1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:04,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of I Heart Radio 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:11,240 Speaker 1: and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey listener discretion advised. Hey, 3 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: this is Danish Wartz, host of Noble Blood. You're probably 4 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: very tired of this little pre podcast announcement, but just 5 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:20,960 Speaker 1: a reminder that if you want to support the show, 6 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:23,960 Speaker 1: you can join us on Patreon, where I release monthly 7 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 1: bonus episodes, have episodes, scripts, and just more fun things. 8 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:31,680 Speaker 1: There's like quarterly stickers and some exclusive merch. There's also 9 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:35,200 Speaker 1: official merch for sale with the link in the episode description. 10 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: And if you are at all interested in my writing, 11 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: I have a novel out called Anatomy, a Love Story, 12 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:45,919 Speaker 1: and its sequel, Immortality, is available for pre order. They 13 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 1: are a great book for anyone who's interested in dark, 14 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:53,479 Speaker 1: slightly macabre history. It takes place in the eighteen hundreds 15 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: in Edinburgh. If you have, uh, you know, a teenager, 16 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: their y novels, but anyone can read them. You know, 17 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:02,040 Speaker 1: my dad and husband both claimed to have read them 18 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: and enjoyed them. Make of that what you will. But 19 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: if you have young people in your life, I think 20 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:09,760 Speaker 1: it would make a great holiday present. Yeah. That link 21 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:12,480 Speaker 1: is also in the episode description. But as always, the 22 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,320 Speaker 1: best support is just listening to the show. Thank you 23 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 1: so much for allowing me to have made one hundred 24 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: episodes of the show and beyond. So I'm I'm just 25 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:24,640 Speaker 1: thrilled that I get to do this and learn with 26 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 1: all of you about so many new things as I 27 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 1: work on each episode. On April one, the year five 28 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: hundred and twenty seven, a new Byzantine emperor was crowned. 29 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: A short, curly haired, ambitious man, Justinian served as emperor 30 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 1: for nearly forty years. Under his rule, the Byzantine Empire 31 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: grew to wrap around almost the entire Mediterranean, controlling lands 32 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 1: from Constantinople in the east to Cordoba in the west. 33 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 1: Justinian supervised the building of architectural wonders, some of which 34 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: still stand today, including the awe inspiring High Sophia, and 35 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:23,959 Speaker 1: he oversaw the complete overhaul of the Byzantine legal system, 36 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:28,960 Speaker 1: resulting in the Code of Justinian, a highly influential work 37 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 1: that is the foundation of modern European law. With all 38 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 1: those achievements and more, Justinian cemented his place in history. 39 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:43,000 Speaker 1: Though few texts from the time survive, his accomplishments were 40 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: well documented by several contemporary histories, the most well known 41 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:53,040 Speaker 1: of which are the History of Wars and on Buildings, 42 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 1: both by a man named Procopius. Justinian is recognized as 43 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 1: a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, depicted in Heaven 44 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:07,840 Speaker 1: in Dante's Divine Comedy, and called the Great by many 45 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 1: historians for centuries after his death in five hundred and 46 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:20,080 Speaker 1: sixty five, Justinian represented an imperial ideal. Though sometimes intolerant 47 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:25,919 Speaker 1: and authoritarian, he nonetheless seemed to have ruled wisely, tirelessly, 48 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 1: and justly, bringing his empire to new heights of glory. 