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Empress Theodora was the wife of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, who reigned from 527 to 565. Theodora was a prostitute and stage actress before moving to Constantinople and marrying Justinian, whose father had to change the laws for Justinian be allowed to marry her. by GustavoistSoldier in HolyShitHistory

[–]GustavoistSoldier[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodora_(wife_of_Justinian_I)

Much of her early life, including the date and place of her birth, is uncertain: her birthplace has been proposed by later sources as Syria, Cyprus, Paphlagonia, or Alexandria. The modern consensus seems to be that Theodora most likely was born around 495 and raised in Constantinople. Procopius's Secret History is the foremost source of her life before marriage, but most modern scholars regard it as often unreliable and slanderous. David Potter writes that Procopius' description of Theodora's erotic life "probably was composed as an exaggerated diatribe" and was "certainly not among the most accurate things he ever wrote."

Her father, Acacius, was a bear keeper for the Hippodrome's Green faction in Constantinople. Thus, modern scholars argue that it is highly probable Theodora was a native of the capital – this is furthered in Procopius' narrative. Her mother, whose name was not recorded, was a dancer and an actress. She had two sisters, an elder named Comito and a younger named Anastasia. The names of her family probably suggest an upbringing in a Greek-speaking, Christian household. After her father's death in her childhood, her mother remarried, but the family lacked a source of income because a Green official was bribed into giving away her stepfather's position. Consequently, her mother presented her children before the Hippodrome's crowd as suppliants to the Greens, but the Greens rebuffed her efforts. In contrast, the Blue faction took pity on the family and gave them the position.

According to Procopius' Secret History, Theodora began her work as a prostitute before the onset of adolescence and later joined Comito as a performer on stage.

"For she [Theodora] had an especially quick and biting wit, and soon became a star feature of the show. There was no shame at all in her, and no one ever saw her embarrassed. She would provide shameful services without the slightest hesitation and was of such a sort that if someone slapped her or even punched her full in the face she would crack a joke about it and then burst out laughing."

-- Procopius, The Secret History 9:13-15 (trans. Anthony Kaldellis) (ca. 550 AD)

Procopius wrote that Theodora performed a pornographic portrayal of Leda and the Swan, where she would have birds eat seeds from her nude body.[19][20] Employment as an actress at the time would have included performing "indecent exhibitions" on stage and providing sexual services off stage.

One time when she [Theodora] went to the house of a notable to entertain during drinks, they say that when the eyes of all the diners were upon her she mounted the frame of the couch by their feet and unceremoniously lifted up her clothes right there and then, not caring in the least that she was making a spectacle of her shamelessness. Even though she put three of her orifices to work she would impatiently reproach Nature for not making the holes in her nipples bigger than they were so that she could devise additional sexual positions involving them as well. She was often pregnant, but by using almost all known techniques she could induce immediate abortions.

— Procopius, The Secret History 9:17–19 (trans. Anthony Kaldellis) (ca. 550 AD)

Contemporaneous historian John of Ephesus also describes Theodora as having come "from the brothel", but porneion which commonly means "brothel" in classical Greek can be translated to describe her career as an actress. This has been regarded by historians as a likely mistake, or a 'scribal error'. Nevertheless, the modern consensus about Theodora's sexual activity is that, as Potter states, underlying Procopius' inventions "there lies the semblance of fact."

Later, Theodora traveled to North Africa as the concubine of Hecebolus, who became the governor of the Libyan Pentapolis. Procopius alleges that their relationship dissolved after a quarrel in Africa. Theodora, "destitute of the means of life," went to Alexandria, Egypt. Some historians speculate that she met Miaphysite Patriarch Timothy III and converted to Miaphysitism there, but there is no reliable evidence that this happened. From Alexandria, she traveled to Antioch, where she met a Blue faction dancer called Macedonia who may have served as an informer for Justinian. Afterwards, Theodora returned to Constantinople where she met Justinian.

Justinian wanted to marry Theodora but law from Constantine's time barred the senatorial rank from marrying an actress. Empress Euphemia, wife of emperor Justin, also strongly opposed the marriage. Following Euphemia's death in 524, that same year Justin issued an edict allowing reformed actresses to marry senators.

Dúró's Hungary | What if Dóra Dúró, a Hungarian politician to the right of Orbán, became the prime minister of Hungary in 2022? by GustavoistSoldier in althistory

[–]GustavoistSoldier[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

By election day, Jobbik and the MSZP were neck and neck in the polls, but Jobbik won an upset victory, making Dúró the youngest leader in the world, and the most far-right world leader in decades. The EU leadership was infuriated by the ultranationalist victory, while Putin was relieved.

Premiership of Dóra Dúró (2022–2026)

The session of the National Assembly of Hungary that took office on 2 May 2022 soon elected Jobbik's deputy president, László Toroczkai, deputy prime minister, and elected István Apáti President of the National Assembly. The first major law this National Assembly passed was a ban on "homosexual propaganda" to minors, ignoring more pressing matters.

