What did Procopius say about Theodora?

What did Procopius say about Theodora?

Procopius writes that “[r]umour has it also that his wife used magic arts to enslave him, instantly destroying his resolution” which led Belisarius to swear, “he would be her faithful slave, not her husband.”17 Procopius’ descriptions do not end here; he graphically describes the sexual behaviour of Theodora during her …

How did Procopius feel about the rule of Justinian and Theodora?

Procopius, in his Anecdota (better known as Secret History), condemns Justinian I’s reign as unjust and capricious, claiming he was controlled by his passions – and his wife Theodora – and strongly suggests God was displeased with him.

Why did the Byzantine aristocracy dislike Empress Theodora?

Procopius’s notorious account of Theodora in his ‘Secret History’ shows extreme dislike for her character by evaluating her former occupations as very near the bottom of the “hierarchy of the arts.” Procopius’s writes that Theodora was secretive and unfaithful, yet this can be attributed mostly to his own personal bias …

What was controversial about Theodora?

Theodora was strong willed, opinionated, and believed that women should have rights. This view of women in itself was controversial in what was primarily a patriarchal society.

What are Procopius three main works?

Procopius’s writings fall into three divisions: the Polemon (De bellis; Wars), in eight books; Peri Ktismaton (De aedificiis; Buildings), in six books; and the Anecdota (Historia arcana; Secret History), published posthumously.

What did Procopius say about the plague?

Procopius, who did not like Justinian, suggested in his Secret History that Justinian created the plague and brought “about calamities affecting the whole world… not by human strength, but by another kind” (Procopius 1935). Procopius’ point of view made sense in the context of the times.

What is the cause of plague of Justinian?

At its peak, the sixth-century Justinian plague is said to have killed some 5,000 people in the Byzantine capital of Constantinople each day. They found that the microbe responsible for those 50 million deaths in the Byzantine Empire was Yersinia pestis (Y. pestis), the same bacterium that caused the Black Death.

What does Procopius say about Justinian?

Procopius can be seen as depicting Justinian as essentially God’s vicegerent, making the case for buildings being a primarily religious panegyric. Procopius indicates that he planned to write an ecclesiastical history himself and, if he had, he would probably have followed the rules of that genre.

What sport was considered the sport in Constantinople?

chariot racing
Although chariot racing was the most important sport in Byzantium, and dominates all accounts of sports and amusements in the Eastern Empire, its position of pre-eminence was not reached until the sixth century.

What was Theodora’s last name?

Theodora Surname User-submission: Teedra is the mispronunciation or short form of Queen Theodora, an empress of the Byzantine Empire. Queen Theodora is a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, as she was a very influential and powerful empress.

Who are the three daughters of Procopius IX?

This man, during the rule of Anastasius, fell sick and died, leaving three daughters named Comito, Theodora and Anastasia: of whom the eldest was not yet seven years old. His widow took a second husband, who with her undertook to keep up Acacius’s family and profession.

Where can I find the Secret History of Procopius?

The Secret History of Procopius, tr. by Richard Atwater, [1927], at sacred-texts.com p. 98 IX. AND HOW THEODORA, MOST DEPRAVED OF ALL COURTESANS, WON HIS LOVE HE took a wife: and in what manner she was born and bred, and, wedded to this man, tore up the Roman Empire by the very roots, I shall now relate.

Why did Theodora put laurel wreaths on her daughters’heads?

For the dancing masters had the power of distributing such positions as they wished. When this woman saw the populace assembled in the amphitheater, she placed laurel wreaths on her daughters’ heads and in their hands, and sent them out to sit on the ground in the attitude of suppliants.