Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of I Heart Radio
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Speaker 1: this is Danish Wartz, host of Noble Blood. You're probably
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Speaker 1: thrilled that I get to do this and learn with
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Speaker 1: work on each episode. On April one, the year five
Speaker 1: hundred and twenty seven, a new Byzantine emperor was crowned.
Speaker 1: A short, curly haired, ambitious man, Justinian served as emperor
Speaker 1: for nearly forty years. Under his rule, the Byzantine Empire
Speaker 1: grew to wrap around almost the entire Mediterranean, controlling lands
Speaker 1: from Constantinople in the east to Cordoba in the west.
Speaker 1: Justinian supervised the building of architectural wonders, some of which
Speaker 1: still stand today, including the awe inspiring High Sophia, and
Speaker 1: he oversaw the complete overhaul of the Byzantine legal system,
Speaker 1: resulting in the Code of Justinian, a highly influential work
Speaker 1: that is the foundation of modern European law. With all
Speaker 1: those achievements and more, Justinian cemented his place in history.
Speaker 1: Though few texts from the time survive, his accomplishments were
Speaker 1: well documented by several contemporary histories, the most well known
Speaker 1: of which are the History of Wars and on Buildings,
Speaker 1: both by a man named Procopius. Justinian is recognized as
Speaker 1: a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, depicted in Heaven
Speaker 1: in Dante's Divine Comedy, and called the Great by many
Speaker 1: historians for centuries after his death in five hundred and
Speaker 1: sixty five, Justinian represented an imperial ideal. Though sometimes intolerant
Speaker 1: and authoritarian, he nonetheless seemed to have ruled wisely, tirelessly,
Speaker 1: and justly, bringing his empire to new heights of glory.
Speaker 1: But this image of perfection was shattered by a discovery
Speaker 1: in the depths of the Vatican's library. Sometime in the
Speaker 1: early sixteen twenties, a librarian named Nicolo Alamanni came across
Speaker 1: a strange manuscript written in Greek. The document was dated
Speaker 1: to the thirteen hundreds, but it was only a copy
Speaker 1: of the original work, said to have been written in
Speaker 1: the mid sixth century. It was called Anecdota or Unpublished
Speaker 1: Writings in Greek. Alamanni translated the work into Latin and
Speaker 1: published it in sixteen twenty three under the Latin title.
Speaker 1: It is best known by today Historia Arcana or in English,
Speaker 1: the Secret History. The contents of the Secret History were
Speaker 1: a bombshell. Inside these ancient pages were hundreds of accusations
Speaker 1: of demonic possession, sexual perversion, theft, conspiracy, and many other sins.
Speaker 1: And those accused of such monstrous acts none other than
Speaker 1: the Emperor Justinian and his wife, the Empress Theodora. And
Speaker 1: what made the Secret History even more shocking was the
Speaker 1: identity of its author. This hate filled, scandalous document had
Speaker 1: been written by Procopius, the very same historian whose more
Speaker 1: well known works History of the Wars and on Buildings
Speaker 1: were the root of so much of Justinian's posthumous good reputation.
Speaker 1: The equivalent today would be like discovering an acclaimed science
Speaker 1: journalist had, while producing important reports on the nation's forests,
Speaker 1: also written stories about bigfoot dating Hillary Clinton for the
Speaker 1: National Enquirer. The revelation of Procopious authorship raised a number
Speaker 1: of questions, many of which historians are still grappling with today.
Speaker 1: How could one man right from two such different perspectives.
Speaker 1: Why had he written such a vulgar work filled with
Speaker 1: graphic details so risque that the librarian had removed them
Speaker 1: from his translation, And which work at the end of
Speaker 1: the day, was a more accurate depiction of Justinian's rule.
Speaker 1: We may never have definitive answers to these questions, but
Speaker 1: we can know one thing for sure. In Procopious this case,
Speaker 1: the pen was indeed mightier than the sword. Using only words,
Speaker 1: Procopious built up the myth of Justinian and then sent
Speaker 1: it tumbling down, forever, changing the way we view the
Speaker 1: early Byzantine world. I'm Dani Schwartz, and this is noble blood.
