November 22, 2022 • 30 mins
Procopius is considered the preeminent historian of the Byzantine age, writer of works that extolled the virtue and power of Emperor Justinian. But in the 17th century, a work discovered in the Vatican library revealed that Procopius also wrote another book—a secret book, that threatened to undo all of the good will he once built for the Emperor he served.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of I Heart Radio
and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey listener discretion advised. Hey,
this is Danish Wartz, host of Noble Blood. You're probably
very tired of this little pre podcast announcement, but just
a reminder that if you want to support the show,
(00:21):
you can join us on Patreon, where I release monthly
bonus episodes, have episodes, scripts, and just more fun things.
There's like quarterly stickers and some exclusive merch. There's also
official merch for sale with the link in the episode description.
And if you are at all interested in my writing,
I have a novel out called Anatomy, a Love Story,
(00:41):
and its sequel, Immortality, is available for pre order. They
are a great book for anyone who's interested in dark,
slightly macabre history. It takes place in the eighteen hundreds
in Edinburgh. If you have, uh, you know, a teenager,
their y novels, but anyone can read them. You know,
my dad and husband both claimed to have read them
(01:02):
and enjoyed them. Make of that what you will. But
if you have young people in your life, I think
it would make a great holiday present. Yeah. That link
is also in the episode description. But as always, the
best support is just listening to the show. Thank you
so much for allowing me to have made one hundred
episodes of the show and beyond. So I'm I'm just
thrilled that I get to do this and learn with
(01:24):
all of you about so many new things as I
work on each episode. On April one, the year five
hundred and twenty seven, a new Byzantine emperor was crowned.
(01:47):
A short, curly haired, ambitious man, Justinian served as emperor
for nearly forty years. Under his rule, the Byzantine Empire
grew to wrap around almost the entire Mediterranean, controlling lands
from Constantinople in the east to Cordoba in the west.
(02:08):
Justinian supervised the building of architectural wonders, some of which
still stand today, including the awe inspiring High Sophia, and
he oversaw the complete overhaul of the Byzantine legal system,
resulting in the Code of Justinian, a highly influential work
(02:29):
that is the foundation of modern European law. With all
those achievements and more, Justinian cemented his place in history.
Though few texts from the time survive, his accomplishments were
well documented by several contemporary histories, the most well known
of which are the History of Wars and on Buildings,
(02:53):
both by a man named Procopius. Justinian is recognized as
a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, depicted in Heaven
in Dante's Divine Comedy, and called the Great by many
historians for centuries after his death in five hundred and
sixty five, Justinian represented an imperial ideal. Though sometimes intolerant
(03:20):
and authoritarian, he nonetheless seemed to have ruled wisely, tirelessly,
and justly, bringing his empire to new heights of glory.
But this image of perfection was shattered by a discovery
in the depths of the Vatican's library. Sometime in the
(03:41):
early sixteen twenties, a librarian named Nicolo Alamanni came across
a strange manuscript written in Greek. The document was dated
to the thirteen hundreds, but it was only a copy
of the original work, said to have been written in
the mid sixth century. It was called Anecdota or Unpublished
(04:05):
Writings in Greek. Alamanni translated the work into Latin and
published it in sixteen twenty three under the Latin title.
It is best known by today Historia Arcana or in English,
the Secret History. The contents of the Secret History were
(04:26):
a bombshell. Inside these ancient pages were hundreds of accusations
of demonic possession, sexual perversion, theft, conspiracy, and many other sins.
And those accused of such monstrous acts none other than
the Emperor Justinian and his wife, the Empress Theodora. And
(04:51):
what made the Secret History even more shocking was the
identity of its author. This hate filled, scandalous document had
been written by Procopius, the very same historian whose more
well known works History of the Wars and on Buildings
were the root of so much of Justinian's posthumous good reputation.
(05:17):
The equivalent today would be like discovering an acclaimed science
journalist had, while producing important reports on the nation's forests,
also written stories about bigfoot dating Hillary Clinton for the
National Enquirer. The revelation of Procopious authorship raised a number
(05:37):
of questions, many of which historians are still grappling with today.
How could one man right from two such different perspectives.
Why had he written such a vulgar work filled with
graphic details so risque that the librarian had removed them
from his translation, And which work at the end of
(06:00):
the day, was a more accurate depiction of Justinian's rule.
We may never have definitive answers to these questions, but
we can know one thing for sure. In Procopious this case,
the pen was indeed mightier than the sword. Using only words,
(06:21):
Procopious built up the myth of Justinian and then sent
it tumbling down, forever, changing the way we view the
early Byzantine world. I'm Dani Schwartz, and this is noble blood.
(06:48):
Before we get into the scandalous secret history, we have
to tackle the well somewhat Byzantine history of the Byzantine Empire.
