A Triple-headed Serpent: A Story of Theodora, Empress of Byzantium

by Marié Heese

  “Doesn’t this woman possess a single thing?” demanded Theodora. “One would swear she’s going to arrive in the clothes she stands up in!”

  “I fail to understand your sudden disapproval of these preparations,” said Justinian tetchily. “We made similar preparations for Gelimer before Belisarius brought him here, and you had nothing to say about that!”

  “Well, he had been vanquished,” said Theodora. “He had been stripped of his worldly goods. This woman, I understand, is extremely rich.”

  “We must be hospitable,” said Justinian. “And she is, in her own right, a queen.”

  “Whereas I, in my own right, am nothing but a former actress and a courtesan,” fumed Theodora, but not within her husband’s hearing.

  “Despoina, I am sure the Emperor did not mean …” Narses looked pained.

  “And,” said Theodora, voicing her greatest fear, “she’s still of child-bearing age. She was quite young, they say, when she had Athalaric. And a daughter too, I’m told. You can say what you please, Narses, but she’s a threat. A serious threat. To me.”

  “Well, Despoina, we must see how matters develop. Perhaps you fear for naught.”

  Amalasuintha went so far as to send a ship riding low in the water with a tremendous cargo of gold; it wallowed at anchor just outside the Imperial harbour, but she hesitated to give the order to berth and unload.

  In the end it seemed that the former regent could not bear to give up the reins of power. She had been used to exerting authority in the place of her debauched and useless son, and bending the male court officials to her will. The news reached Constantinople that she had invited her cousin, Theodahad, to take the throne of the Goths. The ship was ordered to turn around and take its precious cargo home.

  “How does she imagine this will work?” asked Justinian, dumbfounded. “Theodahad is a married man, she can hardly share the throne with him.”

  “Probably believes she can manipulate him,” suggested Theodora. “She’s been manipulating men all her life.”

  Amalasuintha, reported the Emperor’s observers, had worked out an agreement with her cousin. He could have the title of King of the Goths, but she would retain the power to govern. After all, she was accustomed to it. Theodahad accepted this offer, and swore a solemn oath to carry out its prescriptions.

  Two letters came, one from Theodahad and one from Amalasuintha herself, setting out this agreement and assuring Justinian that the parties concerned were both satisfied with its provisions.

  Justinian was unconvinced. “It won’t work with Theodahad,” he said. “He’s not a complete weakling. Even though he is known as The Philosopher. He’ll never be content with an empty ceremonial position. And the Goths are not amenable to being governed by a woman. There will be trouble.”

  Justinian was proved correct. Soon, in contradiction to his oath, Theodahad deposed Amalasuintha and imprisoned her on an island.

  “After all, he is a Barbarian,” said Narses. “One cannot depend upon his given word.”

  Now, thought Theodora, Justinian would arrange for the woman to be rescued. She would come to Constantinople after all, deeply in his debt. Beautiful and needy. And fertile, thought Theodora.

  I don’t want that woman here, the words formed in her mind.

  Narses the eunuch: his journal, AD 535

  Possibly she expected a kiss

  1 May, AD 535

  I have discovered, through my spies, that there is a close bond between Cappadocian John and Amalasuintha. Theodahad has imprisoned her on the small volcanic island of Martana in the middle of Lake Bolsena, a crater lake not far inland, in Tuscany. I’d wager all I have that she will not stay there long. Before her son died John visited her in person, and they have since been corresponding regularly. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he were to launch a rescue mission; it is the kind of bold, dramatic action that appeals to him. If those two work together, there is no knowing what they might achieve. It could be an unholy alliance.

  The Empress Theodora is certain that John has designs on the throne of Byzantium, and I agree with her. He is an intelligent, ruthless and crafty man of immense personal power, and he has amassed a substantial fortune. My spies further report that he has been allowing certain of the great landowners off the hook with taxes. And he has undeniably been responsible for spreading awful rumours about the Empress. He is clearly hatching some plan.

