The Secret History
by Procopius
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Procopius, born at Caesarea in Palestine late in the 5th century, became a lawyer. In 527 CE he was made legal adviser and secretary of Belisarius, commander against the Persians, and went with Belisarius again in 533 against the Vandals and in 535 against the Ostrogoths. Sometime after 540 he returned to Constantinople. He may have been that Procopius who was prefect of Constantinople in 562, but the date of his death (after 558) is unknown.Procopius's History of the Wars in 8 books show more recounts the Persian Wars of emperors Justinus and Justinian down to 550 (2 books); the Vandalic War and after-events in Africa 532-546 (2 books); the Gothic War against the Ostrogoths in Sicily and Italy 536-552 (3 books); and a sketch of events to 554 (1 book). The whole consists largely of military history, with much information about peoples and places as well, and about special events. He was a diligent, careful, judicious narrator of facts and developments and shows good powers of description. He is just to the empire's enemies and boldly criticises emperor Justinian. Other works by Procopius are the Anecdota or Secret History-vehement attacks on Justinian, Theodora, and others; and The Buildings of Justinian (down to 558 CE) including roads and bridges as well as churches, forts, hospitals, and so on in various parts of the empire.The Loeb Classical Library edition of Procopius is in seven volumes. show lessTags
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Bookwomble Both are 'behind-the-scenes' exposés of the lives of emperors which provided inspiration to Robert Graves.
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I was prompted to read this account of the life and times of the late Roman/Byzantine emperor Justinian and his consort Theodora from listening to a series of episodes about them on the Rest of History podcast channel this week. Procopius writing in the 6th century AD was one of the last significant historians of the old Roman Empire, despite being from the western Latin half he wrote his works in Greek, the language of the Byzantine Empire based in Constantinople that saw itself as the inheritor of the original Roman Empire. Procopius's original work on the wars Justinian waged to expand the Empire were seen as too uncritical and propagandistic and, as if to compensate, he wrote this work in secret, only to be published after the show more Emperor's and his own death. Fair enough perhaps, but this work is comically absurd in its exaggerations. His hatred of Justinian and Theodora is such that he says "these two seemed not to be human beings, but veritable demons, and what the poets call vampires: who laid their heads together to see how they could most easily and quickly destroy the race and deeds of men; and assuming human bodies, became man-demons, and so convulsed the world". On various occasions he claims that "Justinian's head vanished, while the rest of his body seemed to ebb and flow" or that "of a sudden the face changed into a shapeless mass of flesh, with neither eyebrows nor eyes in their proper places, nor any other distinguishing feature". Furthermore in a claim wild even by the numerical standards of pre-modern historians, Procopius writes "Examining the countries that he made desolate of inhabitants, I would say he slew a trillion people"; a trillion is some 120 times the total world population even now in 2022, never mind in the 6th century, in the process also blaming the rulers for earthquakes and plagues. The tone of the narrative makes it difficult to take Procopius seriously as a historian, colourful and extravagant (and rather confusing) though it is. show less
Forget everything you thought you knew about the Imperial court of 6th century Byzantium!
NEW! From the mild-mannered historian who brought you [book:The History of the Wars|268692] series, Procopius's disillusioned tell-all The Secret History gives you the lowdown on what was REALLY going on in the palace of Emperor Justinian!
Constantinople's most-lauded historian pulls off the kid gloves and tells it like it was: the depravity, the corruption, the scandal; NO HOLDS BARRED! Don't trust the official party-line histories, or an outsider's opinion; take it from somebody who knew and lived among these rulers, and saw them warts-and-all every day!
Emperor Justinian
Official History says: Nephew of Emperor Justin, and successor to him on the show more Imperial throne. Best known for the beautiful and enduring buildings he commissioned throughout the capital city, as detailed in Procopius's adoring book [book:On Buildings|478463].
Procopius says:
THIS GUY WAS JUST THE WORST!
Take every bad habit and character failing you can think of, ball them all up into one man, and that's basically this guy. He acts without thinking, he makes decrees before he has all the facts, he talks about things he doesn't know, he swears oaths and then doesn't keep his word, he takes bribes, he always withdraws money from the Treasury and never once makes a deposit to grow the Imperial wealth... he's just about the worst person you could pick to be an emperor.
His favorite hobbies, apparently, include fucking up anything that’s working correctly, shitting all over Roman traditions, and devising new ways of stealing the choicest estates of the nobility for himself.
He invaded Libya and killed, like, a third of the people FOR NO GOOD REASON! Those people could have paid taxes, yo!
On another occasion (p.130), he started an unneccessary conflict against the Vandals, in which -by my rough estimate- one million million (i.e. a trillion) innocent persons lost their lives.
Under his administration, the streets of Byzantium aren't safe. He pretty much doesn't give a fuck if roving gangs steal the beautiful brooches from upper crust ladies, or threaten fair-minded men and the elderly with daggers. "WTF do I care? I'm JUSTINIAN, bitches! Ain't no skin off my nose."