In three hundred and nine d five, the Roman emperor
Theodosius the First died and split his empire into eastern
and western halves, each to be ruled by one of
(07:10):
his sons. By the mid fifth century, the western portion
of the empire was in shambles, weakened by frequent attacks
by the Huns, Vandals, and Visigoths. The final blow came
in four hundred and seventy six, when a group of
rebellious Roman soldiers of Germanic origin deposed the emperor and
(07:31):
took control of Italy. So all that remained of Theodosius
once mighty Roman Empire was its eastern territories, including parts
of present day Greece, Turkey, and the Arabian Peninsula and
North Africa. The seat of this empire was present day
at Stanbul, though as you might know from the They
(07:53):
Might Be Giant song, it was known then as Constantinople Byzantine.
The name we know the civilization by today comes from
an even earlier name for that city, Byzantium, a settlement
built by the Greeks in the seventh century b c. E.
Though those living within this empire at the time would
have simply called themselves Romans or Eastern Romans. Will stick
(08:17):
with Byzantine for now, just to keep things clear. It
was into this empire that a boy named Petrus Sebacius
was born in four hundred and eighty three to a
peasant family in a town in present day Macedonia. Petrus
might have lived an unremarkable life had it not been
(08:37):
for one auspicious family connection. His uncle Justin, commanded Emperor
Anastasius's imperial palace guards. Yes, I know his uncle's name
was Justin. Anyway, having worked his way through the ranks
from impoverished migrant to high ranking commander and political operator.
(09:00):
Justin wished to provide opportunities for his family, and so
he brought many relatives to Constantinople to get their education.
One of these relatives was Petrus. At some point, Petrus
traveled to Constantinople and quickly became close with his uncle. Eventually, Justin,
(09:20):
who was childless, adopted his nephew ingratitude, Petrus changed his
name to Justinian. Justinian, now well educated and immersed in
the upper echelons of Byzantine society, was an invaluable aid
to his uncle. In July five hundred and eighteen, when
(09:42):
Emperor Anastasius died, Justinian helped Justin navigate the complex political
waters and beat out his rivals to become emperor. Over
the course of Justin's reign, Justinian's power would only grow.
In April five hundred twent seven, Justin named Justinian as
(10:03):
his co emperor and successor. Four months later, Justin died,
making Justinian the sole emperor of the Byzantines. Crowned alongside
Justinian was his wife, Theodora. Like her husband, Theodora came
from humble beginnings. Although the details are relatively sketchy. Born
(10:27):
around four hundred and nineties seven, Theodora's mother was a
dancer and her father was a bear keeper at the
Hippodrome in Constantinople, responsible for the wild animals that sometimes
performed between chariot races. After her father's early death, Theodora
and her sister worked as actresses and possibly sex workers
(10:50):
to support their family. A charming, highly intelligent, and well
traveled woman, Theodora eventually caught the eye of Justinian, who
may at her his mistress. He was infatuated and hoped
to marry her. Bysantine law at the time, however, prohibited
marriage between men of the senior class and actresses due
(11:13):
to the salacious connotations of acting. Fortunately for Justinian, he
was the adopted son of the Emperor at this time
and his uncle could change the law, which Justin promptly did,
allowing the pair to wed in five hundred and twenty five.
Two years later, the couple ascended the throne as Empress.
(11:35):
Theodora was enormously powerful and wielded her power shrewdly, helping
shape policy, law and foreign relations. Another key adviser was Belisarius,
the most prominent of Justinian generals. Even less is known
about his early life than about Theodora's, but we do
(11:55):
know that he joined the army at a young age
and eventually wound up serving in Justinian's bodyguard corps sometime
in the five twenties. His quick thinking and martial prowess
won him justinian detention, and he was appointed to his
first major command sometime in five hundred and twenty seven,
(12:16):
right after Justinian became emperor. A few years later, Belisarius
cemented his favorable position by marrying a woman named Antonina,
a former actress and close friend of Theodora's. He reached
the peak of his career shortly after when Justinian appointed
Belisarius to lead his campaign to reconquer the western Roman territories.
(12:41):
Between five hundred thirty three and five hundred forty armies
under Belisarius's command won a series of incredible victories, taking
back territories in Italy, Spain, and North Africa. It was
through Belisarius that Procopius came onto the scene. In five
(13:01):
hundred and twenty seven, Procopius joined belisarius staff as an advisor.
What exactly Procopius was doing before then, no one knows.
Perhaps the only uncontested fact about his early life is
his place of birth. He was born in Cesarea. From
what he has written, we can infer more he was
(13:23):
likely from an upper class background, well educated, and widely traveled.
Beyond that, the famous historians life is a mystery. We're
only certain that Procopius served with Belisarius off and On
between five seven and five hundred forty at the time
of the general's campaign to regain the lost Roman territories.
(13:47):
Through this advisor position, Procopius gained the insights he needed
for his most well known work, History of the Wars.