Speaker 1: Before we get into the scandalous secret history, we have
Speaker 1: to tackle the well somewhat Byzantine history of the Byzantine Empire.
Speaker 1: In three hundred and nine d five, the Roman emperor
Speaker 1: Theodosius the First died and split his empire into eastern
Speaker 1: and western halves, each to be ruled by one of
Speaker 1: his sons. By the mid fifth century, the western portion
Speaker 1: of the empire was in shambles, weakened by frequent attacks
Speaker 1: by the Huns, Vandals, and Visigoths. The final blow came
Speaker 1: in four hundred and seventy six, when a group of
Speaker 1: rebellious Roman soldiers of Germanic origin deposed the emperor and
Speaker 1: took control of Italy. So all that remained of Theodosius
Speaker 1: once mighty Roman Empire was its eastern territories, including parts
Speaker 1: of present day Greece, Turkey, and the Arabian Peninsula and
Speaker 1: North Africa. The seat of this empire was present day
Speaker 1: at Stanbul, though as you might know from the They
Speaker 1: Might Be Giant song, it was known then as Constantinople Byzantine.
Speaker 1: The name we know the civilization by today comes from
Speaker 1: an even earlier name for that city, Byzantium, a settlement
Speaker 1: built by the Greeks in the seventh century b c. E.
Speaker 1: Though those living within this empire at the time would
Speaker 1: have simply called themselves Romans or Eastern Romans. Will stick
Speaker 1: with Byzantine for now, just to keep things clear. It
Speaker 1: was into this empire that a boy named Petrus Sebacius
Speaker 1: was born in four hundred and eighty three to a
Speaker 1: peasant family in a town in present day Macedonia. Petrus
Speaker 1: might have lived an unremarkable life had it not been
Speaker 1: for one auspicious family connection. His uncle Justin, commanded Emperor
Speaker 1: Anastasius's imperial palace guards. Yes, I know his uncle's name
Speaker 1: was Justin. Anyway, having worked his way through the ranks
Speaker 1: from impoverished migrant to high ranking commander and political operator.
Speaker 1: Justin wished to provide opportunities for his family, and so
Speaker 1: he brought many relatives to Constantinople to get their education.
Speaker 1: One of these relatives was Petrus. At some point, Petrus
Speaker 1: traveled to Constantinople and quickly became close with his uncle. Eventually, Justin,
Speaker 1: who was childless, adopted his nephew ingratitude, Petrus changed his
Speaker 1: name to Justinian. Justinian, now well educated and immersed in
Speaker 1: the upper echelons of Byzantine society, was an invaluable aid
Speaker 1: to his uncle. In July five hundred and eighteen, when
Speaker 1: Emperor Anastasius died, Justinian helped Justin navigate the complex political
Speaker 1: waters and beat out his rivals to become emperor. Over
Speaker 1: the course of Justin's reign, Justinian's power would only grow.
Speaker 1: In April five hundred twent seven, Justin named Justinian as
Speaker 1: his co emperor and successor. Four months later, Justin died,
Speaker 1: making Justinian the sole emperor of the Byzantines. Crowned alongside
Speaker 1: Justinian was his wife, Theodora. Like her husband, Theodora came
Speaker 1: from humble beginnings. Although the details are relatively sketchy. Born
Speaker 1: around four hundred and nineties seven, Theodora's mother was a
Speaker 1: dancer and her father was a bear keeper at the
Speaker 1: Hippodrome in Constantinople, responsible for the wild animals that sometimes
Speaker 1: performed between chariot races. After her father's early death, Theodora
Speaker 1: and her sister worked as actresses and possibly sex workers
Speaker 1: to support their family. A charming, highly intelligent, and well
Speaker 1: traveled woman, Theodora eventually caught the eye of Justinian, who
Speaker 1: may at her his mistress. He was infatuated and hoped
Speaker 1: to marry her. Bysantine law at the time, however, prohibited
Speaker 1: marriage between men of the senior class and actresses due
Speaker 1: to the salacious connotations of acting. Fortunately for Justinian, he
Speaker 1: was the adopted son of the Emperor at this time
Speaker 1: and his uncle could change the law, which Justin promptly did,
Speaker 1: allowing the pair to wed in five hundred and twenty five.