Also: For some reason- God only knows why- he has a particularly devoted following among partisans who call themselves "The Blue". They're a bunch of lawless hoods, who fuck other men’s' wives and sons, but Justinian could give a rat's ass about that. It's easy to spot Blues on the street, because they are known by their favored hair style. Here, let me describe it to you (p.72):
Sound familiar?
Yeah, that's right; Justinian was huge with the mullet crowd.
__________________________________________
Empress Theodora
Official History says: Loving wife of Justin, and a strong co-ruler of the Empire, Theodora was also possessed of a legendary beauty which was admired throughout the known world. (Admittedly, it doesn't come across so well in mosaic.)
Procopius says:
THIS BITCH IS CRAZY!
When she gets in one of her moods, clear out, because she’s been known to have servants’ tongues cut out for no reason. She had her best friend’s son tortured just because it suited her fancy. She had a dungeon constructed beneath her living quarters, where she had numerous people- citizens off the street, former friends, government advisors- you name it- detained… some of them for years. One of her husband’s trusted councilors was locked up in a pitch black maze there for two years. Servants would occasionally throw meat inside, like he was some kind of animal, but everybody was forbidden to speak with him. She forbade anybody to ask about his whereabouts, or how he was doing, so after a while, people kind of assumed he died down there. Then, one day –out of nowhere- she commanded the Master at Arms to go down and find him, and if he was still living, to give him his freedom. The poor guy was filthy and emaciated, and nearly insane from the isolation, malnourishment, and the general way he had so suddenly been mistreated. The palace staff washed him off, gave him fresh clothes, and sent him home- where he died two weeks later.
Theodora pretty much co-ruled with her husband Justinian, and was every bit as corrupt and capricious. She and he used to have a sort of good cop/bad cop act they’d do, where if they wanted to steal a nobleman’s land, one of them would call him to the palace, and say “[my spouse] is furious with you! I don’t know what you did. [s]he wants to have you hanged this very afternoon! Arrange your affairs, because this is your last day on Earth.” The nobleman would be crazy with fear, wondering what he did, and would beseech them to go find out what the misunderstanding was. They’d come back and say [s]he is mad with rage, but I convinced him[/her] to spare your life if you donate to him[/her] your lovely villa on the lake (or whatever). The nobleman would gladly sign it over, and even thank them for sparing his life. Then Justinian and Theodora would have a good laugh over what a sucker the nobleman was, and set about impounding his estate.
Oh, did I mention what a slut Theodora was? Yeah- Antonina had nothing on her! Judge for yourself, here are some excerpts from the book:
True except:
Um.... yeah.
...Still, I have to admit: she was pretty hot.
__________________________________________
Belisarius
Official History says: Badass Roman General, sometimes called the "Last Roman General", he was first councilor and eventually heir to Emperor Justinian.
Procopius says:
PUSSYWHIPPED JELLYWORM!
Here's the man who showed it's possible to be a tough-guy Roman General and STILL manage to catch the late train to Loserville! He adopts a son, Theodosius, whom his slut wife Antonina immediately proceeds to fuck in every room of the palace, even giving the servants a free sex show. (Trust me; watching Antonina get it on goes with the territory of living in the palace. I think we’ve all been extras in her personal porno shows, at one time or another.) When the cuckold General CATCHES HER IN THE ACT, she explains it away to his satisfaction!
WAAA?!?!? How do you find mother and son naked between incestuous sheets, and allow it to be "explained away"?!!??? What could she have possibly have said? "He was just helping me measure the inside of my vagina????" Nope. No way.
Sad to say, the ball-less wonder Belisarius would do any, any, ANY thing to avoid confrontation with Antonina. As a result: he plays her fool as she rides bone with every willing dick in Byzantium.
In one particularly horrible incident, a servant has sympathy on him, and shows him proofs of another infidelity. When he comes to Antonina with the evidence, she twists his mind with magic, to the point that he agrees to have the servant's tongue ripped out and ground into fish food, for telling him such lies. I don't need to tell you: the servant was honest.
Later, once General Beliserius had been completely sissified, Empress Theodora and Antonina devised a plan to strip him of his wealth. Theodora made it known he had fallen into her ill favor, and that she was resolute he should be executed. He hid in his chambers, shaking like a child and crying. Then she dispatched a letter to him, saying that Antonina had interceded on his behalf, and convinced her (Theodora, that is) that he should be allowed to live. Theodora says she reluctantly agreed, but on the condition that he becomes Antonina's slave, and sign all his wealth over to her. With tears of gratitude for his life, the pathetic shell of a once-great man eagerly did so. How do you respect something like that?
Ultimately, his circumstances in marriage were so well known, even slaves and eunuchs would laugh and mock Belisarius to his face, so he volunteered to resume his services as a General, and went off to fight the Ostrogoths in Italy. He did so at great peril to himself, just to be away from the embarrassment of life in the Imperial court. Sadly, his skills as a General had eroded, from the many years living in luxury in the capital city, so he had little success. In five years trying, he achieved not a single victory.
