Theodora to Esther

Hi Esther!

Wow, you’ve got a real problem on your hands! I know it might seem tough at the moment, but I understand how you’re feeling right now — I too was born of lowly standing and beat the odds to become empress. When I married Justinian, I had been working as an actress, moving from city to city with little money or prestige to my name. Especially since you’re a bit of a rookie when it comes to leading a kingdom, I’m glad I can help you out! I, too, was once a poor girl working as an actress (not a particularly prestigious job) and when I became empress, I had no idea what to do!

The first bit of advice I have for you is that you should continually foster a reputation as a woman of the people. Engage regularly in charitable giving and in noble work dedicated to protecting your people. Give grandly to the city and the realm, in doing so, you will win many supporters among the common people and will earn a reputation as a woman of great charity and tremendous compassion. I myself have a long history of fighting for the rights of women and have labored long and hard to curb the evils of prostitution. Just recently, Justinian and I transformed one of our palaces into a monastery where women who had previously been prostitutes could go in order to rebuild their lives. We also provided for ample funds to be allotted so that there might might never arise a situation in which the women had to go back to the streets. I also had a church built which was dedicated to Michael the Archangel, as well as a large basilica in Anatolius. It is important that your queenly generosity is never tarnished in the eyes of the people- constantly foster your reputation as a woman of charity and you will be rewarded with goodwill and support from the people. 

Second, you should not forget that your power comes from the king. As such, always take care to ensure his affection so that he may support you in your times of need. Do what you can to protect his reputation and advise him well- as his wife you are able to provide him with the support and counsel he needs to govern effectively. Just like I advised Justinian to not abandon his city and his people during the Nika rebellion, you too may be a decisive and outspoken advisor to the king. In fact, Justinian included my name in one of his laws, declaring that he had taken counsel from me (“the most pious consort given to us by God”), and then requiring all governors take an oath of allegiance to me as well as Justinian. Do not be afraid of the king, for if he loves you and sees value in your counsel, he will not hurt you.

You will find that the king’s goodwill is the most valuable currency for achieving your goals because all of your royal power comes from him. If you remain in the king’s good graces, he will provide you with all the power you need to vanquish your enemies, care for your citizens, and ensure your own happiness along the way. Being popular among the people will make you more useful to the king, but if you are popular among the people and distrusted by the King, he will only resent you all the more for your popularity. As such, you must never be seen to act directly against his interests. When you need to accomplish something for which the king is not in favor, take precautions to shield yourself from outright complicity. Take for example the time when I disposed of John the Cappadocian. He was highly looked upon by my husband, but I saw that he was a danger to the emperor and so needed to be removed. Rather than order his execution I implicated him in a conspiracy to overthrow the king and banished him to a land far away.

If your widespread support among the people, as well as the favor that you hold in the eyes of the king, fails you, you still have one highly effective method at your disposal to achieve your goals. As the Queen, a sizeable portion of the Royal Guard remains at your disposal; use them as the arm of the Queen and strike down your enemies! Kill them, torture them, banish them, and force them to be ordained as deacons, exiled to a suburb of Kyzikos! You must protect your own power, as well as the king’s power (by extension, this is also your own power) at all costs and by any means necessary. When you explain your actions to the king, you must frame it in these terms— I promise you the king will understand your actions are not in conflict with his own goals and he will value you all the more for what you have done.

So, go, seize power with both hands and guard it jealously! With it, there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome through your popularity, power, and cunning. Good luck!

Yours always,

Theodora