  And as for Amalasuintha – her father, Theodoric, was a great king, and under his rule the Gothic empire became powerful and rich. She is of a truly royal lineage; she is a woman of many accomplishments and, rumour has it, considerable personal charm. In spite of my assurances, I agree with the Empress: she should under no circumstances be given a home in Constantinople, nor the opportunity to build up a power base here. If she and the Cappadocian should attempt to overthrow the Despotes and Despoina, there are still many aristocrats and senior officials who are disaffected and might rally to their cause.

  I have tried to convince the Emperor that this is a real possibility and that bringing her here, which he plans to do, would be extremely dangerous, but he does not heed me. He too has corresponded with her and he believes that she is much maligned, that she is primarily an intellectual person and as an ally has a right to our support. For a man who is often an excellent judge of character and capabilities, our Emperor can sometimes be almost wilfully blind. In this instance he will not be warned.

  I pretended to have come round to his views on this. But I remain adamantly opposed. I shall have to find a remedy.

  14 May, AD 535

  And so I did. Justinian dispatched Peter the Patrician as the official envoy of the Byzantine state to negotiate with Theodahad about Lilybaeum in Sicily, since it had belonged to the recently vanquished Vandal king, and Justinian, as the victorious emperor, was stating his claim to it. At the same time, Peter had instructions to have secret talks with Amalasuintha, to arrange the timing and details of a rescue mission that would bring her safely to Constantinople. Justinian offered to send a fast dromon, the speediest ship he has, to transport her and a suitable retinue to the capital.

  “Despotes,” I said to him, “this dromon should depart immediately, and hove close to the Italian shore. No time must be wasted once the arrangements have been made. We shall have to spirit the lady away before Theodahad realises what is happening.”

  “Narses, you are right, as usual.”

  “I shall sail on the dromon,” I offered, “to ensure that everything is carried out with dispatch and in complete secrecy.”

  “Certainly. An excellent plan. You should leave at once.”

  The weather being set fair, we made very good time to Tuscany, reaching its shores before Peter, sailing on a cargo boat, could arrive. We cast anchor in a cove with a flat beach, not wanting to be seen in port. My spies had reported that Amalasuintha was not in chains, nor was she locked up, since there were no boats handy with which she could escape.

  I went ashore from the dromon by myself, informing the captain that I wanted no escort at all. As my spies had recommended, I found a horse-drawn farmer’s cart to transport me to the shore of the lake. There I hired a small rowing boat from a fisherman, and began to row myself out to the island. I learned to row as a child, since we lived near a river, and my body remembered the rhythm of the dip and pull. The lake has waves and tides and is reputedly sometimes stormy, but it was a lovely day and the water was crystal turquoise, so clear that I could see the fugitive shapes of darting fish. I rowed without urgency, enjoying the sun on my back and the gentle caress of the breeze. Soon I reached the steep dark volcanic cliffs, found a cleft with a beach and stowed the boat on the almost black sand and pebbles.

  The deposed queen and her entourage had been housed in a summer villa that sat on a rocky flank of the island looking eastwards. It was a substantial stone building, with long wings on either side of a large portico complete with Greek and Roman statues and urns full of scarlet petunias. Off to the sid
e, a winding path led up the hill to an imposing pillared pavilion.

  There were guards, no doubt, but they were not in evidence. Probably dicing, I thought. After all, the royal prisoner had no way to flee and they were expecting nobody. I skirted the villa and reached the path to the pavilion unchallenged. Up I climbed, my feet still cool and sandy. At last, only slightly winded, I reached the top. In the centre of the pavilion there was a luxurious bath. Marble paving surrounded a sunken oval filled to the brim with water. It had ledges set all around it, at just the right level so that one could sit comfortably in the water, with a spectacular view in all directions to the hills that surrounded the lake. Their undulating shapes were shadowed with purple in the late afternoon light.