Oh, and he was a shitty father too: he let his adopted son Theodosius harass and belittle his biologic son Photeus, to the point Photeus left town.
__________________________________________
Antonina
Official History says: Adoring wife and faithful advisor to General Belisarius.
Procopius says:
LYING WHORE!
This ungrateful little gold digger was a prostitute from the earliest possible age, and gave herself up to no less than three of the most obscene vices imaginable... two of which I can not even profane these pages to describe to you! Given her kaleidoscope of sexual depravities, it should be no surprise to find incest on her menu as well. That's right; she whiled away many an afternoon in the palace, balling her stepson, Theodosius. But of course her infidelities extended well beyond him; by all accounts, she saw more ass than Mick Jagger.
And if that wasn't bad enough, the little hussy was a comedienne! That's right; her parents were in the theater, and she used to get on stage and tell JOKES for the audience's pleasure! If popular rumor is to be believed, she was also friends with magicians. What does THAT say about a person's character?!
__________________________________________
Emperor Justin
Official History says: A swashbuckling adventurer, folk hero, and maybe-pirate in his younger days, he trod an unlikely course to the Imperial crown. Uncle to Emperor Justinian, his successor.
Procopius says:
MORON.
Couldn't even write his own name on official documents.
A doddering old fool by the time he finally attained the imperial throne; his best days were WAY behind him. They shoulda' given it to somebody else...
PLUS: married to a former slave... and not even just any slave, but a FOREIGN SLAVE, Lupicinia!!
Is this the best we can do for Emperor? Gimme a fuckin' break.
__________________________________________
Best. Book. from Classical Antiquity. Ever.
-BB show less
NEW! From the mild-mannered historian who brought you [book:The History of the Wars|268692] series, Procopius's disillusioned tell-all The Secret History gives you the lowdown on what was REALLY going on in the palace of Emperor Justinian!
Constantinople's most-lauded historian pulls off the kid gloves and tells it like it was: the depravity, the corruption, the scandal; NO HOLDS BARRED! Don't trust the official party-line histories, or an outsider's opinion; take it from somebody who knew and lived among these rulers, and saw them warts-and-all every day!
Emperor Justinian
Official History says: Nephew of Emperor Justin, and successor to him on the show more Imperial throne. Best known for the beautiful and enduring buildings he commissioned throughout the capital city, as detailed in Procopius's adoring book [book:On Buildings|478463].
Procopius says:
THIS GUY WAS JUST THE WORST!
Take every bad habit and character failing you can think of, ball them all up into one man, and that's basically this guy. He acts without thinking, he makes decrees before he has all the facts, he talks about things he doesn't know, he swears oaths and then doesn't keep his word, he takes bribes, he always withdraws money from the Treasury and never once makes a deposit to grow the Imperial wealth... he's just about the worst person you could pick to be an emperor.
His favorite hobbies, apparently, include fucking up anything that’s working correctly, shitting all over Roman traditions, and devising new ways of stealing the choicest estates of the nobility for himself.
He invaded Libya and killed, like, a third of the people FOR NO GOOD REASON! Those people could have paid taxes, yo!
On another occasion (p.130), he started an unneccessary conflict against the Vandals, in which -by my rough estimate- one million million (i.e. a trillion) innocent persons lost their lives.
Under his administration, the streets of Byzantium aren't safe. He pretty much doesn't give a fuck if roving gangs steal the beautiful brooches from upper crust ladies, or threaten fair-minded men and the elderly with daggers. "WTF do I care? I'm JUSTINIAN, bitches! Ain't no skin off my nose."
Also: For some reason- God only knows why- he has a particularly devoted following among partisans who call themselves "The Blue". They're a bunch of lawless hoods, who fuck other men’s' wives and sons, but Justinian could give a rat's ass about that. It's easy to spot Blues on the street, because they are known by their favored hair style. Here, let me describe it to you (p.72):
”The hair on the front of the head they cut right back to the temples, allowing the growth behind to hang down to its full length in a disorderly mass, like the Massagetae. That is why they sometimes called this the Hunnish style.”
Sound familiar?
Yeah, that's right; Justinian was huge with the mullet crowd.
__________________________________________
Empress Theodora
Official History says: Loving wife of Justin, and a strong co-ruler of the Empire, Theodora was also possessed of a legendary beauty which was admired throughout the known world. (Admittedly, it doesn't come across so well in mosaic.)
Procopius says:
THIS BITCH IS CRAZY!
When she gets in one of her moods, clear out, because she’s been known to have servants’ tongues cut out for no reason. She had her best friend’s son tortured just because it suited her fancy. She had a dungeon constructed beneath her living quarters, where she had numerous people- citizens off the street, former friends, government advisors- you name it- detained… some of them for years. One of her husband’s trusted councilors was locked up in a pitch black maze there for two years. Servants would occasionally throw meat inside, like he was some kind of animal, but everybody was forbidden to speak with him. She forbade anybody to ask about his whereabouts, or how he was doing, so after a while, people kind of assumed he died down there. Then, one day –out of nowhere- she commanded the Master at Arms to go down and find him, and if he was still living, to give him his freedom. The poor guy was filthy and emaciated, and nearly insane from the isolation, malnourishment, and the general way he had so suddenly been mistreated. The palace staff washed him off, gave him fresh clothes, and sent him home- where he died two weeks later.