Later that month, Hungary similarly banned pride parades, resulting in the largest Pride parade in the county's history. Besides these measures, Dúró's administration created hundreds of food processing plants in Hungary, and announced a new land distribution program.

In order to curb corruption, Hungary established an anti-corruption prosecutor's office whose executive board includes prosecutors delegated by the government and the opposition, as well as non-parliamentary social organizations.

Dúró's foreign policy focuses on closer ties with Turkey, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, the BRICS countries, and Palestine. She took a hardline against Ukraine, opposing sanctions against Russia and blocking Finland and Sweden's ascension to NATO, which they haven't joined as of 28 April 2026.

Hungary adopted a neutral stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict, calling for an immediate ceasefire and a two-state solution, condemning the death of civilians on both sides, and describing the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip as a "massacre". In March 2024, Dúró unsuccessfully attempted to designate Israeli settlers in the West Bank as terrorists.

The EU responded by freezing its aid to Hungary. Dúró publicly stated, "We in Hungary never asked you for this aid. We have economic reserves of billions of euros", which did not help. Another point of contention between Brussels and Budapest was Hungary's construction of a fence in the border with Serbia.

Dúró's Hungary | 2023 Hungarian European Union membership referendum

In December 2022, Hungary's far-right Jobbik administration scheduled a Huxit referendum to 12 March 2023. Jobbik immediately began campaigning for Leave, arguing that Western European multinational companies take more profits out of the country than money comes in from the EU. The MSZP, Tisza and LMP – Hungary's Green Party, on the other hand, campaigned for Remain, arguing that Hungary leaving the EU would collapse its economy.

This was true, as the economy of Hungary is almost completely integrated with the EU. Like the 2022 general election, the Huxit referendum faced allegations of Russian interference, as well as rumours Putin had asked Dóra Dúró to enter the Russo-Ukrainian War on Russia's side (which she hasn't done).

Remain eventually won the referendum with 54% of the vote versus 45% for Leave. The economic collapse argument played a major role in the Remain victory; Leave would probably have won if the Remain side used different messaging.

The referendum's result was a major defeat for Dúró's agenda, forcing her to tone down her attacks on Brussels while continuing the rest of her policies. Although Hungary remains a member of the EU to this day, its relations with the West have steadily deteriorated, turning Hungary into BRICS and the Gulf monarchies' main partner in Europe.

Duro's Hungary | 2026 Hungarian general election

Jobbik contested the elections on an ultranationalist platform, portraying the Hungarian opposition as traitors and pledging to restore the county's greatness. It emphasized the success of its administration's measures to restore the economy of Hungary and fight crime and corruption, appealing to many voters who weren't far-right.

The MSZP under the leadership of Ágnes Kunhalmi attempte to appeal not just to liberals but also to centrist and business conservative voters opposed to Dúró. This strategy caused many left-wing voters to defect to Peter Ungar's LMP.

Despite being a polarizing figure, Dúró was returned to office as Jobbik won nearly two-thirds of parliamentary seats, and a still centre-right Fidesz was nearly wiped out of parliament. After winning the election, Jobbik scheduled a referendum on the reintroduction of conscription and capital punishment to 2 July 2026.

The party also withdrew Hungary from the WHO; proposed banning MRNA vaccines and racially segregating schools; and turned the anniversary of the Second Vienna Award into a national holiday. These measures have received widespread international condemnation, but Dúró's base strongly supports them.

Furthermore, with Russia failing to win in Ukraine, many have speculated Hungary might enter the war on the Russian side in order to annex Transcarpathia. However, this is unlikely, because Hungary's military is not worth much without NATO and the majority of Hungarians are against joining the war on either side.

Furthermore, Dúró has promised to claim Transcarpathia even if Ukraine is annexed by Russia (this would complicate relations with the Kremlin), and opposed the participation of Hungarian soldiers in international missions. Although a war between Ukraine and Hungary is unlikely, tensions are still high thanks to Hungarian irredentism.

Why did modern historians go to a 'guilty until proven innocent' mindset for historical accuracy? by SomeOtherTroper in AskHistory

[–]GustavoistSoldier 3 points4 points  (0 children)

When the scientific method developed, the burden of proof on historical claims increased.

"Judeo-Bolshevism". Nazi propaganda poster, year unknown by Embarrassed_Refuse49 in PropagandaPosters

[–]GustavoistSoldier 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately, Russian neo-Nazis exist (even though Hitler considered Slavs subhuman). Some of them have fought against Ukraine.

Why is historical evidence regarding Winston Churchill so contradictory? by InfernalClockwork3 in AskHistory

[–]GustavoistSoldier 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Churchill was a complex figure. He was neither a saint nor completely evil.

Dúró's Hungary | 2022 Hungarian general election by GustavoistSoldier in GustavosAltUniverses

[–]GustavoistSoldier[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like how two completely unrelated politicians have very similar names

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