The Rivalry of Procopius of Caesarea and Antonina the Patrician

Abstract

Procopius of Caesarea traveled with the household of the general Belisarius for many years. If his Secret History is any indication, the historian gained a rich acquaintance with Belisarius’s formidable wife, Antonina. It is possible that the negative treatment of Antonina in the Secret History reflects a rivalry between her and Procopius. This competition becomes most clear when examining the moments in which Procopius becomes a participant in his own narrative of the History of the Wars, and especially in the attempt to resupply Rome (under siege by the Goths) from Naples in 537 AD. Although the historian portrays this moment, when Belisarius entrusted him with fetching reinforcements and supplies for the beleaguered Roman army, as his time to shine, Procopius was upstaged by Antonina. If there was a competition for influence with Belisarius, it seems to have been one that Antonina won handily. It is worth therefore examining the outrageous critiques of Antonina in the Secret History through the lens of a disappointed or even revengeful Procopius.