Theodora

Born around 490 or 500 in Constantinople to a circus keeper, Theodora worked as a courtesan and actress before meeting Justinian sometime before 524. They married, and when he became emperor in 527, she was crowned beside him. In 532, as the Nika riots nearly toppled Justinian, Theodora's resolve kept him from fleeing — her intervention crushed the uprising and secured the throne. She and Justinian commissioned the Hagia Sophia and other grand works, while she pushed to end prostitution and maneuvered through court intrigues, engineering the exile of John the Cappadocian and the removal of Pop…