Empress Baddie | Theodora of the Byzantine Empire
For the Love of History - world history, women’s history, weird history

Empress Baddie | Theodora of the Byzantine Empire

B2Upper-intermediateAugust 21, 202636 min

Was she a teenage s*x worker or a young woman caught in the crossfire of history?! Let’s dive into how Empress Theodora became one of the most powerful women in history. This episode traces Empress Theodora's rise from poverty and the Byzantine Hippodrome to the imperial throne,e and the wave of laws she wrote protecting women-, from anti-rape statutes to marriage rights- that shaped the Western legal system for centuries. We separate the scandal (thanks, Procopius) from the facts, and ask: saint, sinner, or both? Website (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📕 Find resources he...

Play episode

Opens the player: the full transcript, every word clickable, with translation and flashcards.

Try it: tap any word

Real sentences from the start of this episode. Every word is marked with its level.

Sentence 4 of 12 · 0:16

The way most stories go, her memory should have slipped away with the sands of time.

.

She should have never made it into the palace, let alone become one of the most influential

Hear this sentence

Tap a word to see its meaning in your language.

Do you know these words?

8 harder words from this episode. Tap one to see what it means, then mark it.

  • B20:16
  • C17:51
  • B212:54
  • B215:19
  • B218:04
  • C121:52
  • C129:51
  • C130:26

Mark a few words and we'll tell you how this episode fits your level.

Is this episode right for you?

B2

B2 · Upper-intermediate

Comfortable if you already follow TV news

A1 34%A2 38%B1 15%B2 11%C1 2%
  • 87% of the words are B1 or easier.
  • 127 words a minute: slow, clear speech.
  • 156 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.

Transcript

The opening of the episode. The whole transcript is in the player.

0:00

You're listening to an Airwave Media Podcast. By all accounts, you shouldn't know her name. The way most stories go, her memory should have slipped away with the sands of time. Just like the other theater girls of the Byzantine Empire.

0:20

She should have never made it into the palace, let alone become one of the most influential leaders in history. So how did a teenage sex worker become an Empress? Welcome welcome welcome friend, I'm TK, your tour guide to the past, and you are listening

0:43

to For the Love of History, the podcast where we talk about world history, women's history, and weird history. Today, we are diving into the story of a midnight actress turned Empress, the Adora of the Byzantine Empire. We'll trace her early history, sort the facts from the

That was the opening. The rest of the episode (36 min) is in the player: every word clickable, with translation, saved words and flashcards.

Continue in the player

Automatically generated from the audio. May contain errors. Audio belongs to its publisher and is played from their feed. Rights holders can request removal — copyright & takedown policy