Speaker 1: Two years later, the couple ascended the throne as Empress.
Speaker 1: Theodora was enormously powerful and wielded her power shrewdly, helping
Speaker 1: shape policy, law and foreign relations. Another key adviser was Belisarius,
Speaker 1: the most prominent of Justinian generals. Even less is known
Speaker 1: about his early life than about Theodora's, but we do
Speaker 1: know that he joined the army at a young age
Speaker 1: and eventually wound up serving in Justinian's bodyguard corps sometime
Speaker 1: in the five twenties. His quick thinking and martial prowess
Speaker 1: won him justinian detention, and he was appointed to his
Speaker 1: first major command sometime in five hundred and twenty seven,
Speaker 1: right after Justinian became emperor. A few years later, Belisarius
Speaker 1: cemented his favorable position by marrying a woman named Antonina,
Speaker 1: a former actress and close friend of Theodora's. He reached
Speaker 1: the peak of his career shortly after when Justinian appointed
Speaker 1: Belisarius to lead his campaign to reconquer the western Roman territories.
Speaker 1: Between five hundred thirty three and five hundred forty armies
Speaker 1: under Belisarius's command won a series of incredible victories, taking
Speaker 1: back territories in Italy, Spain, and North Africa. It was
Speaker 1: through Belisarius that Procopius came onto the scene. In five
Speaker 1: hundred and twenty seven, Procopius joined belisarius staff as an advisor.
Speaker 1: What exactly Procopius was doing before then, no one knows.
Speaker 1: Perhaps the only uncontested fact about his early life is
Speaker 1: his place of birth. He was born in Cesarea. From
Speaker 1: what he has written, we can infer more he was
Speaker 1: likely from an upper class background, well educated, and widely traveled.
Speaker 1: Beyond that, the famous historians life is a mystery. We're
Speaker 1: only certain that Procopius served with Belisarius off and On
Speaker 1: between five seven and five hundred forty at the time
Speaker 1: of the general's campaign to regain the lost Roman territories.
Speaker 1: Through this advisor position, Procopius gained the insights he needed
Speaker 1: for his most well known work, History of the Wars.
Speaker 1: In eight volumes, History of the Wars covers the Imperial
Speaker 1: Army's engagements from the time of Justin through to the
Speaker 1: fifteen fifties. It is a sweeping, visceral account that has
Speaker 1: served as an excellent source for generations of historians. Procopious
Speaker 1: Is other prominent work, On Buildings, is a similarly invaluable
Speaker 1: historical document, written in six volumes. On Buildings reports on
Speaker 1: the public works of Justinian's government through five hundred sixty,
Speaker 1: including churches, bridges, fortresses, and roads. It's from History of
Speaker 1: the Wars and on Buildings that many of the stories
Speaker 1: of Justinian's greatness arose on buildings portrays the emperor as
Speaker 1: a public minded, detail oriented constructor, while History of the
Speaker 1: Wars reveals a tireless, passionate and determined man. They are
Speaker 1: two of the few surviving sources from sixth century Byzantium
Speaker 1: and four centuries. The picture they drew of that world
Speaker 1: was the only picture we had, and it was a
Speaker 1: glorious picture. But this picture would eventually change with the
Speaker 1: revelations of the Secret History for such a shocking document.
Speaker 1: The Secret History begins simply enough. In the preface, Procopious
Speaker 1: explains his mission to reveal the quote events Hi throw
Speaker 1: passed over in silence, and the causes for the events
Speaker 1: already described unquote. He had been unable, He claims to
Speaker 1: reveal the truth of these events in History of the
Speaker 1: Wars due to fear of consequences. Further, he discusses his
Speaker 1: fear of not being believed by future readers, but he
Speaker 1: felt it to be his duty to reveal what he
Speaker 1: saw as the true nature of the Imperial Court, that
Speaker 1: it was a wicked place rife with evil deeds, and
Speaker 1: what was the cause of all these evil deeds? In
Speaker 1: Procopius his own words, quote the tyranny of women unquote.
