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The Secret History of the Court of Justinian

Procopius

HistoryEnglish
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Procopius, the official historian of the Byzantine emperor Justinian, wrote glowing accounts of his wars and his buildings, but in this secret book, meant to…

Catalogue details

Author
Procopius
Category
History
Language
English
Source
Project Gutenberg

About this book

Procopius, the official historian of the Byzantine emperor Justinian, wrote glowing accounts of his wars and his buildings, but in this secret book, meant to be read only after their deaths, he tells what he really thought. He describes Justinian as a demon in human form, greedy and cruel; the empress Theodora as a former actress of scandalous life who ruled her husband; and the great general Belisarius as a weak man dominated by his unfaithful wife, Antonina.

Context and significance

Written around 550 and unknown until a manuscript was found in the Vatican Library and published in 1623, the Secret History is one of the most scandalous books to survive from the ancient world, and historians still debate how much of it to believe. Compare Tacitus's Histories.

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