49 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:36,559 Speaker 1: But this image of perfection was shattered by a discovery 50 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 1: in the depths of the Vatican's library. Sometime in the 51 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: early sixteen twenties, a librarian named Nicolo Alamanni came across 52 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:52,840 Speaker 1: a strange manuscript written in Greek. The document was dated 53 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:56,240 Speaker 1: to the thirteen hundreds, but it was only a copy 54 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 1: of the original work, said to have been written in 55 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: the mid sixth century. It was called Anecdota or Unpublished 56 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: Writings in Greek. Alamanni translated the work into Latin and 57 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: published it in sixteen twenty three under the Latin title. 58 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: It is best known by today Historia Arcana or in English, 59 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 1: the Secret History. The contents of the Secret History were 60 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:33,239 Speaker 1: a bombshell. Inside these ancient pages were hundreds of accusations 61 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: of demonic possession, sexual perversion, theft, conspiracy, and many other sins. 62 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 1: And those accused of such monstrous acts none other than 63 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:51,360 Speaker 1: the Emperor Justinian and his wife, the Empress Theodora. And 64 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:55,200 Speaker 1: what made the Secret History even more shocking was the 65 00:04:55,279 --> 00:05:01,279 Speaker 1: identity of its author. This hate filled, scandalous document had 66 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:06,840 Speaker 1: been written by Procopius, the very same historian whose more 67 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 1: well known works History of the Wars and on Buildings 68 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:16,360 Speaker 1: were the root of so much of Justinian's posthumous good reputation. 69 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:22,040 Speaker 1: The equivalent today would be like discovering an acclaimed science 70 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:27,240 Speaker 1: journalist had, while producing important reports on the nation's forests, 71 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 1: also written stories about bigfoot dating Hillary Clinton for the 72 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: National Enquirer. The revelation of Procopious authorship raised a number 73 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 1: of questions, many of which historians are still grappling with today. 74 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 1: How could one man right from two such different perspectives. 75 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 1: Why had he written such a vulgar work filled with 76 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 1: graphic details so risque that the librarian had removed them 77 00:05:56,960 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 1: from his translation, And which work at the end of 78 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 1: the day, was a more accurate depiction of Justinian's rule. 79 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: We may never have definitive answers to these questions, but 80 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 1: we can know one thing for sure. In Procopious this case, 81 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 1: the pen was indeed mightier than the sword. Using only words, 82 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:26,240 Speaker 1: Procopious built up the myth of Justinian and then sent 83 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 1: it tumbling down, forever, changing the way we view the 84 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:38,479 Speaker 1: early Byzantine world. I'm Dani Schwartz, and this is noble blood. 85 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:52,719 Speaker 1: Before we get into the scandalous secret history, we have 86 00:06:52,839 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 1: to tackle the well somewhat Byzantine history of the Byzantine Empire. 87 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 1: In three hundred and nine d five, the Roman emperor 88 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:06,680 Speaker 1: Theodosius the First died and split his empire into eastern 89 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 1: and western halves, each to be ruled by one of 90 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:14,679 Speaker 1: his sons. By the mid fifth century, the western portion 91 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:18,800 Speaker 1: of the empire was in shambles, weakened by frequent attacks 92 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 1: by the Huns, Vandals, and Visigoths. The final blow came 93 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:26,760 Speaker 1: in four hundred and seventy six, when a group of 94 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:31,680 Speaker 1: rebellious Roman soldiers of Germanic origin deposed the emperor and 95 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 1: took control of Italy. So all that remained of Theodosius 96 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 1: once mighty Roman Empire was its eastern territories, including parts 97 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:45,680 Speaker 1: of present day Greece, Turkey, and the Arabian Peninsula and 98 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:50,120 Speaker 1: North Africa. The seat of this empire was present day 99 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:53,480 Speaker 1: at Stanbul, though as you might know from the They 100 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:58,760 Speaker 1: Might Be Giant song, it was known then as Constantinople Byzantine. 