Speaker 1: That's the title of the first chapter of The Secret
Speaker 1: History and Friends. It is only downhill from here. Procopius's
Speaker 1: main targets are the Empress Theodora and her friend Antonina,
Speaker 1: who was married to Procopius's longtime boss, the General Belisarius.
Speaker 1: The two women are portrayed as sexually voracious, murderous, and cunning.
Speaker 1: Procopious includes a number of shocking anecdotes to illuminate his claims,
Speaker 1: such as a hilarious scene where Antonina allegedly convinces Belisarius
Speaker 1: that she was innocently quote bearing treasure unquote in their
Speaker 1: basement alongside a young man who just happened to be naked,
Speaker 1: and another scene perhaps the most notorious in the entire book,
Speaker 1: in which and apologies for the graphic sexual content I'm
Speaker 1: about to describe, in which a young Theodora performs a
Speaker 1: sex show in which geese eat grains from her volva
Speaker 1: in an homage to the story of Leda and the Swan.
Speaker 1: Powerful women, in Procopious view gained their power through how
Speaker 1: else their sexual appeal, and then use that power for
Speaker 1: their own sexual satisfaction. In the process, they murdered, tortured,
Speaker 1: or exiled anyone who got in their way. But Procopious
Speaker 1: isn't much more generous towards the men in his story. Belisarius,
Speaker 1: the dashing war hero of History of the Wars, transforms
Speaker 1: in The Secret History into a hen pecked, cuckolded husband,
Speaker 1: completely controlled by his domineering wife. His personal corruption by
Speaker 1: Antonina spills over into his professional life, where he becomes
Speaker 1: increasingly cowardly and wishy washy in battles. But the harsh
Speaker 1: treatment Procopius gives Belisarius is nothing compared to that which
Speaker 1: the historian gives Justinian. The Emperor's first sin, of course,
Speaker 1: was marrying Theodora, an act which Procopius claims quote reveals
Speaker 1: only too clearly his moral sickness unquote. If Justinian was
Speaker 1: willing to marry such an infamous woman, what else was
Speaker 1: he willing to do? In fairness to Theodora? Though Procopius
Speaker 1: at least allows that Justinian was wicked to begin with,
Speaker 1: so wicked in fact, that he must be a demon. Yes,
Speaker 1: Procopius says that Justinian is literally a demon. He was
Speaker 1: not the son of two humans Procopious alleges, but of
Speaker 1: a demon and a human woman. For proof, he cites
Speaker 1: a number of bizarre stories, including one where Justinian, pacing
Speaker 1: the throne room, seems to lose his head and walk
Speaker 1: around with only a body literally lose his head. There's
Speaker 1: another story where his face quote suddenly transformed to a
Speaker 1: shapeless lump of flesh unquote. Obviously that something that would
Speaker 1: only happen to a demon, and secretly being a demon
Speaker 1: is the only way Procopious argues to explain Justinian's famous
Speaker 1: lack of appetite, endless energy, and low need for sleep.
