Page 33 - A History of the World in 25 Cities

Theodora was the wife of Emperor Justinian, and a remarkable woman. Most emperors’ wives were royal themselves, but Theodora was born in a circus. Her mother might have been an acrobat, and Theodora had married and had children with a bear-keeper who died young, and was already married for a second time when she met Justinian. She changed laws to make things better for women – divorce laws, property laws and laws to punish violence against women – and helped Justinian conquer and govern the growing empire.
Constantinople was a cosmopolitan city. People came from all over Europe and Asia
to live and work there, so names came from lots of different cultures – Benjamin, Leo,
Joseph, Alaric, Anastasia, Maria, Brunhild and Theodora might all have met in Constantinople.
Both boys and girls from wealthy families would have gone to school, at least until secondary school.
In NuMbers
Population of Constantinople in the 500s:
Constantinople survived as the capital of the Byzantine Empire for over a thousand years, protected by its strong walls. Eventually, the city was taken over by the Ottoman Empire, after being invaded in 1453. Now called Istanbul, it’s the modern Republic of Turkey’s largest city, where you can still see the Hagia Sophia, the Column of Constantine and many other remains of its Byzantine past.
Population of Istanbul today:
6Size of Constantinople:
Size of Istanbul today:
5OO OOO
Anastasia