101 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: The name we know the civilization by today comes from 102 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 1: an even earlier name for that city, Byzantium, a settlement 103 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:09,760 Speaker 1: built by the Greeks in the seventh century b c. E. 104 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:13,200 Speaker 1: Though those living within this empire at the time would 105 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:17,160 Speaker 1: have simply called themselves Romans or Eastern Romans. Will stick 106 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:21,240 Speaker 1: with Byzantine for now, just to keep things clear. It 107 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:25,640 Speaker 1: was into this empire that a boy named Petrus Sebacius 108 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:28,880 Speaker 1: was born in four hundred and eighty three to a 109 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:33,359 Speaker 1: peasant family in a town in present day Macedonia. Petrus 110 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:37,280 Speaker 1: might have lived an unremarkable life had it not been 111 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:43,800 Speaker 1: for one auspicious family connection. His uncle Justin, commanded Emperor 112 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:49,559 Speaker 1: Anastasius's imperial palace guards. Yes, I know his uncle's name 113 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:54,480 Speaker 1: was Justin. Anyway, having worked his way through the ranks 114 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:59,720 Speaker 1: from impoverished migrant to high ranking commander and political operator. 115 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:04,439 Speaker 1: Justin wished to provide opportunities for his family, and so 116 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:08,959 Speaker 1: he brought many relatives to Constantinople to get their education. 117 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 1: One of these relatives was Petrus. At some point, Petrus 118 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: traveled to Constantinople and quickly became close with his uncle. Eventually, Justin, 119 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:26,760 Speaker 1: who was childless, adopted his nephew ingratitude, Petrus changed his 120 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: name to Justinian. Justinian, now well educated and immersed in 121 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:37,760 Speaker 1: the upper echelons of Byzantine society, was an invaluable aid 122 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:42,280 Speaker 1: to his uncle. In July five hundred and eighteen, when 123 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:48,720 Speaker 1: Emperor Anastasius died, Justinian helped Justin navigate the complex political 124 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:52,920 Speaker 1: waters and beat out his rivals to become emperor. Over 125 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 1: the course of Justin's reign, Justinian's power would only grow. 126 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:03,480 Speaker 1: In April five hundred twent seven, Justin named Justinian as 127 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:08,760 Speaker 1: his co emperor and successor. Four months later, Justin died, 128 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:16,480 Speaker 1: making Justinian the sole emperor of the Byzantines. Crowned alongside 129 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:21,840 Speaker 1: Justinian was his wife, Theodora. Like her husband, Theodora came 130 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:27,600 Speaker 1: from humble beginnings. Although the details are relatively sketchy. Born 131 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:31,680 Speaker 1: around four hundred and nineties seven, Theodora's mother was a 132 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:34,640 Speaker 1: dancer and her father was a bear keeper at the 133 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:39,760 Speaker 1: Hippodrome in Constantinople, responsible for the wild animals that sometimes 134 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:45,679 Speaker 1: performed between chariot races. After her father's early death, Theodora 135 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 1: and her sister worked as actresses and possibly sex workers 136 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:54,960 Speaker 1: to support their family. A charming, highly intelligent, and well 137 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:59,679 Speaker 1: traveled woman, Theodora eventually caught the eye of Justinian, who 138 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:03,760 Speaker 1: may at her his mistress. He was infatuated and hoped 139 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:08,240 Speaker 1: to marry her. Bysantine law at the time, however, prohibited 140 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:13,040 Speaker 1: marriage between men of the senior class and actresses due 141 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:18,720 Speaker 1: to the salacious connotations of acting. Fortunately for Justinian, he 142 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 1: was the adopted son of the Emperor at this time 143 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:26,120 Speaker 1: and his uncle could change the law, which Justin promptly did, 144 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:29,839 Speaker 1: allowing the pair to wed in five hundred and twenty five. 145 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:34,679 Speaker 1: Two years later, the couple ascended the throne as Empress. 