Speaker 1: Fortunately for the demon king, he found the perfect demon
Speaker 1: queen in Theodora, summing up his position on the Imperial couple,
Speaker 1: Procopious rights quote, to me and to most of us,
Speaker 1: these two persons never seemed to be human beings, but
Speaker 1: rather a pair of bloodthirsty demons of some sort, and,
Speaker 1: as the poets say, plague ers of moral men. For
Speaker 1: they plotted together to find the easiest and swiftest means
Speaker 1: of destroying all races of men and all their works,
Speaker 1: and assuming human form, became man demons, and in this
Speaker 1: way convulsed the whole world unquote. Again, this isn't hyperbole
Speaker 1: on the historians part. He isn't saying that Justinian and
Speaker 1: Theodora seemed or acted like demons. He's saying wholeheartedly they
Speaker 1: were demons. Whether or not he truly believed it is
Speaker 1: another matter, but the words are uncontestable. It's a claim
Speaker 1: that sounds a little absurd to our modern ears. More
Speaker 1: familiar to us might be this devastating description he gives
Speaker 1: of Justinians more human failings. Quote. This emperor was dissembling, treacherous, false,
Speaker 1: secret and his anger too faced. A clever man, well
Speaker 1: able to feign his opinions, one who wept not from
Speaker 1: joy or from sorrow, but deliberately at the right moment
Speaker 1: when needed. He was an unreliable friend, an enemy who
Speaker 1: would not observe a truce. A passionate lover of murder
Speaker 1: and of money. He was constantly stirring up trouble and change.
Speaker 1: He was easily led to evil, but never for any
Speaker 1: reasons did he turn to good unquote. And ouch I
Speaker 1: mentioned before that The Secret History changed the historical view
Speaker 1: of the Justinian era, and despite the outlandishness of many
Speaker 1: of its claims, there's a reason for that. Many of
Speaker 1: procopious is more grounded complaints about Austinian policy have been
Speaker 1: corroborated by historians, Justinian's autocratic tendencies, Theodora's vindictiveness, the imperial
Speaker 1: Couple's greed. There are many recorded instances demonstrating these qualities
Speaker 1: in other contemporary works. For example, historian Clive Fosse discovered
Speaker 1: numerous records from independent sources that confirm some of the
Speaker 1: stories that Procopious recorded about Theodora's deeds, both good and bad.
Speaker 1: Procopious false concludes quote seems to have distorted and magnified
Speaker 1: far more than he has invented or merely slandered unquote.
Speaker 1: It's a conclusion shared by many other Byzantine historians. Though
Speaker 1: procopious As judgments are often harsh, merciless, and extreme, the
Speaker 1: examples on which he based those judgments are nonetheless more
Speaker 1: often than not accurate. Despite what we can discover about
Speaker 1: the truth of the Secret History, there's a lot we
Speaker 1: still don't know. We don't know exactly when the Secret
Speaker 1: History was written. We don't know why it was written.
Speaker 1: We don't know if Procopious planned to publish it himself
Speaker 1: had he survived. Justinian the historian's death date is unknown,
Speaker 1: but based on the timing of his other works, he
Speaker 1: almost certainly died before the emperor in five hundred and
Speaker 1: sixty five. We don't know if Procopius really believed some
Speaker 1: of his more outlandish claims. At the base of all
Speaker 1: those questions is a simple one. How do we understand
Speaker 1: a historical account as vulgar, shocking, and vitriolic as the
Speaker 1: Secret History? Since the documents discovery in the seventeenth century,
Speaker 1: scholars have struggled to answer that question. Theories have been
Speaker 1: advanced and debated, but few conclusive answers have arisen. In
Speaker 1: the late nineteenth century, some historians argued that Procopius could
Speaker 1: not have been the real author of the text. If
Speaker 1: the author had been some hateful nobody and not a
Speaker 1: pre eminent historian, the text would be easier to dismiss,
Speaker 1: But textual analysis proved that the writing style of The
Speaker 1: Secret History was very similar to that of History of
Speaker 1: Wars and on Buildings. Later debates focused on which document
Speaker 1: Procopius was more honest in. Did he stand by the
Speaker 1: complementary statements in his two published works, or were his
Speaker 1: true feelings better represented in The Secret History? Procopius probably
Speaker 1: believed a little bit of everything, with his views of
Speaker 1: the emperor and the court changing over time. The historian
Speaker 1: Avril Cameron puts it like this quote The three works
Speaker 1: of Procopius therefore represent different sides of the reality of
Speaker 1: Justinian and of procopius perception of it. Procopious had to
Speaker 1: write three apparently very different works to find his full
Speaker 1: expression unquote. Writers and historians of all ages have used exaggeration, metaphor,
Speaker 1: and symbolism to capture the world around them, often resulting
Speaker 1: in portraits that are more about feeling than fact. As
Speaker 1: for Justinian, which image is more accurate, the inspiring, tireless
Speaker 1: expander of empire or the avaricious, vengeful demon. As with
Speaker 1: most people, he likely fell somewhere in between. Like any emperor,
Speaker 1: he ruled an institution predicated on the subjugation of people
Speaker 1: and the centralization of power. His behavior in that role
Speaker 1: was probably neither saintly nor satanic. By painting him as
Speaker 1: all good or all bad, we're likely to miss out
Speaker 1: on the complexities and nuances of both the man and
Speaker 1: his time. For all of its extremes, it's shocking claims,
Speaker 1: and it's rigid divisions between good and evil. The Secret
Speaker 1: History ultimately reminds us that the truth is multifaceted, and
Speaker 1: that the past is just as complicated as the present.
