The Secret History of Emperor Justinian

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episodes of the show and beyond. So I'm I'm just thrilled that I get to do this and learn with 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. 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. 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

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,

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 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 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 It was called Anecdota or Unpublished

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 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 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.

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 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 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, 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. 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 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

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 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 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 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.

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, 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 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 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 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

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

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. 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 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,

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. 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 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 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. 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 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,

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 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. 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 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 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 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, 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 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 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 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

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 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 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

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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. 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 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. 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 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 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, 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 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

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 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, 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 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 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 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

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 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 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

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 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 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, a sperm whale. Noble Blood is a production of I

Heart Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manky. Noble 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 podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.