146 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:40,520 Speaker 1: Theodora was enormously powerful and wielded her power shrewdly, helping 147 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:47,360 Speaker 1: shape policy, law and foreign relations. Another key adviser was Belisarius, 148 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:51,640 Speaker 1: the most prominent of Justinian generals. Even less is known 149 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:55,040 Speaker 1: about his early life than about Theodora's, but we do 150 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:57,520 Speaker 1: know that he joined the army at a young age 151 00:11:57,640 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 1: and eventually wound up serving in Justinian's bodyguard corps sometime 152 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 1: in the five twenties. His quick thinking and martial prowess 153 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:10,840 Speaker 1: won him justinian detention, and he was appointed to his 154 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:15,520 Speaker 1: first major command sometime in five hundred and twenty seven, 155 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:21,079 Speaker 1: right after Justinian became emperor. A few years later, Belisarius 156 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:25,640 Speaker 1: cemented his favorable position by marrying a woman named Antonina, 157 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 1: a former actress and close friend of Theodora's. He reached 158 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:35,000 Speaker 1: the peak of his career shortly after when Justinian appointed 159 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:40,760 Speaker 1: Belisarius to lead his campaign to reconquer the western Roman territories. 160 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:45,640 Speaker 1: Between five hundred thirty three and five hundred forty armies 161 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:50,960 Speaker 1: under Belisarius's command won a series of incredible victories, taking 162 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:56,600 Speaker 1: back territories in Italy, Spain, and North Africa. It was 163 00:12:56,679 --> 00:13:01,480 Speaker 1: through Belisarius that Procopius came onto the scene. In five 164 00:13:01,559 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 1: hundred and twenty seven, Procopius joined belisarius staff as an advisor. 165 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:12,000 Speaker 1: What exactly Procopius was doing before then, no one knows. 166 00:13:12,679 --> 00:13:16,560 Speaker 1: Perhaps the only uncontested fact about his early life is 167 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:20,520 Speaker 1: his place of birth. He was born in Cesarea. From 168 00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:23,600 Speaker 1: what he has written, we can infer more he was 169 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:28,560 Speaker 1: likely from an upper class background, well educated, and widely traveled. 170 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:33,720 Speaker 1: Beyond that, the famous historians life is a mystery. We're 171 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:37,600 Speaker 1: only certain that Procopius served with Belisarius off and On 172 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:42,440 Speaker 1: between five seven and five hundred forty at the time 173 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:46,559 Speaker 1: of the general's campaign to regain the lost Roman territories. 174 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:51,920 Speaker 1: Through this advisor position, Procopius gained the insights he needed 175 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:55,720 Speaker 1: for his most well known work, History of the Wars. 176 00:13:56,360 --> 00:14:01,160 Speaker 1: In eight volumes, History of the Wars covers the Imperial 177 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:05,000 Speaker 1: Army's engagements from the time of Justin through to the 178 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:09,640 Speaker 1: fifteen fifties. It is a sweeping, visceral account that has 179 00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:15,080 Speaker 1: served as an excellent source for generations of historians. Procopious 180 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:19,960 Speaker 1: Is other prominent work, On Buildings, is a similarly invaluable 181 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:25,040 Speaker 1: historical document, written in six volumes. On Buildings reports on 182 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:29,720 Speaker 1: the public works of Justinian's government through five hundred sixty, 183 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:35,920 Speaker 1: including churches, bridges, fortresses, and roads. It's from History of 184 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:39,520 Speaker 1: the Wars and on Buildings that many of the stories 185 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 1: of Justinian's greatness arose on buildings portrays the emperor as 186 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 1: a public minded, detail oriented constructor, while History of the 187 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:54,760 Speaker 1: Wars reveals a tireless, passionate and determined man. They are 188 00:14:54,880 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 1: two of the few surviving sources from sixth century Byzantium 189 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 1: and four centuries. The picture they drew of that world 190 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:06,880 Speaker 1: was the only picture we had, and it was a 191 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:12,760 Speaker 1: glorious picture. But this picture would eventually change with the 192 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:23,600 Speaker 1: revelations of the Secret History for such a shocking document. 