Theodora pretty much co-ruled with her husband Justinian, and was every bit as corrupt and capricious. She and he used to have a sort of good cop/bad cop act they’d do, where if they wanted to steal a nobleman’s land, one of them would call him to the palace, and say “[my spouse] is furious with you! I don’t know what you did. [s]he wants to have you hanged this very afternoon! Arrange your affairs, because this is your last day on Earth.” The nobleman would be crazy with fear, wondering what he did, and would beseech them to go find out what the misunderstanding was. They’d come back and say [s]he is mad with rage, but I convinced him[/her] to spare your life if you donate to him[/her] your lovely villa on the lake (or whatever). The nobleman would gladly sign it over, and even thank them for sparing his life. Then Justinian and Theodora would have a good laugh over what a sucker the nobleman was, and set about impounding his estate.
Oh, did I mention what a slut Theodora was? Yeah- Antonina had nothing on her! Judge for yourself, here are some excerpts from the book:
True except:
Later in the text...
"There was not a particle of modesty in the little hussy, and no one ever saw her taken aback: she complied with the most outrageous demands without the slightest hesitation, and she was the sort of girl who if somebody walloped her or boxed her ears would make a jest of it and roar with laughter; and she would throw of her clothes and exhibit naked to all and sundry those regions, both in front and behind, which the rules of decency require to be kept veiled and hidden from masculine eyes.
She used to tease her lovers by keeping them waiting, and by constantly playing about with novel methods of intercourse she cold always bring the lascivious to her feet; so far from waiting to be invited by anyone she encountered, she herself by cracking dirty jokes and wiggling her hips suggestively would invite all who came her way, especially if they were still in their teens. Never was anyone so completely given up to unlimited self indulgence. Often she would go to a bring-your-own-food dinner party with ten young men or more, all at the peak of their physical powers, and with fornication as their chief object in life, and would lie with all her fellow diners in turn the whole night long, reducing every last of them in copulation to exhaustion, even if they be thirty or more; and even so she could not satisfy her lust."
"And though she brought three openings into service, she often found fault with Nature, grumbling because Nature had not made the openings in her nipples wider than is normal, so that she could devise another variety of intercourse in that region."
Um.... yeah.
...Still, I have to admit: she was pretty hot.
__________________________________________
Belisarius
Official History says: Badass Roman General, sometimes called the "Last Roman General", he was first councilor and eventually heir to Emperor Justinian.
Procopius says:
PUSSYWHIPPED JELLYWORM!
Here's the man who showed it's possible to be a tough-guy Roman General and STILL manage to catch the late train to Loserville! He adopts a son, Theodosius, whom his slut wife Antonina immediately proceeds to fuck in every room of the palace, even giving the servants a free sex show. (Trust me; watching Antonina get it on goes with the territory of living in the palace. I think we’ve all been extras in her personal porno shows, at one time or another.) When the cuckold General CATCHES HER IN THE ACT, she explains it away to his satisfaction!
WAAA?!?!? How do you find mother and son naked between incestuous sheets, and allow it to be "explained away"?!!??? What could she have possibly have said? "He was just helping me measure the inside of my vagina????" Nope. No way.
Sad to say, the ball-less wonder Belisarius would do any, any, ANY thing to avoid confrontation with Antonina. As a result: he plays her fool as she rides bone with every willing dick in Byzantium.
In one particularly horrible incident, a servant has sympathy on him, and shows him proofs of another infidelity. When he comes to Antonina with the evidence, she twists his mind with magic, to the point that he agrees to have the servant's tongue ripped out and ground into fish food, for telling him such lies. I don't need to tell you: the servant was honest.
Later, once General Beliserius had been completely sissified, Empress Theodora and Antonina devised a plan to strip him of his wealth. Theodora made it known he had fallen into her ill favor, and that she was resolute he should be executed. He hid in his chambers, shaking like a child and crying. Then she dispatched a letter to him, saying that Antonina had interceded on his behalf, and convinced her (Theodora, that is) that he should be allowed to live. Theodora says she reluctantly agreed, but on the condition that he becomes Antonina's slave, and sign all his wealth over to her. With tears of gratitude for his life, the pathetic shell of a once-great man eagerly did so. How do you respect something like that?
Ultimately, his circumstances in marriage were so well known, even slaves and eunuchs would laugh and mock Belisarius to his face, so he volunteered to resume his services as a General, and went off to fight the Ostrogoths in Italy. He did so at great peril to himself, just to be away from the embarrassment of life in the Imperial court. Sadly, his skills as a General had eroded, from the many years living in luxury in the capital city, so he had little success. In five years trying, he achieved not a single victory.