  I stepped forward out of the shade cast by the tiled pavilion roof. Amalasuintha was sitting on the underwater ledge at the nearest end of the oval bath, her abundant chestnut hair loose around her creamy naked shoulders, her body shimmering under the surface like some strange forked sea creature.

  “Good afternoon, Majesty,” I said. “I am Narses, an emissary from Justinian, Emperor of Byzantium, who sends his greetings.”

  “Good afternoon,” she responded, not at all put out at being found unclothed by a complete stranger. “Narses, did you say? We have heard of you. How did you get up here without an escort of the soldiers set to guard me?”

  “I can be unobtrusive, if need be.”

  “So I see. Would you care to join me? The water is balmy. It is heated, but not too much.”

  “I think not, but thank you.”

  She arched her back, so that her nipples rose above water level, the dark rosy shade of ripe plums. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure, thank you.”

  She relaxed. “A eunuch. We heard that. Did they neuter you entirely? Are you left with a frightful scar?”

  “It was done by professionals,” I said, keeping my voice even. “Quite neatly. At the behest of my parents, so that I might find a good administrative post at court. I can still urinate standing up.”

  “Really? Interesting. Perhaps then you are capable of … somewhat more than that?” She looked up at me with a smile, showing her small, even, white teeth.

  “Considerably more,” I said. “But business first.”

  “As you wish. Can I offer you some beer? I’ll send my slave as soon as she comes back, I’ve sent her to fetch some cooled juice and a warmed towel.”

  “You are kind.”

  “So. You bring a message from Justinian, no doubt?”

  “Justinian is a great admirer of Your Majesty.”

  She lifted a long, shapely leg out of the water and regarded the sparkling droplets running off her gleaming skin with approval. I moved quietly around behind her.

  “I know.” She glanced at me over her shoulder. “We have corresponded. He is a man of impressive intellect and learning.”

  “Indeed,” I agreed.

  I stepped forward and knelt at her head, quickly placing one hand over her forehead and the other under her chin. Possibly she expected a kiss. She had time only to take in a surprised breath. In one abrupt move I jerked her head backwards, then thumped it down violently on the edge of the marble bath. Her arms that had flown up dropped back into the water as she went slack. I pushed her unresisting head down and held it under, pressing it down on the underwater bench she had been sitting on. My arms were plunged in almost to my shoulders. She was right, the water was balmy. I held her there until I was quite sure she had stopped breathing. Then I hauled her out and laid her down on her back. It should be absolutely clear that her death had been no accident. A streak of watery blood trickled from her nose into her open mouth.

  Then I stood up, shook my arms and wiped them on my short cloak. She lay motionless on her back with her arms and legs spread out; her eyes, astounded by death, stared up at the sky she could no longer see. The setting sun had bled into layers of cirrus clouds across the western hills, which were the colour of deep bruises.

  I turned away and walked swiftly down the path, smelling the aromatic scent of rosemary on the light breeze. I did not want to encounter the slave. Since there could be no witnesses I would have to kill her as well. I would do that if necessary, but preferably not.

  Fortunately I met no one on the path as I trotted quietly around the villa and down, down, down to the small boat beached on the dark sand. In the dying light the water had turned the colour of wine. No sound came from the island. No sound at all.

  Chapter 6: God is not pleased!

  Soon Peter the Patrician returned to Constantinople bearing the dreadful news, borne out by Narses who brought the dromon back without the Gothic Queen: the deposed Amalasuintha had been murdered in her bath. Theodahad sent a letter expressing shock and disclaiming any responsibility. He had merely isolated his cousin to protect her life, he wrote, and events had shown the necessity for this measure, although it had, alas, been inadequate. Amalasuintha, he wrote, had caused three highly-placed Goth political officials to be put to death just before her son died, and clearly their relatives had taken revenge. It was unfortunate.