In eight volumes, History of the Wars covers the Imperial
Army's engagements from the time of Justin through to the
fifteen fifties. It is a sweeping, visceral account that has
(14:09):
served as an excellent source for generations of historians. Procopious
Is other prominent work, On Buildings, is a similarly invaluable
historical document, written in six volumes. On Buildings reports on
the public works of Justinian's government through five hundred sixty,
(14:29):
including churches, bridges, fortresses, and roads. It's from History of
the Wars and on Buildings that many of the stories
of Justinian's greatness arose on buildings portrays the emperor as
a public minded, detail oriented constructor, while History of the
Wars reveals a tireless, passionate and determined man. They are
(14:54):
two of the few surviving sources from sixth century Byzantium
and four centuries. The picture they drew of that world
was the only picture we had, and it was a
glorious picture. But this picture would eventually change with the
revelations of the Secret History for such a shocking document.
(15:23):
The Secret History begins simply enough. In the preface, Procopious
explains his mission to reveal the quote events Hi throw
passed over in silence, and the causes for the events
already described unquote. He had been unable, He claims to
(15:44):
reveal the truth of these events in History of the
Wars due to fear of consequences. Further, he discusses his
fear of not being believed by future readers, but he
felt it to be his duty to reveal what he
saw as the true nature of the Imperial Court, that
it was a wicked place rife with evil deeds, and
(16:08):
what was the cause of all these evil deeds? In
Procopius his own words, quote the tyranny of women unquote.
That's the title of the first chapter of The Secret
History and Friends. It is only downhill from here. Procopius's
(16:29):
main targets are the Empress Theodora and her friend Antonina,
who was married to Procopius's longtime boss, the General Belisarius.
The two women are portrayed as sexually voracious, murderous, and cunning.
Procopious includes a number of shocking anecdotes to illuminate his claims,
(16:51):
such as a hilarious scene where Antonina allegedly convinces Belisarius
that she was innocently quote bearing treasure unquote in their
basement alongside a young man who just happened to be naked,
and another scene perhaps the most notorious in the entire book,
in which and apologies for the graphic sexual content I'm
(17:15):
about to describe, in which a young Theodora performs a
sex show in which geese eat grains from her volva
in an homage to the story of Leda and the Swan.
Powerful women, in Procopious view gained their power through how
else their sexual appeal, and then use that power for
(17:38):
their own sexual satisfaction. In the process, they murdered, tortured,
or exiled anyone who got in their way. But Procopious
isn't much more generous towards the men in his story. Belisarius,
the dashing war hero of History of the Wars, transforms
(17:59):
in The Secret History into a hen pecked, cuckolded husband,
completely controlled by his domineering wife. His personal corruption by
Antonina spills over into his professional life, where he becomes
increasingly cowardly and wishy washy in battles. But the harsh
treatment Procopius gives Belisarius is nothing compared to that which
(18:22):
the historian gives Justinian. The Emperor's first sin, of course,
was marrying Theodora, an act which Procopius claims quote reveals
only too clearly his moral sickness unquote. If Justinian was
willing to marry such an infamous woman, what else was
(18:42):
he willing to do? In fairness to Theodora? Though Procopius
at least allows that Justinian was wicked to begin with,
so wicked in fact, that he must be a demon. Yes,
Procopius says that Justinian is literally a demon. He was
not the son of two humans Procopious alleges, but of
(19:04):
a demon and a human woman. For proof, he cites
a number of bizarre stories, including one where Justinian, pacing
the throne room, seems to lose his head and walk
around with only a body literally lose his head. There's
another story where his face quote suddenly transformed to a
(19:27):
shapeless lump of flesh unquote. Obviously that something that would
only happen to a demon, and secretly being a demon
is the only way Procopious argues to explain Justinian's famous
lack of appetite, endless energy, and low need for sleep.
Fortunately for the demon king, he found the perfect demon
(19:51):
queen in Theodora, summing up his position on the Imperial couple,
Procopious rights quote, to me and to most of us,
these two persons never seemed to be human beings, but
rather a pair of bloodthirsty demons of some sort, and,
as the poets say, plague ers of moral men. For
(20:11):
they plotted together to find the easiest and swiftest means
of destroying all races of men and all their works,
and assuming human form, became man demons, and in this
way convulsed the whole world unquote. Again, this isn't hyperbole
(20:32):
on the historians part. He isn't saying that Justinian and
Theodora seemed or acted like demons. He's saying wholeheartedly they
were demons. Whether or not he truly believed it is
another matter, but the words are uncontestable. It's a claim
that sounds a little absurd to our modern ears. More
(20:55):
familiar to us might be this devastating description he gives
of Justinians more human failings. Quote. This emperor was dissembling, treacherous, false,
secret and his anger too faced. A clever man, well
able to feign his opinions, one who wept not from
joy or from sorrow, but deliberately at the right moment
(21:18):
when needed. He was an unreliable friend, an enemy who
would not observe a truce. A passionate lover of murder
and of money. He was constantly stirring up trouble and change.
He was easily led to evil, but never for any
reasons did he turn to good unquote. And ouch I
(21:43):
mentioned before that The Secret History changed the historical view
of the Justinian era, and despite the outlandishness of many
of its claims, there's a reason for that. Many of
procopious is more grounded complaints about Austinian policy have been
corroborated by historians, Justinian's autocratic tendencies, Theodora's vindictiveness, the imperial
(22:10):
Couple's greed. There are many recorded instances demonstrating these qualities
in other contemporary works. For example, historian Clive Fosse discovered
numerous records from independent sources that confirm some of the
stories that Procopious recorded about Theodora's deeds, both good and bad.
