# XXV: How He Robbed His Own Officials, Merchants, Sailors, Workmen, and Everybody Else explained — The Secret History

> Chapter companion for The Secret History by Procopius.

## What happens

Justinian systematically robs his own officials by withholding their pensions, then imposes oppressive customs duties on merchants and sailors at both straits, debases the coinage to cheat the people, and finally seizes control of the silk trade through his treasurer Peter Barsyames, ruining artisans and driving many to flee to Persia.

## Themes in this chapter

### Abuse of Power

Justinian uses his imperial authority to rob officials, merchants, and artisans, manipulating laws and monopolies for personal gain.

### Injustice and Lawlessness

The Emperor enacts edicts that are impossible to obey, then confiscates property and imposes fines, ruining honest traders.

### Suffering of the Common People

Artisans and mechanics are reduced to beggary, many flee to Persia, and the populace nearly starves due to inflated prices.

## Character check-ins

### Justinian

Deprives officials of their pensions, establishes customhouses at both straits, debases coinage, and seizes control of the silk trade.

### Theodora

Collaborates with Justinian in debasing coinage and uses spies to confiscate silk merchants' goods.

### Peter Barsyames

As imperial treasurer, becomes the sole silk merchant, selling at inflated prices and enriching himself at public expense.

### Addeus

A Syrian intimate of Justinian appointed to collect duties from ships at Constantinople, forcing shipowners to pay or take unwanted cargoes.

## Key lines

> Those who served the Emperor and the magistrates in Constantinople... were paid more than one hundred gold centenaries a year... But this Emperor deprived them of nearly all this money.

Justinian cut the pensions of high-ranking officials, causing poverty to spread through the entire administrative class.

_Illustrates the emperor's systematic theft from his own servants._

> The toll exacted from the ship owners, however, had been inconsequential. But as soon as Justinian became Emperor, he stationed a customhouse at either strait... Eager to show their zeal, they made the mariners pay such tributes on everything as pirates might have exacted.

Justinian replaced minimal customs with exorbitant duties at both straits, effectively pirating from merchants.

_Highlights the oppressive new taxes on maritime trade._

> Formerly the money changers had customarily given two hundred and ten obols... for one gold stater; but Justinian and Theodora... ordered that only one hundred and eighty obols should be given for a stater. In this way they clipped off one sixth of each gold coin possessed by the people.

Justinian and Theodora debased the currency by reducing the number of obols per stater, effectively stealing a sixth of every gold coin from the public.

_Demonstrates the imperial couple's manipulation of coinage for private profit._

> The Emperor, pretending to be incensed at this, proclaimed by edict that such clothing could not be sold for more than eight gold coins a pound... Consequently they decided to stop dealing in it at all... The Empress, hearing what was going on... immediately confiscated these persons’ wares, fining them a centenary in addition.

Justinian set an impossibly low price on silk, then when merchants stopped trading, Theodora confiscated their goods and fined them heavily.

_Shows the trap laid for silk merchants, leading to state monopoly._

## Links

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