Oh, and he was a shitty father too: he let his adopted son Theodosius harass and belittle his biologic son Photeus, to the point Photeus left town.
__________________________________________
Antonina
Official History says: Adoring wife and faithful advisor to General Belisarius.
Procopius says:
LYING WHORE!
This ungrateful little gold digger was a prostitute from the earliest possible age, and gave herself up to no less than three of the most obscene vices imaginable... two of which I can not even profane these pages to describe to you! Given her kaleidoscope of sexual depravities, it should be no surprise to find incest on her menu as well. That's right; she whiled away many an afternoon in the palace, balling her stepson, Theodosius. But of course her infidelities extended well beyond him; by all accounts, she saw more ass than Mick Jagger.
And if that wasn't bad enough, the little hussy was a comedienne! That's right; her parents were in the theater, and she used to get on stage and tell JOKES for the audience's pleasure! If popular rumor is to be believed, she was also friends with magicians. What does THAT say about a person's character?!
__________________________________________
Emperor Justin
Official History says: A swashbuckling adventurer, folk hero, and maybe-pirate in his younger days, he trod an unlikely course to the Imperial crown. Uncle to Emperor Justinian, his successor.
Procopius says:
MORON.
Couldn't even write his own name on official documents.
A doddering old fool by the time he finally attained the imperial throne; his best days were WAY behind him. They shoulda' given it to somebody else...
PLUS: married to a former slave... and not even just any slave, but a FOREIGN SLAVE, Lupicinia!!
Is this the best we can do for Emperor? Gimme a fuckin' break.
__________________________________________
Best. Book. from Classical Antiquity. Ever.
-BB show less
Imagine a man with insider knowledge (and probably more than one ducked knife/arrow/poison during his career) and disillusioned with situation around him.
What can he do but write a publication into which he will pour as much of his poison as he can and make sure nobody finds out about it until he is safely dead.
Now lets make some things clear - this is period when people lose life on a basis of a gossip (advancement today is that nobody gets killed but yes it can get complicated) or simply because somebody does not like them (privileges when executioner also writes the laws). Imagine you are a writer with almost ultimate academic status and you have a very good job at court (government join with all the perks but also with all of the show more dangers because management anger or management change usually meant removal of entire chain). So you get a job to write historical works about the ruler's achievements (Justinian's wars and building achievements) but at the very same moment you witness things that don't go so well with you (one theory says one possible reason for this book was to secure survival in case of regime change, but I think this was product of a grudge because if it weren't I think book would not survive at all, what would be the reasoning?), some possibly set against you personally but, you know, you prefer living. So what do you do? You start writing a very sensitive document and hope nobody finds it while you are alive.
The way rulers are portrayed in my opinion is not an exaggeration at all - they both are rules of life and death, capable schemers and not hesitant when it comes to stab/back-stab whoever needs it. Do we actually think that ruthlessness of old Roman Emperors died with rise of Christianity? In days when Popes were warrior Popes (not to mentione Borgias almost a millennia later - they resonate dont they?) . If you think portrayal is too much - believe me same behavior can be found in any Eastern European country post Berlin Wall fall. Some of these tyrants might be romanticized by West because of anti-Russian sentiment and "open market" approach but believe me it took around 20 years to make sure elected government officials are at least kept responsible and not constantly stealing in some of these states. And now imagine position where you can order cities completely destroyed and everyone killed. You know how they say - power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
And one more thing about the book itself and it possible effect on society. I am very sure that Justinians and Theodora's acts would be that shocking at the time (6th century). This could be shocking in Renaissance period but for contemporaries this would be juicy (to a degree) but condemning to initiate the revolt and overthrow - I dont think so (I mean, even from today's perspective if they had good PR Justy and Thea would not have to worry at all (and yes, that's what our society became)). When you look at what they did it differs not from any of their contemporaries in power or pretending to gain power. These were much cruder times.
And do remember Justinian and Theodora re not the only ones mentioned. There is a plethora of characters in the book that are pillaging and murdering their subjects, that work under protection of Justinian and his wife or suddenly find themselves targeted by them, then forgiven (and possibly killed immediately afterward).
Excellent little book that proves that there is an universal pattern to human behavior. And if you want to see how good is someone give then the ultimate power (but truly you should not do this ever - always elect them for a limited term and do a litmus test). show less
What can he do but write a publication into which he will pour as much of his poison as he can and make sure nobody finds out about it until he is safely dead.
Now lets make some things clear - this is period when people lose life on a basis of a gossip (advancement today is that nobody gets killed but yes it can get complicated) or simply because somebody does not like them (privileges when executioner also writes the laws). Imagine you are a writer with almost ultimate academic status and you have a very good job at court (government join with all the perks but also with all of the show more dangers because management anger or management change usually meant removal of entire chain). So you get a job to write historical works about the ruler's achievements (Justinian's wars and building achievements) but at the very same moment you witness things that don't go so well with you (one theory says one possible reason for this book was to secure survival in case of regime change, but I think this was product of a grudge because if it weren't I think book would not survive at all, what would be the reasoning?), some possibly set against you personally but, you know, you prefer living. So what do you do? You start writing a very sensitive document and hope nobody finds it while you are alive.
