Justinian: The Headless Emperor // Procopius' Secret History // 6th century AD Primary Source

"...for one of these asserted that he would rise suddenly from the imperial throne...and the head of Justinian would disappear suddenly, but the rest of his body seemed to keep making these same long circuits..."

Here we have a Halloween special for you - Procopius' Secret History, which portrays the then Emperor Justinian as not only cruel and incompetent but actually possessed by demons.

Rediscovered centuries after its writing in the Vatican Library, it was finally published in 1623. Possibly the result of Procopius' disillusionment or even as a type of insurance to be released if anything were to happen to him, it covers the same period of Byzantine history as his History of the Wars; featuring all the same players but completely different in tone.

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