The Secret History

Procopius, the official chronicler of the Byzantine Empire, presents a stark contrast between his public writings and his clandestine work. While he lauds Emperor Justinian's reign in "History of the Wars of Justinian," his posthumous "Secret History" unveils a world of corruption and tyranny, portraying Justinian as a despotic ruler, Empress Theodora as manipulative, and General Belisarius as easily controlled. This explosive narrative reveals the darker side of Byzantine politics, filled with hyperbolic accounts of murder and misrule.