The way rulers are portrayed in my opinion is not an exaggeration at all - they both are rules of life and death, capable schemers and not hesitant when it comes to stab/back-stab whoever needs it. Do we actually think that ruthlessness of old Roman Emperors died with rise of Christianity? In days when Popes were warrior Popes (not to mentione Borgias almost a millennia later - they resonate dont they?) . If you think portrayal is too much - believe me same behavior can be found in any Eastern European country post Berlin Wall fall. Some of these tyrants might be romanticized by West because of anti-Russian sentiment and "open market" approach but believe me it took around 20 years to make sure elected government officials are at least kept responsible and not constantly stealing in some of these states. And now imagine position where you can order cities completely destroyed and everyone killed. You know how they say - power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
And one more thing about the book itself and it possible effect on society. I am very sure that Justinians and Theodora's acts would be that shocking at the time (6th century). This could be shocking in Renaissance period but for contemporaries this would be juicy (to a degree) but condemning to initiate the revolt and overthrow - I dont think so (I mean, even from today's perspective if they had good PR Justy and Thea would not have to worry at all (and yes, that's what our society became)). When you look at what they did it differs not from any of their contemporaries in power or pretending to gain power. These were much cruder times.
And do remember Justinian and Theodora re not the only ones mentioned. There is a plethora of characters in the book that are pillaging and murdering their subjects, that work under protection of Justinian and his wife or suddenly find themselves targeted by them, then forgiven (and possibly killed immediately afterward).
Excellent little book that proves that there is an universal pattern to human behavior. And if you want to see how good is someone give then the ultimate power (but truly you should not do this ever - always elect them for a limited term and do a litmus test). show less
This is an odd, odd little book. It's probably the strangest ancient work of history you will ever come across. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that Procopius is otherwise a respected author of sixth century Byzantine history, one would be inclined to dismiss this work as the work of someone who was more than a little biased, sex-crazed, and, well, insane.
As it is, it contrasts strangely with Procopius' other works, which are neutral-to-favourable on the subject of Justinian and Theodora, the rulers of the empire at the time he was writing. In The Secret History, however, Theodora is represented as a sex-crazed, infant-killing harlot, and Justinian, we are told, is quite literally the devil. No-one knows quite why this happened - show more was Procopius writing the real and unvarnished truth, in the hopes that his work would come down to posterity after his death? Is it a grudge-piece? Is it even written by Procopius?
Much of the work cannot be taken at face value; much of the rest of it has to be skimmed in distaste (I really don't want to read about Theodora servicing fifty men in one night, thank you so much). However, if that is taken into account, it is still a fascinating read for someone examining some of the political attitudes and social mores which permeated Byzantium at the time - even if one does not believe the accusations laid at the door of the imperial couple, the question of why these particular accusations were made against them is an interesting one to ask. Worthwhile reading if you have any interest in the late Roman empire or Byzantium. show less
As it is, it contrasts strangely with Procopius' other works, which are neutral-to-favourable on the subject of Justinian and Theodora, the rulers of the empire at the time he was writing. In The Secret History, however, Theodora is represented as a sex-crazed, infant-killing harlot, and Justinian, we are told, is quite literally the devil. No-one knows quite why this happened - show more was Procopius writing the real and unvarnished truth, in the hopes that his work would come down to posterity after his death? Is it a grudge-piece? Is it even written by Procopius?
Much of the work cannot be taken at face value; much of the rest of it has to be skimmed in distaste (I really don't want to read about Theodora servicing fifty men in one night, thank you so much). However, if that is taken into account, it is still a fascinating read for someone examining some of the political attitudes and social mores which permeated Byzantium at the time - even if one does not believe the accusations laid at the door of the imperial couple, the question of why these particular accusations were made against them is an interesting one to ask. Worthwhile reading if you have any interest in the late Roman empire or Byzantium. show less
I've never been a great believer in the idea that there is "pure evil" or "pure good" when it comes to people. And I was never convinced about George W Bush's announcement of "An axis of Evil".....which, by implication, the "pure" side (the Americans and allies) had to eradicate. And, in this book, Procopius goes to great pains to convince us that Justinian and Theodora (his wife) were as close to "pure evil" as it is possible to get. If only half of what he writes about them is true, they were not a nice couple.
And, the fact that Procopius took great pains not to publish the work in his own lifetime says something about his fears for his safety. But surely such a work ..dripping with venom and vitriol...can hardly be regarded as an show more objective history.