193 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:29,400 Speaker 1: The Secret History begins simply enough. In the preface, Procopious 194 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:34,600 Speaker 1: explains his mission to reveal the quote events Hi throw 195 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:38,560 Speaker 1: passed over in silence, and the causes for the events 196 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:44,200 Speaker 1: already described unquote. He had been unable, He claims to 197 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:47,440 Speaker 1: reveal the truth of these events in History of the 198 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:52,200 Speaker 1: Wars due to fear of consequences. Further, he discusses his 199 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:56,400 Speaker 1: fear of not being believed by future readers, but he 200 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:59,600 Speaker 1: felt it to be his duty to reveal what he 201 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:03,520 Speaker 1: saw as the true nature of the Imperial Court, that 202 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:08,640 Speaker 1: it was a wicked place rife with evil deeds, and 203 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:12,560 Speaker 1: what was the cause of all these evil deeds? In 204 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:18,760 Speaker 1: Procopius his own words, quote the tyranny of women unquote. 205 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:23,040 Speaker 1: That's the title of the first chapter of The Secret 206 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:29,120 Speaker 1: History and Friends. It is only downhill from here. Procopius's 207 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 1: main targets are the Empress Theodora and her friend Antonina, 208 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:39,160 Speaker 1: who was married to Procopius's longtime boss, the General Belisarius. 209 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 1: The two women are portrayed as sexually voracious, murderous, and cunning. 210 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 1: Procopious includes a number of shocking anecdotes to illuminate his claims, 211 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:57,080 Speaker 1: such as a hilarious scene where Antonina allegedly convinces Belisarius 212 00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 1: that she was innocently quote bearing treasure unquote in their 213 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:05,720 Speaker 1: basement alongside a young man who just happened to be naked, 214 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:10,120 Speaker 1: and another scene perhaps the most notorious in the entire book, 215 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:15,040 Speaker 1: in which and apologies for the graphic sexual content I'm 216 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:20,000 Speaker 1: about to describe, in which a young Theodora performs a 217 00:17:20,119 --> 00:17:24,520 Speaker 1: sex show in which geese eat grains from her volva 218 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:28,040 Speaker 1: in an homage to the story of Leda and the Swan. 219 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:34,120 Speaker 1: Powerful women, in Procopious view gained their power through how 220 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:38,120 Speaker 1: else their sexual appeal, and then use that power for 221 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:43,520 Speaker 1: their own sexual satisfaction. In the process, they murdered, tortured, 222 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:50,359 Speaker 1: or exiled anyone who got in their way. But Procopious 223 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:54,840 Speaker 1: isn't much more generous towards the men in his story. Belisarius, 224 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:59,159 Speaker 1: the dashing war hero of History of the Wars, transforms 225 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:03,400 Speaker 1: in The Secret History into a hen pecked, cuckolded husband, 226 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:08,840 Speaker 1: completely controlled by his domineering wife. His personal corruption by 227 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:13,120 Speaker 1: Antonina spills over into his professional life, where he becomes 228 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:17,879 Speaker 1: increasingly cowardly and wishy washy in battles. But the harsh 229 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:22,320 Speaker 1: treatment Procopius gives Belisarius is nothing compared to that which 230 00:18:22,359 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 1: the historian gives Justinian. The Emperor's first sin, of course, 231 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:33,240 Speaker 1: was marrying Theodora, an act which Procopius claims quote reveals 232 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:38,639 Speaker 1: only too clearly his moral sickness unquote. If Justinian was 233 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:42,480 Speaker 1: willing to marry such an infamous woman, what else was 234 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:47,280 Speaker 1: he willing to do? In fairness to Theodora? Though Procopius 235 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:50,400 Speaker 1: at least allows that Justinian was wicked to begin with, 236 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:54,960 Speaker 1: so wicked in fact, that he must be a demon. Yes, 237 00:18:55,200 --> 00:19:00,639 Speaker 1: Procopius says that Justinian is literally a demon. He was 238 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:04,080 Speaker 1: not the son of two humans Procopious