, the present occasion is too serious to allow me to follow the convention that a woman should not speak in a man’s council. Those whose interests are threatened by extreme danger should think only of the wisest course of action, not of conventions.
- In my opinion, flight is not the right course, even if it should bring us to safety. It is impossible for a person, having been born into this world, not to die; but for one who has reigned it is intolerable to be a fugitive. May I never be deprived of this purple robe, and may I never see the day when those who meet me do not call me empress.
- If you wish to save yourself, my lord, there is no difficulty. We are provisioned; over there is the sea, and yonder are the ships. Yet reflect for a moment whether, when you have once escaped to a place of security, you would not gladly exchange such safety for death. As for me, I agree with the adage that the royal purple is the noblest shroud.
Adapted from Empress Theodora, ‘The Royal Purple is the Noblest Shroud’
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