Procopius’s "Secret History"

E554677

Procopius’s "Secret History" is a scandal-filled, behind-the-scenes account of Emperor Justinian’s court that viciously attacks the character and private lives of Justinian, Empress Theodora, and their associates.

All labels observed (5)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Byzantine literature
historical work
prose narrative
approximateDateWritten c. 550 CE
author Procopius of Caesarea
linked to: Procopius
circulation not published in Procopius’s lifetime
contains accusations of political repression
accusations of sexual immorality
vicious attacks on Justinian’s character
vicious attacks on Theodora’s character
countryOfOrigin Byzantine Empire
criticizes Theodora’s influence at court
administrative corruption
imperial taxation
legal reforms of Justinian
military leadership under Justinian
religious policies of Justinian
dateWritten 6th century
focusesOn behind-the-scenes events in Constantinople
corruption at Justinian’s court
private lives of Justinian and Theodora
genre court scandal narrative
historical writing
political invective
historicalSignificance important example of Byzantine court literature
major source for the darker image of Justinian’s reign
intendedAudience private or restricted readership
language Ancient Greek
modernTitle Secret History
originalTitle Anekdota
linked to: Anecdota

Historia Arcana
partOfCorpus Procopius’s historical works
portrays Belisarius in a critical light
Justinian I as cruel and demonic
Theodora as immoral and ruthless
preservedIn medieval manuscripts
relatedWork Buildings
Wars
setting Constantinople
settingPeriod reign of Justinian I (527–565)
subject Byzantine court politics
Emperor Justinian I
linked to: Justinian I

Empress Theodora
reign of Justinian I
linked to: Justinian dynasty
tone hostile
satirical
scandal-focused
workType behind-the-scenes account of imperial court

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Theodora portrayedInWork Procopius’s "Secret History"
Belisarius portrayedIn Procopius' "Secret History"
linked to: Procopius’s "Secret History"
John the Cappadocian knownFrom Procopius’ Secret History
linked to: Procopius’s "Secret History"
Antonina portrayedIn "Secret History" by Procopius
linked to: Procopius’s "Secret History"
Secret History partOf Procopius’ works on Justinian
linked to: Procopius’s "Secret History"