alleges, but of 239 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:07,879 Speaker 1: a demon and a human woman. For proof, he cites 240 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:12,920 Speaker 1: a number of bizarre stories, including one where Justinian, pacing 241 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:16,600 Speaker 1: the throne room, seems to lose his head and walk 242 00:19:16,640 --> 00:19:22,160 Speaker 1: around with only a body literally lose his head. There's 243 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:27,199 Speaker 1: another story where his face quote suddenly transformed to a 244 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:32,480 Speaker 1: shapeless lump of flesh unquote. Obviously that something that would 245 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:36,879 Speaker 1: only happen to a demon, and secretly being a demon 246 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:41,680 Speaker 1: is the only way Procopious argues to explain Justinian's famous 247 00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:46,040 Speaker 1: lack of appetite, endless energy, and low need for sleep. 248 00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:50,959 Speaker 1: Fortunately for the demon king, he found the perfect demon 249 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:56,159 Speaker 1: queen in Theodora, summing up his position on the Imperial couple, 250 00:19:56,520 --> 00:20:00,520 Speaker 1: Procopious rights quote, to me and to most of us, 251 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:04,080 Speaker 1: these two persons never seemed to be human beings, but 252 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 1: rather a pair of bloodthirsty demons of some sort, and, 253 00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:11,359 Speaker 1: as the poets say, plague ers of moral men. For 254 00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:15,240 Speaker 1: they plotted together to find the easiest and swiftest means 255 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:19,240 Speaker 1: of destroying all races of men and all their works, 256 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:24,160 Speaker 1: and assuming human form, became man demons, and in this 257 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:31,680 Speaker 1: way convulsed the whole world unquote. Again, this isn't hyperbole 258 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:35,399 Speaker 1: on the historians part. He isn't saying that Justinian and 259 00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:41,359 Speaker 1: Theodora seemed or acted like demons. He's saying wholeheartedly they 260 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:45,919 Speaker 1: were demons. Whether or not he truly believed it is 261 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:50,960 Speaker 1: another matter, but the words are uncontestable. It's a claim 262 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 1: that sounds a little absurd to our modern ears. More 263 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:58,720 Speaker 1: familiar to us might be this devastating description he gives 264 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 1: of Justinians more human failings. Quote. This emperor was dissembling, treacherous, false, 265 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:10,440 Speaker 1: secret and his anger too faced. A clever man, well 266 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:14,200 Speaker 1: able to feign his opinions, one who wept not from 267 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:18,520 Speaker 1: joy or from sorrow, but deliberately at the right moment 268 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:22,920 Speaker 1: when needed. He was an unreliable friend, an enemy who 269 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:26,640 Speaker 1: would not observe a truce. A passionate lover of murder 270 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:31,639 Speaker 1: and of money. He was constantly stirring up trouble and change. 271 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:35,359 Speaker 1: He was easily led to evil, but never for any 272 00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:43,080 Speaker 1: reasons did he turn to good unquote. And ouch I 273 00:21:43,160 --> 00:21:47,280 Speaker 1: mentioned before that The Secret History changed the historical view 274 00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:52,040 Speaker 1: of the Justinian era, and despite the outlandishness of many 275 00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:56,600 Speaker 1: of its claims, there's a reason for that. Many of 276 00:21:56,920 --> 00:22:02,120 Speaker 1: procopious is more grounded complaints about Austinian policy have been 277 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:10,800 Speaker 1: corroborated by historians, Justinian's autocratic tendencies, Theodora's vindictiveness, the imperial 278 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:16,320 Speaker 1: Couple's greed. There are many recorded instances demonstrating these qualities 279 00:22:16,359 --> 00:22:21,720 Speaker 1: in other contemporary works. For example, historian Clive Fosse discovered 280 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:26,040 Speaker 1: numerous records from independent sources that confirm some of the 281 00:22:26,119 --> 00:22:31,400 Speaker 1: stories that Procopious recorded about Theodora's deeds, both good and bad. 282 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:37,560 Speaker 1: Procopious false concludes quote seems to have distorted and magnified 283 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:42,040 Speaker 1: far more than he has invented or merely slandered unquote. 