The Secret History

The Secret History by Procopius is a scandalous and hostile account of the reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. Written in secret to be published after Justinian’s death, it portrays the emperor as cruel, corrupt, and tyrannical, and his wife Empress Theodora as immoral and ruthless. Procopius also attacks the general Belisarius and his wife Antonina, depicting them as weak and manipulative. In sharp contrast to Procopius’s official histories, the work exposes court intrigue, abuse of power, and moral decay, offering a dark, bitter view of Byzantine imperial life.