(22:32):
Procopious false concludes quote seems to have distorted and magnified
far more than he has invented or merely slandered unquote.
It's a conclusion shared by many other Byzantine historians. Though
procopious As judgments are often harsh, merciless, and extreme, the
(22:52):
examples on which he based those judgments are nonetheless more
often than not accurate. Despite what we can discover about
the truth of the Secret History, there's a lot we
still don't know. We don't know exactly when the Secret
History was written. We don't know why it was written.
(23:14):
We don't know if Procopious planned to publish it himself
had he survived. Justinian the historian's death date is unknown,
but based on the timing of his other works, he
almost certainly died before the emperor in five hundred and
sixty five. We don't know if Procopius really believed some
of his more outlandish claims. At the base of all
(23:35):
those questions is a simple one. How do we understand
a historical account as vulgar, shocking, and vitriolic as the
Secret History? Since the documents discovery in the seventeenth century,
scholars have struggled to answer that question. Theories have been
(23:56):
advanced and debated, but few conclusive answers have arisen. In
the late nineteenth century, some historians argued that Procopius could
not have been the real author of the text. If
the author had been some hateful nobody and not a
pre eminent historian, the text would be easier to dismiss,
(24:17):
But textual analysis proved that the writing style of The
Secret History was very similar to that of History of
Wars and on Buildings. Later debates focused on which document
Procopius was more honest in. Did he stand by the
complementary statements in his two published works, or were his
(24:39):
true feelings better represented in The Secret History? Procopius probably
believed a little bit of everything, with his views of
the emperor and the court changing over time. The historian
Avril Cameron puts it like this quote The three works
of Procopius therefore represent different sides of the reality of
(25:01):
Justinian and of procopius perception of it. Procopious had to
write three apparently very different works to find his full
expression unquote. Writers and historians of all ages have used exaggeration, metaphor,
and symbolism to capture the world around them, often resulting
(25:23):
in portraits that are more about feeling than fact. As
for Justinian, which image is more accurate, the inspiring, tireless
expander of empire or the avaricious, vengeful demon. As with
most people, he likely fell somewhere in between. Like any emperor,
(25:45):
he ruled an institution predicated on the subjugation of people
and the centralization of power. His behavior in that role
was probably neither saintly nor satanic. By painting him as
all good or all bad, we're likely to miss out
on the complexities and nuances of both the man and
(26:08):
his time. For all of its extremes, it's shocking claims,
and it's rigid divisions between good and evil. The Secret
History ultimately reminds us that the truth is multifaceted, and
that the past is just as complicated as the present.
So were the people who wrote about it. That's the
(26:40):
story of the Secret History. But keep listening after a
brief sponsor break to hear a little bit more about
one of the more modern ways it's influenced culture. Of
all the writers who have used procopious as writing to
(27:03):
support their historical arguments, you might be surprised that you
know the name of one of them, Herman Melville. Yes,
that's right, everyone's favorite whale enthusiast used everyone's favorite sixth
century Byzantine historian to help prop up the existence of
a vengeful sperm whale in his eighteen fifty one novel
(27:25):
Moby Dick. In chapter forty five, entitled The Affidavit, the
narrator provides examples of a number of violent and vindictive
sperm whales so as to convince the reader of the
truth of his own encounter with the white whale. After
discussing many stories from the recent past, such as the
(27:45):
attacks on the whaling ships Essex and the Union, the
narrator looks even further back. His final example, he says,
will prove that quote not only is the most marvelous
event in this book corroborated by plain facts of the
present day, but that these marvels, like all marvels, are
(28:06):
mere repetitions of the ages. End quote. This example comes
from the works of who else, Procopius, who, the narrator says,
quote has always been considered a most trustworthy and unexaggerating historian,
except in some one or two particulars, not at all
(28:26):
affecting the matter presently to be mentioned. End quote. Yes,
one or two particulars, maybe the demon thing, who knows,
But in any case. The narrator of Moby Dick continues
on to discuss a strange story, not from the Secret History,
but from History of the Wars. In that book, Procopius
(28:47):
told the story of a sea monster who haunted the
Bosporous Strait near Constantinople, destroying ships for nearly half a century.
It caused so much trouble that Justinian issued orders for
it to be caught and destroyed, but the sea monster
evaded capture until one day it beached itself and was
(29:08):
hacked to pieces by beachgoers. Out of revenge for the
people it had killed. Why does the narrator of Moby
Dick concern himself with this story because he claims the
sea monster of Procopius, the vindictive beast that made it
its mission to hunt men, was like one Moby Dick,
(29:30):
a sperm whale. Noble Blood is a production of I
Heart Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manky. Noble
(29:53):
Blood is hosted by me Danish Worts. Additional writing and
researching done by Hannah Johnston, hand as Wick, Mirra Hayward,
Courtney Sunder and Laurie Goodman. The show is produced by
rema Il Kali, with supervising producer Josh Thaine and executive
producers Aaron Manky, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more
(30:14):
podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of I Heart Radio
and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey listener discretion advised. Hey,
this is Danish Wartz, host of Noble Blood. You're probably
very tired of this little pre podcast announcement, but just
a reminder that if you want to support the show,
(00:21):
you can join us on Patreon, where I release monthly
bonus episodes, have episodes, scripts, and just more fun things.
