Belisarius, although a great general, fighting often against the odds was a weak man in his personal life, and let his relationship with his wife affect the conduct of at least one campaign.įor those who wish to study the Byzantine Empire it is an essential read. He even criticises Belisarius and his wife Antonina at some length they certainly deserve some. Procopius clearly disliked the pair and blames them for bankrupting individuals and the State by their greed and corruption. This is probably the problem with the book it can become rather dull. He describes Theodora’s sexual and moral corruption, and Justinian’s greed in great detail. It is quite the opposite of The Wars, castigating the Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora in no uncertain terms. It remained a secret during his lifetime and one can see why. The Secret History is, however, an altogether different work. These were factual works and praised both Belisarius and Justinian. Procopius was with Belisarius on these campaigns and describes these events in detail in his series of books called “The Wars”. It was Belisarius who fought and held off the Persians in the East, and then defeated the Vandals in Africa, and the Goths in Italy to bring these provinces back under the control of the Roman Empire for the first time since the fall of the empire in the West in 476 AD. He was the personal secretary to Emperor Justinian’s excellent General Belisarius. I have recently finished reading “The Secret History” by Procopius.
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