From other sources, we know that Justinian’s regime did upset the traditional elite of Constantinople, the bureaucrats that ran his administration, as well as the Chalcedonian and miaphysite parties within the church (in older literature you might see ‘monophysite’ being used for the latter group modern scholarship increasingly favour either miaphysite or non-Chalcedonian as a descriptor). 1Īs you have noted already, the Secret History is a very negative interpretation of Justinian’s reign, so I think the best way to start is to look at other negative assessments of the emperor.

There are also two important forthcoming publications focusing specifically on this historian, which will surely provide more material for discussion. Most of the things I talk about here are still be up for debate and the historians I mention often hold very different views. Different historians have different views of Procopius, and personally I don’t think we can say that there is anything approaching a ‘consensus’ yet. Great question! This is a very complicated issue and I will not pretend that I can cover everything here. Previous AMAs | Previous Roundtables Featuresįeature posts are posted weekly. May 25th | Panel AMA with /r/AskBibleScholars Please Subscribe to our Google Calendar for Upcoming AMAs and Events To nominate someone else as a Quality Contributor, message the mods. Our flaired users have detailed knowledge of their historical specialty and a proven record of excellent contributions to /r/AskHistorians. Please Read and Understand the Rules Before Contributing. Report Comments That Break Reddiquette or the Subreddit Rules. Serious On-Topic Comments Only: No Jokes, Anecdotes, Clutter, or other Digressions. Provide Primary and Secondary Sources If Asked. Write Original, In-Depth and Comprehensive Answers, Using Good Historical Practices.

Questions should be clear and specific in what they ask, and should be able to get detailed answers from historians whose expertise is likely to be in particular times and places. Nothing Less Than 20 Years Old, and Don't Soapbox. Be Nice: No Racism, Bigotry, or Offensive Behavior. Downvote and Report comments that are unhelpful or grossly off-topic.Upvote informative, well sourced answers.New to /r/AskHistorians? Please read our subreddit rules and FAQ before posting! Apply for Flair

The secret history procopius sparknotes