  “Well,” said Justinian, “now I have my casus belli. They have murdered the queen of a vassal state, one who, furthermore, had a bond of friendship with us. In fact, she was under our Imperial protection. Belisarius must set out for Italy. But this time, we won’t make our intentions known beforehand. Everybody at home and abroad knew we were attacking the Vandals in Africa. We need to take the Goths by surprise.”

  “How will we achieve secrecy?” asked Theodora. “It is hardly possible for an army to set sail from Constantinople without it becoming known.”

  “True. But we’ll give it out that Belisarius and Mundus are returning to Carthage,” said Justinian. “There is in fact some need for that, Solomon has been complaining about lack of discipline. Belisarius can appear to be stopping over in Sicily as he did before, en route to Africa. But this time, he will conquer Sicily, while Mundus will attack the Goths on the opposite Dalmatian coast. That should create two solid footholds from which to launch further incursions. You see what I mean? Here, and here.” He flattened a map of Italy with a proprietory gesture, as if he could seize suzerainty by the laying on of hands. “Then, from here, we can march on Rome.” His eyes shone with the vision of an Eastern Empire that once again encompassed the legendary capital of the ancient Roman state.

  “But Belisarius himself has some reservations, I believe,” said Theodora. “He is complaining that the number of soldiers allocated is too small.”

  “A larger force would be a dead giveaway,” said Justinian. “However, I have negotiated with the Franks. I’ve sent an envoy, bearing a substantial bribe in gold. They have given assurances that when the time comes they will cross the Alps and attack the Goths from the North. You see? Like this.” His broad hand swept over the inky squiggle of the Alps and pounced upon the plain where putative armies clashed. “That would create a pincer, which could be decisive.” His left hand rose to meet his right hand and he wrung the heart out of the Goths. “And let us not forget that the Goths are led by Theodahad, who is completely devoid of military spirit and ability.”

  “While we have Belisarius.”

  “And Mundus. Yes. Sicily, of course, must be taken first.” He put his finger on the island, claiming it for his empire.

  Theodora asked Antonina: “You don’t think that this time you might stay at home? Comito does, when Sittas goes away.”

  “No, never. Where Belisarius goes, I will go, I have sworn it. Besides, Theodosius still acts as his mapmaker, and I’m so happy to have him near.”

  “And Belisarius still doesn’t know he’s your own son?”

  “No. I tell you, Photius is jealous enough as it is. I swear he’d kill the boy if he knew. Some people are gossiping about Theodosius and me, though. Rather a compliment, seeing how much older I am than he is.”

  “Surely that will make Belisarius angry?”

  “He trusts me. When
we were in Carthage, Belisarius came back unannounced and found us together in the basement of the palace. It was unconscionably hot and we were hiding valuable booty from his recent campaign. He’d brought huge wagonloads of treasures. Working so hard, we naturally wore less clothing than usual. Well, it did look like compromising circumstances. But I explained what we were doing, and he accepted that.”

  “He’s so honourable himself, he doesn’t want to believe ill of anyone,” said Theodora.

  The fleet, this time, was dispatched with far less public ceremony than the expedition to Africa. Its true purpose had been kept completely secret, and it was generally believed that it was destined for Carthage once more, merely to repress some attempts at rebellion. Depending on events (and the resolve of Theodahad), further decisions would be made when the fleet reached Italy.

  Meanwhile, at home in Constantinople, rebuilding continued. The new Hagia Sofia, Church of the Holy Wisdom, was taking shape. After the blackened ruins had been cleared away, far larger foundations had been prepared; it was not enough, merely, to replace what there had been.

  “We are building something completely different,” said Justinian. “Never attempted till now. No more timber roofing, it’s always a fire hazard. And the church itself should have height, not merely two outside towers that nobody ever climbs.”

  Theodora pored over the plans with her husband. “It certainly looks impressive.”

  The floor plan was a Greek cross, with a spacious nave, square, that would be surmounted by a dome higher than any ever built before. Four huge equal arches resting on four massive piers would support this colossal shell.