284 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:46,920 Speaker 1: It's a conclusion shared by many other Byzantine historians. Though 285 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:52,639 Speaker 1: procopious As judgments are often harsh, merciless, and extreme, the 286 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:57,560 Speaker 1: examples on which he based those judgments are nonetheless more 287 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 1: often than not accurate. Despite what we can discover about 288 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:06,439 Speaker 1: the truth of the Secret History, there's a lot we 289 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:10,480 Speaker 1: still don't know. We don't know exactly when the Secret 290 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:13,600 Speaker 1: History was written. We don't know why it was written. 291 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:16,720 Speaker 1: We don't know if Procopious planned to publish it himself 292 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:20,760 Speaker 1: had he survived. Justinian the historian's death date is unknown, 293 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:23,480 Speaker 1: but based on the timing of his other works, he 294 00:23:23,600 --> 00:23:27,080 Speaker 1: almost certainly died before the emperor in five hundred and 295 00:23:27,119 --> 00:23:31,520 Speaker 1: sixty five. We don't know if Procopius really believed some 296 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:35,400 Speaker 1: of his more outlandish claims. At the base of all 297 00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:39,640 Speaker 1: those questions is a simple one. How do we understand 298 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:46,280 Speaker 1: a historical account as vulgar, shocking, and vitriolic as the 299 00:23:46,359 --> 00:23:51,760 Speaker 1: Secret History? Since the documents discovery in the seventeenth century, 300 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:56,040 Speaker 1: scholars have struggled to answer that question. Theories have been 301 00:23:56,080 --> 00:24:01,159 Speaker 1: advanced and debated, but few conclusive answers have arisen. In 302 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:06,080 Speaker 1: the late nineteenth century, some historians argued that Procopius could 303 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:09,240 Speaker 1: not have been the real author of the text. If 304 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:12,560 Speaker 1: the author had been some hateful nobody and not a 305 00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 1: pre eminent historian, the text would be easier to dismiss, 306 00:24:17,359 --> 00:24:21,560 Speaker 1: But textual analysis proved that the writing style of The 307 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:25,720 Speaker 1: Secret History was very similar to that of History of 308 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:30,920 Speaker 1: Wars and on Buildings. Later debates focused on which document 309 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:34,919 Speaker 1: Procopius was more honest in. Did he stand by the 310 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:39,159 Speaker 1: complementary statements in his two published works, or were his 311 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:45,160 Speaker 1: true feelings better represented in The Secret History? Procopius probably 312 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:48,879 Speaker 1: believed a little bit of everything, with his views of 313 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:53,240 Speaker 1: the emperor and the court changing over time. The historian 314 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:57,080 Speaker 1: Avril Cameron puts it like this quote The three works 315 00:24:57,119 --> 00:25:01,560 Speaker 1: of Procopius therefore represent different sides of the reality of 316 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:06,280 Speaker 1: Justinian and of procopius perception of it. Procopious had to 317 00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:10,800 Speaker 1: write three apparently very different works to find his full 318 00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:18,520 Speaker 1: expression unquote. Writers and historians of all ages have used exaggeration, metaphor, 319 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:23,080 Speaker 1: and symbolism to capture the world around them, often resulting 320 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:27,520 Speaker 1: in portraits that are more about feeling than fact. As 321 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:34,119 Speaker 1: for Justinian, which image is more accurate, the inspiring, tireless 322 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:40,159 Speaker 1: expander of empire or the avaricious, vengeful demon. As with 323 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:45,600 Speaker 1: most people, he likely fell somewhere in between. Like any emperor, 324 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:50,040 Speaker 1: he ruled an institution predicated on the subjugation of people 325 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:54,200 Speaker 1: and the centralization of power. His behavior in that role 326 00:25:54,359 --> 00:26:00,280 Speaker 1: was probably neither saintly nor satanic. By painting him as 327 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:04,440 Speaker 1: all good or all bad, we're likely to miss out 328 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:08,399 Speaker 1: on the complexities and nuances of both the man and 329 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:13,560 Speaker 1: his time. For all of its extremes, it's shocking claims, 330 00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:17,840 Speaker 1: and it's rigid divisions between good and evil. The Secret 331 00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:23,439 Speaker 1: History ultimately reminds us that the truth is multifaceted, and 332 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:26,920 Speaker 1: that the past is just as complicated as the present. 