The Secret History · Chapter
XXIII: How Landowners Were Ruined explained
Procopius details the systematic ruin of landowners under Justinian's reign.
What happens
Procopius details the systematic ruin of landowners under Justinian's reign. He contrasts past emperors who periodically remitted arrears with Justinian's thirty-two-year refusal to do so, forcing debtors into flight. He describes three ruinous levies: 'cooperative buying' (feeding the army at inflated costs), the 'impost' (taxes on abandoned estates), and special assessments for city repairs. The plague's devastation is compounded by Justinian's refusal to remit taxes on lands whose farmers died. Quartering of soldiers and 70,000 barbarians in Constantinople adds to the burden. Procopius concludes that Justinian and Theodora's rule brought unceasing war and calamity.
Themes in this chapter
Injustice and Lawlessness
Justinian's refusal to remit arrears, imposition of arbitrary levies, and taxation of abandoned lands are depicted as legalized oppression.
Suffering of the Common People
Landowners flee, abandon property, or are crushed by multiple levies; farmers die of plague yet survivors pay deceased neighbors' taxes; soldiers quartered in homes.
Abuse of Power
Justinian and officials like Barsyames and the Cappadocian exploit 'cooperative buying' and the 'impost' to extract excessive sums, ruining landowners.
Corruption and Tyranny
The emperor is described as a 'more bitter foe than all the barbarians,' imposing ruinous taxes and ignoring the plight of his subjects.
Characters to notice
- Justinian
Refused for 32 years to remit arrears, imposed ruinous levies, and exempted captured cities only for one year; blamed for ruining landowners.
- Theodora
Mentioned alongside Justinian as co-ruler under whose reign there was no release from war or calamity.
- Peter Barsyames
Cited as one who dared the outrage of 'cooperative buying' along with the Cappadocian and successors.
- John the Cappadocian
Mentioned as having practiced the same 'cooperative buying' extortion before Barsyames.
- Anastasius
Contrasted favorably: he exempted captured cities from taxation for seven years, unlike Justinian's one-year remission.
- Chosroes
Mentioned as burning cities to the foundations, leaving greater ruin than Cabades.
Key passages
“But Justinian, during thirty-two years’ time, made no such concession to his subjects, and consequently those who were unable to pay had to flee their country and never return.”
Justinian never granted tax relief in 32 years, forcing insolvent landowners into permanent exile.
Highlights the emperor's refusal to follow the tradition of remitting arrears.
“For as soon as the enemy had retreated, the landowners immediately were overwhelmed by new requisitions, imposts and levies.”
No sooner did invaders withdraw than landowners faced fresh taxes and demands.
Shows the relentless fiscal pressure even after barbarian raids.
“This requisition, called cooperative buying, took the heart out of the landowners. For it made their annual taxes easily ten times what they had been.”
The 'cooperative buying' system multiplied landowners' annual tax burden tenfold.
Describes the crushing effect of the military supply levy.
“Most of its farmers had perished of it, so that their lands were deserted; nevertheless Justinian did not exempt the owners of these properties.”
Though plague killed most farmers and left fields empty, Justinian still demanded full taxes from landowners.
Illustrates the emperor's refusal to grant relief even amid a demographic catastrophe.