For example:
"For this man (not Justinian in this case) had devoted great attention to sorcerers and supernatural beings, admired the Manichaeans, and was not ashamed openly to profess himself their supporter. Although the Empress was not ignorant of this, she did not withdraw her favour, but resolved on this account to show even greater interest and regard for him than before, for she herself also, from her earliest years, had associated with sorcerers and magicians, since her character and pursuits inclined her towards them. She had great faith in their arts, and placed the greatest confidence in them. It is even said that she did not render Justinian susceptible to her influence so much by her flatteries as by the irresistible power of evil spirits."
And, another example: " The evil deeds of Justinian were so numerous, that time would fail me if I were to attempt to relate them all. It will therefore be sufficient, if I select some of those which will exhibit his whole character to posterity, and which clearly show his dissimulation, his neglect of God, the priesthood, the laws, and the people which showed itself devoted to him. He was utterly without shame; he had no care for the interests or advantage of the state, and did not trouble himself about excusing his misdeeds, or, in fact, about anything else but how he might plunder and appropriate the wealth of the whole world.".
It seems to me to be written as a revengeful act...something to blacken the name of Justinian and his mates. And, in this respect it seems to have been singularly successful.
Procopius, systematically undermines the personal morals of both Theodora and Justinian and then undermines their credibility as leaders, as defenders of the state and as economic managers. I think it is fair to say that there is no good word said of the court of Justinian in the whole book.....maybe apart from individuals who tried to do the right thing but were undone by Justinian and Wife.
Procopius does not shy away from naming individuals and occasions and certainly there is a wealth of detail....so maybe many or all of these events did take place. For example: "About the same time, the chief eunuch of the court, named Euphratas, also died intestate; he left behind him a nephew, who would naturally have succeeded to his property, which was considerable. The Emperor took possession of both fortunes, appointing himself sole heir, not even leaving so much as a three-obol piece to the legal inheritors. Such was the respect Justinian showed for the laws and the kinsmen of his intimate friends. In the same manner, without having the least claim to it, he seized the fortune of Irenaeus, who had died some time before". How would we ever know if this was true or if Procopius was inventing it or exaggerating?
Did I enjoy the book? Hmm....well no. I certainly didn't come away from reading all that hate, feeling better about myself or life in general. Was there some underlying lesson that one could draw from all of this. Maybe there are a few. For instance, you can never be sure that somebody is not going to blacken your name after you are gone. So maybe it's better to be a just and competent ruler than being greedy and incompetent . That much seems obvious. But maybe your name will be blackened anyway by somebody like Procopius for some real or imagined slight or setback. Anyway, "The Secret History" seems to set the standard for "tell-all" books about political dynasties and certainly pulls no punches.
What I didn't learn from all of this was the role that Procopius was playing in all this nastiness. If he was at the court and had access to all these details what was he up to himself? How much of a role was he playing in the evil deeds?
Interesting but not a nice book. I give it 4 stars on account of it's historical significance. show less
And, the fact that Procopius took great pains not to publish the work in his own lifetime says something about his fears for his safety. But surely such a work ..dripping with venom and vitriol...can hardly be regarded as an show more objective history.
For example:
"For this man (not Justinian in this case) had devoted great attention to sorcerers and supernatural beings, admired the Manichaeans, and was not ashamed openly to profess himself their supporter. Although the Empress was not ignorant of this, she did not withdraw her favour, but resolved on this account to show even greater interest and regard for him than before, for she herself also, from her earliest years, had associated with sorcerers and magicians, since her character and pursuits inclined her towards them. She had great faith in their arts, and placed the greatest confidence in them. It is even said that she did not render Justinian susceptible to her influence so much by her flatteries as by the irresistible power of evil spirits."
And, another example: " The evil deeds of Justinian were so numerous, that time would fail me if I were to attempt to relate them all. It will therefore be sufficient, if I select some of those which will exhibit his whole character to posterity, and which clearly show his dissimulation, his neglect of God, the priesthood, the laws, and the people which showed itself devoted to him. He was utterly without shame; he had no care for the interests or advantage of the state, and did not trouble himself about excusing his misdeeds, or, in fact, about anything else but how he might plunder and appropriate the wealth of the whole world.".
It seems to me to be written as a revengeful act...something to blacken the name of Justinian and his mates. And, in this respect it seems to have been singularly successful.
Procopius, systematically undermines the personal morals of both Theodora and Justinian and then undermines their credibility as leaders, as defenders of the state and as economic managers. I think it is fair to say that there is no good word said of the court of Justinian in the whole book.....maybe apart from individuals who tried to do the right thing but were undone by Justinian and Wife.
Procopius does not shy away from naming individuals and occasions and certainly there is a wealth of detail....so maybe many or all of these events did take place. For example: "About the same time, the chief eunuch of the court, named Euphratas, also died intestate; he left behind him a nephew, who would naturally have succeeded to his property, which was considerable. The Emperor took possession of both fortunes, appointing himself sole heir, not even leaving so much as a three-obol piece to the legal inheritors. Such was the respect Justinian showed for the laws and the kinsmen of his intimate friends. In the same manner, without having the least claim to it, he seized the fortune of Irenaeus, who had died some time before". How would we ever know if this was true or if Procopius was inventing it or exaggerating?