333 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:40,879 Speaker 1: So were the people who wrote about it. That's the 334 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:44,000 Speaker 1: story of the Secret History. But keep listening after a 335 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:47,080 Speaker 1: brief sponsor break to hear a little bit more about 336 00:26:47,119 --> 00:27:00,320 Speaker 1: one of the more modern ways it's influenced culture. Of 337 00:27:00,359 --> 00:27:03,280 Speaker 1: all the writers who have used procopious as writing to 338 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:07,239 Speaker 1: support their historical arguments, you might be surprised that you 339 00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:11,639 Speaker 1: know the name of one of them, Herman Melville. Yes, 340 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:16,880 Speaker 1: that's right, everyone's favorite whale enthusiast used everyone's favorite sixth 341 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:21,080 Speaker 1: century Byzantine historian to help prop up the existence of 342 00:27:21,119 --> 00:27:25,199 Speaker 1: a vengeful sperm whale in his eighteen fifty one novel 343 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:30,800 Speaker 1: Moby Dick. In chapter forty five, entitled The Affidavit, the 344 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:34,960 Speaker 1: narrator provides examples of a number of violent and vindictive 345 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:38,000 Speaker 1: sperm whales so as to convince the reader of the 346 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:42,200 Speaker 1: truth of his own encounter with the white whale. After 347 00:27:42,359 --> 00:27:45,720 Speaker 1: discussing many stories from the recent past, such as the 348 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:49,679 Speaker 1: attacks on the whaling ships Essex and the Union, the 349 00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:54,040 Speaker 1: narrator looks even further back. His final example, he says, 350 00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:58,080 Speaker 1: will prove that quote not only is the most marvelous 351 00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:01,520 Speaker 1: event in this book corroborated by plain facts of the 352 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:06,000 Speaker 1: present day, but that these marvels, like all marvels, are 353 00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:11,040 Speaker 1: mere repetitions of the ages. End quote. This example comes 354 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:16,080 Speaker 1: from the works of who else, Procopius, who, the narrator says, 355 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:22,280 Speaker 1: quote has always been considered a most trustworthy and unexaggerating historian, 356 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:26,080 Speaker 1: except in some one or two particulars, not at all 357 00:28:26,119 --> 00:28:30,800 Speaker 1: affecting the matter presently to be mentioned. End quote. Yes, 358 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:34,760 Speaker 1: one or two particulars, maybe the demon thing, who knows, 359 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:38,800 Speaker 1: But in any case. The narrator of Moby Dick continues 360 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:43,280 Speaker 1: on to discuss a strange story, not from the Secret History, 361 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:47,240 Speaker 1: but from History of the Wars. In that book, Procopius 362 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:50,480 Speaker 1: told the story of a sea monster who haunted the 363 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:56,800 Speaker 1: Bosporous Strait near Constantinople, destroying ships for nearly half a century. 364 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:01,240 Speaker 1: It caused so much trouble that Justinian issued orders for 365 00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:04,479 Speaker 1: it to be caught and destroyed, but the sea monster 366 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:08,440 Speaker 1: evaded capture until one day it beached itself and was 367 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:11,800 Speaker 1: hacked to pieces by beachgoers. Out of revenge for the 368 00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:15,719 Speaker 1: people it had killed. Why does the narrator of Moby 369 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:20,760 Speaker 1: Dick concern himself with this story because he claims the 370 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:25,000 Speaker 1: sea monster of Procopius, the vindictive beast that made it 371 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:29,880 Speaker 1: its mission to hunt men, was like one Moby Dick, 372 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:49,720 Speaker 1: a sperm whale. Noble Blood is a production of I 373 00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:53,520 Speaker 1: Heart Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manky. Noble 374 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:57,480 Speaker 1: Blood is hosted by me Danish Worts. Additional writing and 375 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:01,640 Speaker 1: researching done by Hannah Johnston, hand as Wick, Mirra Hayward, 376 00:30:01,760 --> 00:30:05,480 Speaker 1: Courtney Sunder and Laurie Goodman. The show is produced by 377 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:10,520 Speaker 1: rema Il Kali, with supervising producer Josh Thaine and executive 378 00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:14,800 Speaker 1: producers Aaron Manky, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more 379 00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 1: podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, 380 00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:21,960 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.