this time, we return to our occasional series on Medieval women, where we look at the lives and times of ladies who were able to rise to positions of power and esteem despite the extremely patriarchal nature of the Middle Ages. we have previously done these for the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene and for Hildegard of Bingen and Eleanor of Aquitaine. but now we turn to the Mediterranean and the Early Middle Ages to find our two remarkable women: Byzantine Empress Theodora and Lombardi Queen Theodelinda. Theodora rose from humble origins to become the wife and confidant of one of Constantinople's greatest rulers, Justinian I, and was integral in saving his regime during the Nika Riots. Then there's Theodelinda, who is less famous than Theodora but was still impressive all the same. Theodelinda was queen and ruler of the Lombards for 35 years, ruling on her without a king for part of that and, legend has it, was allowed to choose her own husband after her first husband died, something that almost never happens. So let's find our what else made these women so special!