There's like quarterly stickers and some exclusive merch. There's also
official merch for sale with the link in the episode description.
And if you are at all interested in my writing,
I have a novel out called Anatomy, a Love Story,
(00:41):
and its sequel, Immortality, is available for pre order. They
are a great book for anyone who's interested in dark,
slightly macabre history. It takes place in the eighteen hundreds
in Edinburgh. If you have, uh, you know, a teenager,
their y novels, but anyone can read them. You know,
my dad and husband both claimed to have read them
(01:02):
and enjoyed them. Make of that what you will. But
if you have young people in your life, I think
it would make a great holiday present. Yeah. That link
is also in the episode description. But as always, the
best support is just listening to the show. Thank you
so much for allowing me to have made one hundred
episodes of the show and beyond. So I'm I'm just
thrilled that I get to do this and learn with
(01:24):
all of you about so many new things as I
work on each episode. On April one, the year five
hundred and twenty seven, a new Byzantine emperor was crowned.
(01:47):
A short, curly haired, ambitious man, Justinian served as emperor
for nearly forty years. Under his rule, the Byzantine Empire
grew to wrap around almost the entire Mediterranean, controlling lands
from Constantinople in the east to Cordoba in the west.
(02:08):
Justinian supervised the building of architectural wonders, some of which
still stand today, including the awe inspiring High Sophia, and
he oversaw the complete overhaul of the Byzantine legal system,
resulting in the Code of Justinian, a highly influential work
(02:29):
that is the foundation of modern European law. With all
those achievements and more, Justinian cemented his place in history.
Though few texts from the time survive, his accomplishments were
well documented by several contemporary histories, the most well known
of which are the History of Wars and on Buildings,
(02:53):
both by a man named Procopius. Justinian is recognized as
a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, depicted in Heaven
in Dante's Divine Comedy, and called the Great by many
historians for centuries after his death in five hundred and
sixty five, Justinian represented an imperial ideal. Though sometimes intolerant
(03:20):
and authoritarian, he nonetheless seemed to have ruled wisely, tirelessly,
and justly, bringing his empire to new heights of glory.
But this image of perfection was shattered by a discovery
in the depths of the Vatican's library. Sometime in the
(03:41):
early sixteen twenties, a librarian named Nicolo Alamanni came across
a strange manuscript written in Greek. The document was dated
to the thirteen hundreds, but it was only a copy
of the original work, said to have been written in
the mid sixth century. It was called Anecdota or Unpublished
(04:05):
Writings in Greek. Alamanni translated the work into Latin and
published it in sixteen twenty three under the Latin title.
It is best known by today Historia Arcana or in English,
the Secret History. The contents of the Secret History were
(04:26):
a bombshell. Inside these ancient pages were hundreds of accusations
of demonic possession, sexual perversion, theft, conspiracy, and many other sins.
And those accused of such monstrous acts none other than
the Emperor Justinian and his wife, the Empress Theodora. And
(04:51):
what made the Secret History even more shocking was the
identity of its author. This hate filled, scandalous document had
been written by Procopius, the very same historian whose more
well known works History of the Wars and on Buildings
were the root of so much of Justinian's posthumous good reputation.
(05:17):
The equivalent today would be like discovering an acclaimed science
journalist had, while producing important reports on the nation's forests,
also written stories about bigfoot dating Hillary Clinton for the
National Enquirer. The revelation of Procopious authorship raised a number
(05:37):
of questions, many of which historians are still grappling with today.
How could one man right from two such different perspectives.
Why had he written such a vulgar work filled with
graphic details so risque that the librarian had removed them
from his translation, And which work at the end of
(06:00):
the day, was a more accurate depiction of Justinian's rule.
We may never have definitive answers to these questions, but
we can know one thing for sure. In Procopious this case,
the pen was indeed mightier than the sword. Using only words,
(06:21):
Procopious built up the myth of Justinian and then sent
it tumbling down, forever, changing the way we view the
early Byzantine world. I'm Dani Schwartz, and this is noble blood.
(06:48):
Before we get into the scandalous secret history, we have
to tackle the well somewhat Byzantine history of the Byzantine Empire.
In three hundred and nine d five, the Roman emperor
Theodosius the First died and split his empire into eastern
and western halves, each to be ruled by one of
(07:10):
his sons. By the mid fifth century, the western portion
of the empire was in shambles, weakened by frequent attacks
by the Huns, Vandals, and Visigoths. The final blow came
in four hundred and seventy six, when a group of
rebellious Roman soldiers of Germanic origin deposed the emperor and
(07:31):
took control of Italy. So all that remained of Theodosius
once mighty Roman Empire was its eastern territories, including parts
of present day Greece, Turkey, and the Arabian Peninsula and
North Africa. The seat of this empire was present day
at Stanbul, though as you might know from the They
(07:53):
Might Be Giant song, it was known then as Constantinople Byzantine.
