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.
Observed surface forms (3)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Procopius' "Secret History" | 1 |
| Procopius’ Secret History | 1 |
| Secret History | 0 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Byzantine literature
ⓘ
historical work ⓘ prose narrative ⓘ |
| approximateDateWritten | c. 550 CE ⓘ |
| author | Procopius of Caesarea NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| 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 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| 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 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| modernTitle | Secret History NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| originalTitle |
Anekdota
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Historia Arcana NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| partOfCorpus | Procopius’s historical works ⓘ |
| portrays |
Belisarius in a critical light
ⓘ
Justinian I as cruel and demonic NERFINISHED ⓘ Theodora as immoral and ruthless ⓘ |
| preservedIn | medieval manuscripts ⓘ |
| relatedWork |
Buildings
ⓘ
Wars ⓘ |
| setting | Constantinople NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| settingPeriod | reign of Justinian I (527–565) ⓘ |
| subject |
Byzantine court politics
ⓘ
Emperor Justinian I NERFINISHED ⓘ Empress Theodora NERFINISHED ⓘ reign of Justinian I NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| tone |
hostile
ⓘ
satirical ⓘ scandal-focused ⓘ |
| workType | behind-the-scenes account of imperial court ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Procopius' "Secret History"
this entity surface form:
Procopius’ Secret History