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Empire - target release date April 2026

mosaic of Emporer Justinian and Empress Theodora

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2005 - Dying Theodora pens the story of her life for Justin, the husband she was always destined to meet.   

 

As her life fades, Justin faces a conspiracy which could rob him of The Empire he had served for nearly fifty years.

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The consequences of a historical betrayal, the threat from a secret vendetta,  and the suborning of a one-time friend, shatter the comforting illusion that we can ever know the truth. ​

I conceived this novel while reading about the Middle Ages, where I discovered Emperor Justinian, founder of the Byzantine Roman Empire, an empire that outlasted the Western Roman Empire by nearly 1000 years.

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​My fascination with Justinian deepened when I learned he ruled alongside his wife, Theodora.

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​​​​​​​​Theodora's rise from child prostitute and travelling courtesan to the most powerful woman of her time was astonishing.

 

But what truly captivated me was The Secret Histories by Procopius, a contemporary writer. This scandalous account, hidden for nearly a millennium and rediscovered in 1623, upends conventional history.

Procopius portrays Theodora not as a dynamic leader but in a far darker light, while Justinian’s legal and political achievements—many foundational to European law—become tainted with questions of morality and ambition.

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© 2018 by Ian Siragher. Proudly created with Wix.com

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