The name we know the civilization by today comes from
an even earlier name for that city, Byzantium, a settlement
built by the Greeks in the seventh century b c. E.
Though those living within this empire at the time would
have simply called themselves Romans or Eastern Romans. Will stick
(08:17):
with Byzantine for now, just to keep things clear. It
was into this empire that a boy named Petrus Sebacius
was born in four hundred and eighty three to a
peasant family in a town in present day Macedonia. Petrus
might have lived an unremarkable life had it not been
(08:37):
for one auspicious family connection. His uncle Justin, commanded Emperor
Anastasius's imperial palace guards. Yes, I know his uncle's name
was Justin. Anyway, having worked his way through the ranks
from impoverished migrant to high ranking commander and political operator.
(09:00):
Justin wished to provide opportunities for his family, and so
he brought many relatives to Constantinople to get their education.
One of these relatives was Petrus. At some point, Petrus
traveled to Constantinople and quickly became close with his uncle. Eventually, Justin,
(09:20):
who was childless, adopted his nephew ingratitude, Petrus changed his
name to Justinian. Justinian, now well educated and immersed in
the upper echelons of Byzantine society, was an invaluable aid
to his uncle. In July five hundred and eighteen, when
(09:42):
Emperor Anastasius died, Justinian helped Justin navigate the complex political
waters and beat out his rivals to become emperor. Over
the course of Justin's reign, Justinian's power would only grow.
In April five hundred twent seven, Justin named Justinian as
(10:03):
his co emperor and successor. Four months later, Justin died,
making Justinian the sole emperor of the Byzantines. Crowned alongside
Justinian was his wife, Theodora. Like her husband, Theodora came
from humble beginnings. Although the details are relatively sketchy. Born
(10:27):
around four hundred and nineties seven, Theodora's mother was a
dancer and her father was a bear keeper at the
Hippodrome in Constantinople, responsible for the wild animals that sometimes
performed between chariot races. After her father's early death, Theodora
and her sister worked as actresses and possibly sex workers
(10:50):
to support their family. A charming, highly intelligent, and well
traveled woman, Theodora eventually caught the eye of Justinian, who
may at her his mistress. He was infatuated and hoped
to marry her. Bysantine law at the time, however, prohibited
marriage between men of the senior class and actresses due
(11:13):
to the salacious connotations of acting. Fortunately for Justinian, he
was the adopted son of the Emperor at this time
and his uncle could change the law, which Justin promptly did,
allowing the pair to wed in five hundred and twenty five.
Two years later, the couple ascended the throne as Empress.
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Theodora was enormously powerful and wielded her power shrewdly, helping
shape policy, law and foreign relations. Another key adviser was Belisarius,
the most prominent of Justinian generals. Even less is known
about his early life than about Theodora's, but we do
(11:55):
know that he joined the army at a young age
and eventually wound up serving in Justinian's bodyguard corps sometime
in the five twenties. His quick thinking and martial prowess
won him justinian detention, and he was appointed to his
first major command sometime in five hundred and twenty seven,
(12:16):
right after Justinian became emperor. A few years later, Belisarius
cemented his favorable position by marrying a woman named Antonina,
a former actress and close friend of Theodora's. He reached
the peak of his career shortly after when Justinian appointed
Belisarius to lead his campaign to reconquer the western Roman territories.
(12:41):
Between five hundred thirty three and five hundred forty armies
under Belisarius's command won a series of incredible victories, taking
back territories in Italy, Spain, and North Africa. It was
through Belisarius that Procopius came onto the scene. In five
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hundred and twenty seven, Procopius joined belisarius staff as an advisor.
What exactly Procopius was doing before then, no one knows.
Perhaps the only uncontested fact about his early life is
his place of birth. He was born in Cesarea. From
what he has written, we can infer more he was
(13:23):
likely from an upper class background, well educated, and widely traveled.
Beyond that, the famous historians life is a mystery. We're
only certain that Procopius served with Belisarius off and On
between five seven and five hundred forty at the time
of the general's campaign to regain the lost Roman territories.
(13:47):
Through this advisor position, Procopius gained the insights he needed
for his most well known work, History of the Wars.
In eight volumes, History of the Wars covers the Imperial
Army's engagements from the time of Justin through to the
fifteen fifties. It is a sweeping, visceral account that has
(14:09):
served as an excellent source for generations of historians. Procopious
Is other prominent work, On Buildings, is a similarly invaluable
historical document, written in six volumes. On Buildings reports on
the public works of Justinian's government through five hundred sixty,
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including churches, bridges, fortresses, and roads. It's from History of
the Wars and on Buildings that many of the stories
of Justinian's greatness arose on buildings portrays the emperor as
a public minded, detail oriented constructor, while History of the
Wars reveals a tireless, passionate and determined man. They are
(14:54):
two of the few surviving sources from sixth century Byzantium
and four centuries. The picture they drew of that world
was the only picture we had, and it was a
glorious picture. But this picture would eventually change with the
revelations of the Secret History for such a shocking document.
