Constantinople once had immensely magnificent walls, and people had even carved the inscription "Never to Fall" upon them. In the fifth century AD, when Attila led his army to invade, these walls served to hold back the invaders.
In these magnificent walls stood a Golden Gate, the gate through which emperors formally entered Constantinople. Built in the late fourth or early fifth century, it was famed throughout the world for its splendor and was also the site of many historical events.
Yet after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire also fell in 1453. Large numbers of survivors, whether voluntarily or under expulsion, left their homeland for Florence, Rome, Venice, and other places. At that time, Theodora's reputation was still quite good.
There was a story about a sheep thief who stole a sheep and had the letters "ST" branded onto his forehead. Because he performed good deeds for many years, whenever passersby asked about it, others would say it stood for saint.
Theodora was called "our most devout lady." She devoted her entire life to charity, while Justinian was criticized for being excessively fond of amassing wealth.
The vast majority of books about Theodora that were "still extant" appeared after 1683. Many things happened that year, the most famous in the Western world being the Siege of Vienna.
As for why Theodora had been defamed overnight, Georgiana did not know. When she wanted to read books about the details of the Byzantine Empire again, they had all "mysteriously vanished." Still, she could find some clues in books written by Byzantine survivors living in Florence and Venice.
Although Venice and the Byzantine Empire had maintained a highly unusual relationship after the Fourth Crusade, Venice suffered the greatest losses when the Byzantine Empire collapsed. Venice was not only