Description

Procopius appeared to be a loyal part of the Byzantine establishment his official writing glorifying the deeds of the Emperor Justinian d AD 565 However he also produced a work that he knew could never be published within the Emperors lifetime The Secret History a vitriolic indictment of the rule of Justinian and his wife Theodora
In The Secret History the general Belisarius is presented as an idiot who is manipulated by his conniving wife Antonina while the Emperor is depicted as a demon king a dishonest and autocratic destroyer of established institutions The Empress Theodora doesnt escape Procopius invective she is portrayed as the antithesis of the traditional Roman matron depraved brutal and bloodthirsty