Complete text of the Secret History, with user-submitted commentary from the Isidore-of-Seville's Classical Library. Read the text, peruse the commentary and add the fruits of your scholarship.

Justinian

Long biography of Justinian, from De Imperatoribus Romanis, an online encyclopedia of Roman emperors. Article written by James Allan Evans, who also wrote the long (and excellent) articles on Theodora, Justinian's uncle and predecessor Justinand his son and successor Justin II.

Justinian I. Long and excellent article, with links to Procopius, Theodora, and Belisarius.

Amazon. The Age of Justinian : The Circumstances of Imperial Power by J. A. S. Evans (Roman Imperial Biographies) also available in hardcover. Not reviewed online, except at Amazon.

Catholic Encyclopedia: Justinian, by Adrian Fortescue

About.com/Melissa Snell's brief biography of Justinian, with links.

"Rebuilding the Empire in the Reign of Justinian" by Owen Mulpeter for Historicom, an internet journal of popular history.

Brief bio of Justinian from People of Action during the Middle Ages (Miles H. Hodges).

A compact attack on Justinian from J. McCabe's Rationalists Encyclopedia, whose spleen might make enjoyable reading if he weren't such a bigot.

Justinian's family tree by R. Scott Moore from De Imperatoribus Romanis.

Theodora

Amazon. Empress Theodora: Partner of Justinian by James Allan Evans. See UT press' blurb and excerpt.

"The Empress Theodora" by David W. Koeller, from Mediterranean Basin Chronology (North Park University)

Short summary of Theodora's life by Steven Kreis, with a useful set of links. From The History Guide: Lectures on Ancient and Medieval European History.

"Theodora: the Rise of a Byzantine Empress" by Greame Walker for Historicom, an internet journal of popular history. A decent, short account.

Pocket biography from Women in World History, a new reference work. Also available at Glass Ceiling Biographies (which name should give you an idea of the slant).

The Nika Revolt and the Courage of an Empress from Jay's Roman History, Coins and Technology Site. Brief narrative, with good close-up of St. Vitale mosaic.

PDF: "Empress Theodora: A Journey to the Past" by Christine Kiraz, Voice of the Archdiocese, 2000 (Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch, Eastern Archdiocese Newsletter) Ms. Kiraz reviews the sources, ignoring "western" (Greek) lies, and combining nationalist, religious and feminist uplift into a portrait of Theodora unlike any other on the web. Note: The article starts on p. 15.

"It is only by keeping the memory of Theodora and her deeds alive as part of our history that the homage she deserves can be paid. By venerating her, we would continue to fight for our rights and our beliefs, not only as women but also as Syriac People."

Amazon. Theodora: Portrait in a Byzantine Landscape by Antony Bridge.

Theodora: From Serf to Sovereign. Short, positive student biography by Ailia Athena.

"Theodora and the Politics of Sex" a student paper by Claire Thompson, Clio: Journal of Ancient and Medieval History at Dickson College 1998. It is a good summary, but not deeply routed in the sources.

Theodora on the Web (a few links) from About.com/Melissa Snell.

Scholarly German summary biography from the Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon. Entry by Josef Rist. Contains an excellent bibliography (in all langauges).

http://www.term-papers.us/has a terrible short paper on Theodora. By posting this here I make it easier for professors to find this stuff and catch the plagarists who would use it.

Also see my Special Topics section on Women in Byzantium. (As Paul Halsall noted, "almost half the books written on all Byzantine women are about Theodora.")

Joint Biographies

Review of Robert Browning's Justinian and Theodora by "Edwinus" (from AncientSites). Laudatory.

Paragraph biographies by Andrew Muir, with links. The biographies are in support of Muir's Justinian-and-Theodora novel The Empress and the General. Read an excerpt.

All material © 2000–2004 Tim Spalding.

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If you enjoy this site you may also like these other sites by me:

Alexander the Great on the Web. Over 1,000 annotated links and 200 images of the Macedonian conqueror.

The Istanbul Mosaic Museum on the Web. Guide and gallery to these Justinianic masterpieces.

Herodotus on the Web. Linked guide to the life and writings of the Herodotus of Halicarnassus, the father of history

Gouden Hoorn / Golden Horn. Journal about Byzantium. (Hosted here, but edited independently)