In 830, a commoner was crowned empress and later saved the use of icons
After winning a legendary 'bride-show' for her beauty and wit, a commoner named Theodora became the Byzantine Empress and single-handedly ended centuries of religious conflict by restoring the use of sacred icons.
On June 5, 830, a commoner named Theodora married Emperor Theophilos in the majestic Hagia Sophia after winning a royal bride-show. While her husband was a staunch iconoclast who banned religious images, Theodora secretly kept icons in her private quarters, teaching her children to venerate them in secret.
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