(15:23):
The Secret History begins simply enough. In the preface, Procopious
explains his mission to reveal the quote events Hi throw
passed over in silence, and the causes for the events
already described unquote. He had been unable, He claims to
(15:44):
reveal the truth of these events in History of the
Wars due to fear of consequences. Further, he discusses his
fear of not being believed by future readers, but he
felt it to be his duty to reveal what he
saw as the true nature of the Imperial Court, that
it was a wicked place rife with evil deeds, and
(16:08):
what was the cause of all these evil deeds? In
Procopius his own words, quote the tyranny of women unquote.
That's the title of the first chapter of The Secret
History and Friends. It is only downhill from here. Procopius's
(16:29):
main targets are the Empress Theodora and her friend Antonina,
who was married to Procopius's longtime boss, the General Belisarius.
The two women are portrayed as sexually voracious, murderous, and cunning.
Procopious includes a number of shocking anecdotes to illuminate his claims,
(16:51):
such as a hilarious scene where Antonina allegedly convinces Belisarius
that she was innocently quote bearing treasure unquote in their
basement alongside a young man who just happened to be naked,
and another scene perhaps the most notorious in the entire book,
in which and apologies for the graphic sexual content I'm
(17:15):
about to describe, in which a young Theodora performs a
sex show in which geese eat grains from her volva
in an homage to the story of Leda and the Swan.
Powerful women, in Procopious view gained their power through how
else their sexual appeal, and then use that power for
(17:38):
their own sexual satisfaction. In the process, they murdered, tortured,
or exiled anyone who got in their way. But Procopious
isn't much more generous towards the men in his story. Belisarius,
the dashing war hero of History of the Wars, transforms
(17:59):
in The Secret History into a hen pecked, cuckolded husband,
completely controlled by his domineering wife. His personal corruption by
Antonina spills over into his professional life, where he becomes
increasingly cowardly and wishy washy in battles. But the harsh
treatment Procopius gives Belisarius is nothing compared to that which
(18:22):
the historian gives Justinian. The Emperor's first sin, of course,
was marrying Theodora, an act which Procopius claims quote reveals
only too clearly his moral sickness unquote. If Justinian was
willing to marry such an infamous woman, what else was
(18:42):
he willing to do? In fairness to Theodora? Though Procopius
at least allows that Justinian was wicked to begin with,
so wicked in fact, that he must be a demon. Yes,
Procopius says that Justinian is literally a demon. He was
not the son of two humans Procopious alleges, but of
(19:04):
a demon and a human woman. For proof, he cites
a number of bizarre stories, including one where Justinian, pacing
the throne room, seems to lose his head and walk
around with only a body literally lose his head. There's
another story where his face quote suddenly transformed to a
(19:27):
shapeless lump of flesh unquote. Obviously that something that would
only happen to a demon, and secretly being a demon
is the only way Procopious argues to explain Justinian's famous
lack of appetite, endless energy, and low need for sleep.
Fortunately for the demon king, he found the perfect demon
(19:51):
queen in Theodora, summing up his position on the Imperial couple,
Procopious rights quote, to me and to most of us,
these two persons never seemed to be human beings, but
rather a pair of bloodthirsty demons of some sort, and,
as the poets say, plague ers of moral men. For
(20:11):
they plotted together to find the easiest and swiftest means
of destroying all races of men and all their works,
and assuming human form, became man demons, and in this
way convulsed the whole world unquote. Again, this isn't hyperbole
(20:32):
on the historians part. He isn't saying that Justinian and
Theodora seemed or acted like demons. He's saying wholeheartedly they
were demons. Whether or not he truly believed it is
another matter, but the words are uncontestable. It's a claim
that sounds a little absurd to our modern ears. More
(20:55):
familiar to us might be this devastating description he gives
of Justinians more human failings. Quote. This emperor was dissembling, treacherous, false,
secret and his anger too faced. A clever man, well
able to feign his opinions, one who wept not from
joy or from sorrow, but deliberately at the right moment
(21:18):
when needed. He was an unreliable friend, an enemy who
would not observe a truce. A passionate lover of murder
and of money. He was constantly stirring up trouble and change.
He was easily led to evil, but never for any
reasons did he turn to good unquote. And ouch I
(21:43):
mentioned before that The Secret History changed the historical view
of the Justinian era, and despite the outlandishness of many
of its claims, there's a reason for that. Many of
procopious is more grounded complaints about Austinian policy have been
corroborated by historians, Justinian's autocratic tendencies, Theodora's vindictiveness, the imperial
(22:10):
Couple's greed. There are many recorded instances demonstrating these qualities
in other contemporary works. For example, historian Clive Fosse discovered
numerous records from independent sources that confirm some of the
stories that Procopious recorded about Theodora's deeds, both good and bad.