Did I enjoy the book? Hmm....well no. I certainly didn't come away from reading all that hate, feeling better about myself or life in general. Was there some underlying lesson that one could draw from all of this. Maybe there are a few. For instance, you can never be sure that somebody is not going to blacken your name after you are gone. So maybe it's better to be a just and competent ruler than being greedy and incompetent . That much seems obvious. But maybe your name will be blackened anyway by somebody like Procopius for some real or imagined slight or setback. Anyway, "The Secret History" seems to set the standard for "tell-all" books about political dynasties and certainly pulls no punches.
What I didn't learn from all of this was the role that Procopius was playing in all this nastiness. If he was at the court and had access to all these details what was he up to himself? How much of a role was he playing in the evil deeds?
Interesting but not a nice book. I give it 4 stars on account of it's historical significance. show less
If anyone thought that the yellow press is an invention of the modern times, they need to think again. Nowadays we have all the tabloids and the shows; the 6th century had Procopius. Yes - it was not published until much later but the scholars' opinion is that he wrote the book.
Roman history can be an interesting subject - especially in the hands of a talented historian. And Procopius knows how to write. However - this book is not for people that don't know the period - he is referring to his early books quite often and mentions actions that the reader is supposed to know about. As such, this is hardly a book for someone that is not interested in history; at the same time it is a 6th century version of a tabloid.
I quite enjoyed the show more book - it is obvious that you cannot take everything he says for truth but it makes Justinian, Belisarius and Theodora sound as human being (even when one is compared to a demon). It is good to see that the old historians could write something different and that the world had not changed that much after all - the olden and golden days are not so perfect after all.
All this does not make the book perfect - it gets repetitious in places and some of the "truths" are as vulgar as one can imagine (but then... so is the human nature sometimes).
Now my big problem is that I really want to go back and read some of his other books - he has a flowing style that just works for me and short of passages, I've never really read anything he had written. show less
Roman history can be an interesting subject - especially in the hands of a talented historian. And Procopius knows how to write. However - this book is not for people that don't know the period - he is referring to his early books quite often and mentions actions that the reader is supposed to know about. As such, this is hardly a book for someone that is not interested in history; at the same time it is a 6th century version of a tabloid.
I quite enjoyed the show more book - it is obvious that you cannot take everything he says for truth but it makes Justinian, Belisarius and Theodora sound as human being (even when one is compared to a demon). It is good to see that the old historians could write something different and that the world had not changed that much after all - the olden and golden days are not so perfect after all.
All this does not make the book perfect - it gets repetitious in places and some of the "truths" are as vulgar as one can imagine (but then... so is the human nature sometimes).
Now my big problem is that I really want to go back and read some of his other books - he has a flowing style that just works for me and short of passages, I've never really read anything he had written. show less
My day to day involves routine investigations regarding incidents and accidents involving the significantly disabled. Most of the actual conversation is with caretakers. I go home often feeling drowned in bullshit, well maybe dunked with spittle-some baiting in between the submersions. I can handle tall tales, I could listen to Dylan spin a yarn about his upbringing amongst Chippewa carnies all night long. I just can’t handle the shit, the demonizing.
It shouldn’t be surprising then that this book wasn’t fun. No tales of trained geese pleasuring the nympho queen of Byzantium could lift this from being labor. The last forty percent of the account regards the rapine corruption of the regime. Measure upon measure robbing the populace show more and all without recourse. Somewhere Steven Pinker is saying, see I told you it was all improving. show less
It shouldn’t be surprising then that this book wasn’t fun. No tales of trained geese pleasuring the nympho queen of Byzantium could lift this from being labor. The last forty percent of the account regards the rapine corruption of the regime. Measure upon measure robbing the populace show more and all without recourse. Somewhere Steven Pinker is saying, see I told you it was all improving. show less
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- Canonical title
- The Secret History
- Original title
- Ἀπόκρυφη Ἱστορία
- Alternate titles
- Ἀνέκδοτα
- Original publication date
- circa 550 - 562; 1935
- People/Characters
- Justinian I, Emperor; Theodora, Empress consort; Belisarius; Antonina
- Important places
- Byzantium
- Important events
- Nika Riots
- First words
- In recording everything that the Roman people has experienced in successive wars up to the time of writing I have followed this plan—that of arranging all the events described as far as possible in accordance with the a... (show all)ctual times and places.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Then all who chance to be still living will know the truth.
- Original language
- Ancient Greek
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir
- DDC/MDS
- 949.501 — History & geography History of Europe Greece, Albania, Yugoslavia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria Greece and the Byzantine Empire Byzantine Empire -- 323-1453 Greek revivial 323-716
- LCC
- DF572 .P83 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Greece History of Greece Medieval Greece. Byzantine Empire, 323-1453 History Eastern Empire, 323/476-1057. Constantine the Great
- BISAC
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- 13 — Catalan, Dutch, English, French, Georgian, German, Greek (Ancient), Hungarian, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 49
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 51
