# Theodosius — The Secret History character guide

> Theodosius in The Secret History by Procopius.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0003-i-how-the-great-general-belisarius-was-hoodwinked-by-his-wife-whose-lover-became-a-monk

## Snapshot

Antonina's young lover, who grows rich off conquered property and shaves his head for a monastery he never truly intends to keep.

## Who they are

Theodosius manages the plunder of Carthage and Ravenna, then becomes the open secret of Belisarius's household, indulged by a husband who joins in mourning him. When exposure threatens, he takes the monk's habit at Ephesus — a retreat that proves strategic rather than sincere, since he returns to Antonina the moment Belisarius marches east. His affair is the fault line along which the general's marriage, judgment, and reputation all eventually crack.

## Relationships

### [Antonina](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_history_se/characters/antonina)

_romantic_

Antonina carries on a passionate and scandalous adulterous affair with her adopted son Theodosius.

### [Belisarius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_history_se/characters/belisarius)

_rivalry_

Belisarius is cuckolded by Theodosius, his own godson, who carries on an affair with Belisarius's wife Antonina.

## In the story

### [How the Great General Belisarius Was Hoodwinked by His Wife, Whose Lover Became a Monk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_history_se/chapters/i-how-the-great-general-belisarius-was-hoodwinked-by-his-wife-whose-lover-became-a-monk)

A young Thracian adopted by Belisarius, who becomes Antonina's lover, flees to Ephesus, becomes a monk, but secretly continues the affair.

### [II: How Belated Jealousy Affected Belisarius’s Military Judgment, to the Joy of the Enemy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_history_se/chapters/ii-how-belated-jealousy-affected-belisarius-s-military-judgment-to-the-joy-of-the-enemy)

Antonina's lover, sent to Ephesus for safety while she travels to the East.

### [III: Showing the Danger of Interfering with a Woman’s Intrigues, Especially When the Woman Is the Friend of an Empress](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_history_se/chapters/iii-showing-the-danger-of-interfering-with-a-woman-s-intrigues-especially-when-the-woman-is-the-friend-of-an-empress)

Hidden by Theodora, dies of dysentery.

### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_history_se/chapters/endnotes)

His death is noted; Gibbon prefers a romantic end involving an amorous interview.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_history_se/characters/theodosius
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_history_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_history_se/characters