(22:32):
Procopious false concludes quote seems to have distorted and magnified
far more than he has invented or merely slandered unquote.
It's a conclusion shared by many other Byzantine historians. Though
procopious As judgments are often harsh, merciless, and extreme, the
(22:52):
examples on which he based those judgments are nonetheless more
often than not accurate. Despite what we can discover about
the truth of the Secret History, there's a lot we
still don't know. We don't know exactly when the Secret
History was written. We don't know why it was written.
(23:14):
We don't know if Procopious planned to publish it himself
had he survived. Justinian the historian's death date is unknown,
but based on the timing of his other works, he
almost certainly died before the emperor in five hundred and
sixty five. We don't know if Procopius really believed some
of his more outlandish claims. At the base of all
(23:35):
those questions is a simple one. How do we understand
a historical account as vulgar, shocking, and vitriolic as the
Secret History? Since the documents discovery in the seventeenth century,
scholars have struggled to answer that question. Theories have been
(23:56):
advanced and debated, but few conclusive answers have arisen. In
the late nineteenth century, some historians argued that Procopius could
not have been the real author of the text. If
the author had been some hateful nobody and not a
pre eminent historian, the text would be easier to dismiss,
(24:17):
But textual analysis proved that the writing style of The
Secret History was very similar to that of History of
Wars and on Buildings. Later debates focused on which document
Procopius was more honest in. Did he stand by the
complementary statements in his two published works, or were his
(24:39):
true feelings better represented in The Secret History? Procopius probably
believed a little bit of everything, with his views of
the emperor and the court changing over time. The historian
Avril Cameron puts it like this quote The three works
of Procopius therefore represent different sides of the reality of
(25:01):
Justinian and of procopius perception of it. Procopious had to
write three apparently very different works to find his full
expression unquote. Writers and historians of all ages have used exaggeration, metaphor,
and symbolism to capture the world around them, often resulting
(25:23):
in portraits that are more about feeling than fact. As
for Justinian, which image is more accurate, the inspiring, tireless
expander of empire or the avaricious, vengeful demon. As with
most people, he likely fell somewhere in between. Like any emperor,
(25:45):
he ruled an institution predicated on the subjugation of people
and the centralization of power. His behavior in that role
was probably neither saintly nor satanic. By painting him as
all good or all bad, we're likely to miss out
on the complexities and nuances of both the man and
(26:08):
his time. For all of its extremes, it's shocking claims,
and it's rigid divisions between good and evil. The Secret
History ultimately reminds us that the truth is multifaceted, and
that the past is just as complicated as the present.
So were the people who wrote about it. That's the
(26:40):
story of the Secret History. But keep listening after a
brief sponsor break to hear a little bit more about
one of the more modern ways it's influenced culture. Of
all the writers who have used procopious as writing to
(27:03):
support their historical arguments, you might be surprised that you
know the name of one of them, Herman Melville. Yes,
that's right, everyone's favorite whale enthusiast used everyone's favorite sixth
century Byzantine historian to help prop up the existence of
a vengeful sperm whale in his eighteen fifty one novel
(27:25):
Moby Dick. In chapter forty five, entitled The Affidavit, the
narrator provides examples of a number of violent and vindictive
sperm whales so as to convince the reader of the
truth of his own encounter with the white whale. After
discussing many stories from the recent past, such as the
(27:45):
attacks on the whaling ships Essex and the Union, the
narrator looks even further back. His final example, he says,
will prove that quote not only is the most marvelous
event in this book corroborated by plain facts of the
present day, but that these marvels, like all marvels, are
(28:06):
mere repetitions of the ages. End quote. This example comes
from the works of who else, Procopius, who, the narrator says,
quote has always been considered a most trustworthy and unexaggerating historian,
except in some one or two particulars, not at all
(28:26):
affecting the matter presently to be mentioned. End quote. Yes,
one or two particulars, maybe the demon thing, who knows,
But in any case. The narrator of Moby Dick continues
on to discuss a strange story, not from the Secret History,
but from History of the Wars. In that book, Procopius
(28:47):
told the story of a sea monster who haunted the
Bosporous Strait near Constantinople, destroying ships for nearly half a century.
It caused so much trouble that Justinian issued orders for
it to be caught and destroyed, but the sea monster
evaded capture until one day it beached itself and was
(29:08):
hacked to pieces by beachgoers. Out of revenge for the
people it had killed. Why does the narrator of Moby
Dick concern himself with this story because he claims the
sea monster of Procopius, the vindictive beast that made it
its mission to hunt men, was like one Moby Dick,
(29:30):
a sperm whale. Noble Blood is a production of I
Heart Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manky. Noble
(29:53):
Blood is hosted by me Danish Worts. Additional writing and
researching done by Hannah Johnston, hand as Wick, Mirra Hayward,
Courtney Sunder and Laurie Goodman. The show is produced by
rema Il Kali, with supervising producer Josh Thaine and executive
producers Aaron Manky, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more
(30:14):
podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Host
Dana Schwartz
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