Greetings!
Damn...I don't own them yet, but I will soon. I read them already, but I need to add them to my collection. I will post the titles of these books on Byzantium soon. Offhand, there are several huge books on the Empress Theodora, married to I think Justinian. She was one hell of a woman, I can tell you! You *need* to read up on her! For example,
Theodora was raised by a father who was a bear-trainer in the arena of the Byzantium. Her mother, if I recall, was a prostitute, and either died when she was young, or ran off with someone else. At any rate, the young Theodora grew up around gamblers, thieves, arena entertainers, and prostitutes. Gradually, Theodora became a prostitute as well, around the age of 14 or 15 I think.
Theodora was said to be seductive, and yummy looking, without necessarily being "drop-dead-gorgeous." She soon started having a steady paying relationship with a wealthy merchant. Theodora insisted on education, gifts of books, as well as impressive gifts of gold, jewels, and fine things. Theodora became educated, and was a voracious reader. She learned all the erotic arts from her more experienced prostitute friends, and she continued to attract more and more lovers, who all sought her company, for not only was she attractive, she was ferociously passionate and sexy in bed, and she was quite intelligent. Her career as a prostitute and companion-for-hire continued.
Theodora was not content with merely this, though. She increasingly orchestrated wealthier and more prominent clients. As she did this, she also started acquiring information and intelligence on various people. She developed a reputation for extreme loyalty to her friends, and a wicked temper for vengeance for people who betrayed her, or screwed her over in some manner. She learned of some of her prostitute friends her were severely beaten, and treated horribly by various men. Whether they were rich or poor, regardless of their status, these cruel men invariably ended up dead, floating in a muddy canal somewhere in the city. Some were caught by rugged friends of Theodora's, and viciously tortured. The message got around that Theodora wasn't someone to play games with.
Eventually, Theodora met the Prince, at a party. The Prince fell hopelessly in love with her, and courted her. Once the happy couple was married, for she too, was deeply in love with him, she began getting involved with all kinds of projects. She organized state-sponsored insurance for prostitutes that worked in Guilds, where they were officially protected by law. Any cruelty or robbery of these women were harshly punished by Theodora. She developed a system to educate prostitutes, and help them gain career training and skills in other fields, so that if they wanted to leave prostitution, they could, and move on to having a better, and more stable life. She organized orphanages, and schools, available to not just the wealthy, but also the poor.
She developed a sophisticated spy network of servants, soldiers, and prostitutes, as well as dancers and other arena entertainers. Her spy network also developed an extra secret function, that of providing deep-cover security for her husband, who by this time, was the emperor. Theodora discovered there were plots occasionally against her husband. When she was informed of them, she had them secretly rounded up, and brought to a special torture complex and interrogation center that was built at her orders underground below the wing of special rooms and apartments that were hers in the vast palace. The traitors were taken down there, secretly, without the emperor even knowing about it, where Theodora would go with just a few trusted retainers and bodyguards. Theodora would personally torture these people, and interrogate them until she learned all that they had to tell. Once that was done, they were executed in various ways. Armed with such information, Theodora tightened her grip on any other enemies, moving rapidly like lightning and with such ferocity and skill, that the enemies didn't often realise they had been trapped, and were doomed.
These people often underestimated her, because they thought dismissively that she was just a woman, and she didn't really have the guts to have someone killed. They were surprised when she scourged them with hot pinchers with her own hand, or rubbed their naked, flayed bodies with salt, as she whispered at them to tell her the truth--her hands would continue relentlessly torturing them, then she would alternate with a servant while she rested, and watched them. Gradually, select rumours from servants and such spread that Theodora was a cunning, dangerous woman. Various nobles remarked that whenever someone was known to be her enemy, or her husband, whether they were a man or woman, that person strangely died. It happened enough, that word got around. Still, Theodora remained active in supporting her friends, and genuinely helping people, and being concerned with normal folks. Despite her reputation for ruthlessly pouring out her wrath on any of her enemies, she became increasingly popular. She was a very celebrated woman, and empress of the Byzantine Empire. She had many other adventures with her husband during her rule, and she was on the throne for I think close to some 35-45 years. She was hailed as compassionate, wise, intelligent, and effective in nearly everything that she set her hand to. She was one of Byzantium's greatest rulers, and an inspiration as one of the great women of history.
There are other excellent books that discuss the technology of Byzantium, as well as their armies, populations, and culture. Byzantium had powerful armies, heavily armoured knights, the greatest navy in the Mediterranean, and sophisticated military and political strategies. Byzantium enjoyed supreme artistic works, inspiring religious projects and theological doctrines, as well as keeping the legacy of ancient Rome alive.
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