Speaker 1: So were the people who wrote about it. That's the
Speaker 1: story of the Secret History. But keep listening after a
Speaker 1: brief sponsor break to hear a little bit more about
Speaker 1: one of the more modern ways it's influenced culture. Of
Speaker 1: all the writers who have used procopious as writing to
Speaker 1: support their historical arguments, you might be surprised that you
Speaker 1: know the name of one of them, Herman Melville. Yes,
Speaker 1: that's right, everyone's favorite whale enthusiast used everyone's favorite sixth
Speaker 1: century Byzantine historian to help prop up the existence of
Speaker 1: a vengeful sperm whale in his eighteen fifty one novel
Speaker 1: Moby Dick. In chapter forty five, entitled The Affidavit, the
Speaker 1: narrator provides examples of a number of violent and vindictive
Speaker 1: sperm whales so as to convince the reader of the
Speaker 1: truth of his own encounter with the white whale. After
Speaker 1: discussing many stories from the recent past, such as the
Speaker 1: attacks on the whaling ships Essex and the Union, the
Speaker 1: narrator looks even further back. His final example, he says,
Speaker 1: will prove that quote not only is the most marvelous
Speaker 1: event in this book corroborated by plain facts of the
Speaker 1: present day, but that these marvels, like all marvels, are
Speaker 1: mere repetitions of the ages. End quote. This example comes
Speaker 1: from the works of who else, Procopius, who, the narrator says,
Speaker 1: quote has always been considered a most trustworthy and unexaggerating historian,
Speaker 1: except in some one or two particulars, not at all
Speaker 1: affecting the matter presently to be mentioned. End quote. Yes,
Speaker 1: one or two particulars, maybe the demon thing, who knows,
Speaker 1: But in any case. The narrator of Moby Dick continues
Speaker 1: on to discuss a strange story, not from the Secret History,
Speaker 1: but from History of the Wars. In that book, Procopius
Speaker 1: told the story of a sea monster who haunted the
Speaker 1: Bosporous Strait near Constantinople, destroying ships for nearly half a century.
Speaker 1: It caused so much trouble that Justinian issued orders for
Speaker 1: it to be caught and destroyed, but the sea monster
Speaker 1: evaded capture until one day it beached itself and was
Speaker 1: hacked to pieces by beachgoers. Out of revenge for the
Speaker 1: people it had killed. Why does the narrator of Moby
Speaker 1: Dick concern himself with this story because he claims the
Speaker 1: sea monster of Procopius, the vindictive beast that made it
Speaker 1: its mission to hunt men, was like one Moby Dick,
Speaker 1: a sperm whale. Noble Blood is a production of I
Speaker 1: Heart Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manky. Noble
Speaker 1: Blood is hosted by me Danish Worts. Additional writing and
Speaker 1: researching done by Hannah Johnston, hand as Wick, Mirra Hayward,
Speaker 1: Courtney Sunder and Laurie Goodman. The show is produced by
Speaker 1: rema Il Kali, with supervising producer Josh Thaine and executive
Speaker 1: producers Aaron Manky, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more
Speaker 1: podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app,
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.