: The Secret History of the Court of Justinian by Procopius - Byzantine Empire History Justinian I 527-565; Justinian I Emperor of the East 483?-565

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INTRODUCTION

Arrangement of the work--The manner in which it has been drawn up--The causes of events omitted in previous writings--The duty of the historian towards posterity--Lessons necessary to tyrants--Semiramis, Sardanapalus, and Nero--Facts relating to Belisarius, Justinian, and Theodora.

Birth and character of Antonina--Her marriage with Belisarius--Her adulterous amours--Services rendered by her to the Empress Theodora--Her passion for the Thracian Theodosius--Adoption of the latter--The lovers surprised by Belisarius--His weakness--Revelation made by the slave Macedonia--Flight of Theodosius--Vengeance of Antonina upon Macedonia, and upon Constantine, who had spoken insultingly of her--Theodosius refuses to return to her until the departure of her son Photius--Retirement of Photius--Demands of Theodosius--His return--Infatuation of Belisarius--His return to Byzantium--Theodosius enters a cloister at Ephesus--Despair of Antonina--She causes him to be recalled--His resistance--His secret return.

Departure of Belisarius, accompanied by the "consular" Photius, for the war against Chosroes, King of Persia--Antonina remains at Byzantium--Her intrigues against Photius--The latter denounces her adulterous intimacy with Theodosius--Indignation of Belisarius--His agreement with Photius--His vengeance postponed--Entry of the Roman army into Persia--Downfall of John the Cappadocian--Antonina's perjuries--She sets out for the army--Theodosius sent back to Ephesus--Capture of Sisauranum--Arrival of Antonina--Retirement of Belisarius--Arethas and the Saracens--Colchis or Lazica invaded by Chosroes--Capture of Petra--Reverse sustained by Chosroes--The Huns defeated by Valerian--Insurrectionist movement amongst the Persians--Letter of Theodora to Zaberganes--Return of Chosroes to Persia.

Arrest of Antonina--Hesitation of Belisarius--Photius repairs to Ephesus, and extorts from Calligonus a confession of his mistress's secrets--Theodosius, having taken refuge in a temple, is given up by Andreas the Bishop--Intervention of Theodora--Photius removes Theodosius, and puts him away in Cilicia--The latter and Calligonus set free--The Empress hands over Antonina's enemies to her--Her vengeance--Punishment of the senator Theodosius--Forced reconciliation between Belisarius and his wife--Arrest of Photius: his firmness under torture--Calligonus restored to Antonina--Theodosius restored to her arms--The Empress's favours--She promises him a high military command--His death from dysentery--Long imprisonment of Photius--Sacred asylums violated--Weakness displayed by the priests--Deliverance of Photius, who enters a convent at Jerusalem--Perjury of Belisarius--His punishment--Failure of the third expedition against Chosroes--Capture of Callinikus--Roman prisoners--Belisarius accused of treachery and cowardice.

Illness of Justinian--Resolutions of the army consequent upon his supposed death--Peter and John the Glutton denounce Belisarius and Buzes--The latter put away and tortured--Disgrace of Belisarius--He is superseded by Martin in the command of the army of the East--His treasures carried away by Theodora--His friendship for Antonina--His letter to Belisarius--Submission of the latter to his wife--Division of his fortune--Betrothal of Joannina, his daughter, to Anastasius, grandson of Theodora--Belisarius appointed Count of the Royal Stable and again commander of the army in Italy--Comparison of the two expeditions.

Conduct of Belisarius in Italy--His greed--Defection of Herodianus--Loss of Spoletum--Success of Totila and his Goths--Rupture with John--Betrothal of the latter to Justina, daughter of Germanus--Recall of Belisarius--Perusia taken by the Goths--The marriage between Joannina and Anastasius consummated by a trick on the part of the dying Empress--Return of Antonina, who separates the young pair--Belisarius despised for his weakness--Sergius causes the loss of the Roman army in Africa--Murder of Pegasius by Solomon--The vengeance of Heaven.

History of Justin and his two brothers, poor Illyrian husbandmen--Their enrolment in the army--Their admission into the Palace Guards, in the reign of Leo--Justin condemned to death, during the reign of Anastasius, by the General John Kyrtus, for some breach of discipline--His escape by divine intervention--He becomes praefect of the Praetorian guards--In spite of his ignorance, he is proclaimed Emperor--The way in which he was assisted to sign imperial documents--The Empress Lupicina-Euphemia--Justinian, the nephew of Justin, the real master of the Empire--His cruelty, his avarice, his inconsistency in regard to the laws--He oppresses Italy, Africa, and the rest of the Empire--Amantius condemned, to avenge an outrage upon the bishop John--Perjury towards Vitalianus.

Byzantium divided between two factions: the Blues and the Greens--Justinian puts himself at the head of the former--The Empire entirely upset by the quarrels between these factions--The Blues dress their hair after the manner of the Huns--Their general attire--Their excesses--Behaviour of the Greens--Corruption of the morals of young men--Murder committed with impunity--Inaction on the part of the authorities--Acts of violence committed upon both sexes--A woman throws herself into the sea to save her virtue--Culpability of Justinian--His partiality for the oppressors, upon whom he bestows favours and dignities.

Calamities in the provinces--Justinian's apathy--Waste of the public money during his reign--Useless presents of money made to the Huns--Extravagance in buildings on the sea-shore--Attack upon the fortunes of private individuals--Description of Justinian's personal appearance--His resemblance to Domitian--Domitian's wife--Alterations in established institutions.

The bear-keeper Acacius, Theodora's father--His widow loses her place in the amphitheatre of the Greens and takes another in that of the Blues--Her daughters--The beginning of Theodora's career--Her precocious immorality--Her accomplishments--Her debaucheries--Her intercourse with Hecebolus, governor of Pentapolis--Her return from the East--Justinian, enamoured of her, wishes to marry her--Assassination of Hypatius--The Praefect Theodotus Colocynthius--Punishment of malefactors--His exile and death.

The Empress Euphemia--Her opposition to the marriage of Justinian and Theodora--Justin repeals the law prohibiting the marriage of a patrician with a stage-performer--Justinian and Theodora colleagues on the throne--Death of Justin--Effect of the marriage--Adulation of the senate, clergy, people, and army--General feeling of discouragement--Personal advantages of Theodora--Pretended antagonism between her and Justinian--Theodora deceives the Christians and the factions--Consolidation of despotism.

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