‘You disgust me,’ Theodora retorted. ‘Just get out.’
‘Playing hard to get, are we? Well, I don’t mind; it adds a little spice to the proceedings.’ And with a lascivious grin, Procopius slid an arm around her waist, and with his free hand gripped her chin.
Reacting instantly, Theodora jerked her head free and bit the offending hand on the fleshy part below the thumb.
‘Bitch!’ yelled Procopius, whipping his hand away. He stared at a row of tooth-marks in his skin, some already welling blood. ‘I’ll pay you back for that,’* he snarled, and stormed away.
Following the wedding, the transfer of power from Justin to Justinian — a process whose pace had been steady rather than rapid, began swiftly to accelerate. With the old emperor’s health — mental as well as physical — now failing fast, Justinian found himself managing affairs of state virtually alone. Accordingly, eighteen months after his marriage, Justinian was made co-emperor (with Theodora as empress). Then, four months later Justin died,** and was succeeded by his nephew as sole ruler of the Roman world.
Mindful of Theodora’s advice, Justinian, having abandoned the idea of leading any project personally, had already (following his instinct, which proved invariably sound) delegated the implementing of his plans to men of his choice. Selected first and foremost for efficiency and loyalty, and (as a matter of priority) not from any of the great Roman families who sullenly resented the upstart from Tauresium, they made a formidable team. With a view to consolidating his power, Justinian intended these to be long-term or even permanent appointments (depending of course on performance), thus breaking with the age-old tradition of very short tenures of office. Among several generals (one of whom, Sittas, was honoured by being allowed to marry Comito, Theodora’s elder sister), pre-eminent were two very different men: Belisarius, a dashing young cavalry officer and a veteran (at twenty-one!) of a campaign against the Persians; and a much older man, Narses, a eunuch from Persian Armenia. Slight and frail-looking, a Monophysite — hence attracting Theodora’s support, Narses (belying popular beliefs regarding eunuchs) was extremely courageous, honourable, and energetic. With a view to implementing his long-cherished plan of reforming Roman Law, Justinian selected one Tribonian, a lawyer supremely gifted as an organizer and collator. And to carry out his building schemes, he was to choose the brilliant engineer and architect, Anthemius of Tralles. Finally, to streamline and reform the civil service, he appointed one who had already impressed him under Justin — John the Cappadocian.
With the Blues behind him to ‘discourage’ any who might challenge his authority, Justinian now felt himself the undisputed master of the realm he had inherited. But, unwittingly, in making one of his appointments, he had sown the seed of something that would shake his grip on power and almost bring about his downfall.
* Procopius is here referring to ex-prostitutes rehabilitated in the Convent of Repentance, following the ban against brothel-keepers..
* Tenant farmers/peasants.
* A brilliant orator and rhetorician, Isocrates, 436–338 BC, devoted his talents to producing written models on how to win legal cases. (See Notes.)
* Which he duly did — ‘in spades’, as they say. (See Notes.)
** On 1 August 527.
TEN
Cappadocians are always bad, worse in office, worst where money is concerned,
and worse than worst when set up in a grand official chariot
With confidence renewed, and buoyed up by the support of a loyal and devoted helpmeet, Justinian contemplated with relish the prospect of carrying out his Grand Plan — the reconquest of the Western Empire, and the establishment of religious uniformity throughout his realm.
There were other projects, almost as exciting but perhaps less pressing: the reform of Roman Law; an accommodation with the Monophysites, whose erroneous views were based on a simple misunderstanding, which could surely be resolved in synod by reasoned argument; the amelioration of women’s legal status in general, and that of prostitutes in particular (both of these causes dear to Theodora’s heart); an ambitious building programme which would truly reflect the glory of what Justinian intended would prove a glittering new chapter in the history of Rome; diplomatic missions to the Persians and the barbarians beyond the frontiers, in order to ensure peace — an essential precondition for the implementing of his cherished Plan.
For all these projects (especially the reconquest of the West) to become reality, one thing above all was essential — cash. Unfortunately, the surplus built up in the Treasury during the reign of the careful Anastasius had become exhausted under Justin, thanks largely to frequent lapses of the truce with Persia. This had caused fortifications on a massive scale to be erected along the eastern frontier — in particular the building of a colossal (and colossally expensive) fortress at Dara in Mesopotamia. However, Justinian had every faith that his newly appointed praetorian prefect, John of Cappadocia, could be depended on to provide a solution. .
‘Never fear, Serenity, I’ll get you all the cash you need,’ declared the prefect to the emperor, ensconced within the latter’s private study in the palace. ‘The Empire’s wealthy, just needs squeezing in the right places to give you what you want — like an actress from the Hippodrome.’ He chuckled, and tapped the side of his nose. ‘For starters, the civil service is top-heavy with jobsworths holding down sinecures, or operating private rackets and fiddles. Plenty of dead wood there we can clear out, and malpractices we can put a stop to. Then there’s the privileged classes — the big landowners, and the wealthy merchants and traders. In the past, they’ve got away with evading taxes by knowing just how to fiddle the books. Consequently, it’s always been the peasants and the urban poor who’ve had to shoulder an unfair proportion of the tax burden. Time we put an end to that, wouldn’t you say, Serenity? Unlike prefects in the past, I’m not afraid to take on the toffs. In fact I’ll enjoy it — squeeze ’em till the pips squeak. I’m guessing you won’t mind too much either, Serenity.’ And he gave a conspiratorial wink.
What the prefect was saying, Justinian knew, was that both of them, as parvenus looked down on by their social superiors, would relish any opportunity to even the score. The man was taking an outrageous liberty, thought the emperor indignantly, but no doubt secure in the knowledge that he was indispensable to Justinian’s plans, felt that he could exploit his position with impunity.
‘I’ll put the points you’ve raised to the Senate and the Council,’ responded Justinian, swallowing his irritation. ‘I don’t suppose they’ll find anything to disagree with.’
‘Who the hell cares if they do?’ chuckled the other. He belched, eased his gross bulk on its stool, and scratched his bottom. ‘That’s better,’ he went on, with a sigh of satisfaction. ‘Wake up, Serenity. The Senate and the Council? — redundant anachronisms, whose only purpose is to allow the aristocracy to hang on to the comforting illusion that they need to be consulted. They’ve no longer any place in the running of a modern Empire. The only power that matters is held by you, the emperor. Best you tell ’em that and end the current farce of discussions in the House.’
John was right, thought Justinian, as a tremendously exciting and liberating conviction slowly began to form in his mind. Could it be by mere chance that a barbarian lad from the backwoods of Dardania had become emperor of New Rome? Surely something so unprecedented, so astonishing, could only be evidence of divine intention? — as it must also have been God’s purpose, to send him Theodora in his hour of need.