Uploaded June 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Get your special offer for MagellanTV here: try.magellantv.com/voicesofthepast. It's an exclusive offer for our viewers! Start your free trial today. MagellanTV is a new kind of streaming service run by filmmakers with 3,000+ documentaries! Check out our personal recommendation and MagellanTV’s exclusive playlists: magellantv.com/explore/history
--------------
Extracts taken from "The Iwakura Embassy, 1871-1873: A True Account of the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary's Journey of Observation through the United States of America and Europe by Kume Kunitake, Graham Healey, Chushichi Tsuzuki, Martin Collcutt, Andrew Cobbing, P. F. Kornicki, Eugene Soviak."
amazon.com/Iwakura-Embassy-1871-1873-Extraordinary-Plenipotentiarys/dp/4901617001
— Music courtesy of:-
Epidemic Sound
Artlist.io
Image Credits:
Japanese Armor in Tower of London By Tristan Surtel - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83067677
Assyrian Carving By Jase Curtis from London, England - British Museum, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=105247592
Vase By Paul Hudson from United Kingdom - British Museum - 30 minute photo challenge, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97279374
Cup By Paul Hudson from United Kingdom - British Museum - 30 minute photo challenge, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97279356
Chocolate Factory By Photo: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22243749
Dutch East India Company By Stephencdickson - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72939415
Images of Venice By Leo Wehrli - These images are from the collection of the ETH-Bibliothek and have been published on Wikimedia Commons as part of a cooperation with Wikimedia CH. Corrections and additional information are welcome., CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68554473
We try to use copyright free images at all times. However if we have used any of your artwork or maps then please don't hesitate to contact me and we’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit.
Get your special offer for MagellanTV here: try.magellantv.com/voicesofthepast. It's an exclusive offer for our viewers! Start your free trial today. MagellanTV is a new kind of streaming service run by filmmakers with 3,000+ documentaries! Check out our personal recommendation and MagellanTV’s exclusive playlists: magellantv.com/explore/history
--------------
Extracts taken from "The Iwakura Embassy, 1871-1873: A True Account of the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary's Journey of Observation through the United States of America and Europe by Kume Kunitake, Graham Healey, Chushichi Tsuzuki, Martin Collcutt, Andrew Cobbing, P. F. Kornicki, Eugene Soviak."
amazon.com/Iwakura-Embassy-1871-1873-Extraordinary-Plenipotentiarys/dp/4901617001
— Music courtesy of:-
Epidemic Sound
Artlist.io
Image Credits:
Japanese Armor in Tower of London By Tristan Surtel - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83067677
Assyrian Carving By Jase Curtis from London, England - British Museum, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=105247592
Vase By Paul Hudson from United Kingdom - British Museum - 30 minute photo challenge, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97279374
Cup By Paul Hudson from United Kingdom - British Museum - 30 minute photo challenge, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97279356
Chocolate Factory By Photo: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22243749
Dutch East India Company By Stephencdickson - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72939415
Images of Venice By Leo Wehrli - These images are from the collection of the ETH-Bibliothek and have been published on Wikimedia Commons as part of a cooperation with Wikimedia CH. Corrections and additional information are welcome., CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68554473
We try to use copyright free images at all times. However if we have used any of your artwork or maps then please don't hesitate to contact me and we’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit.


![Justinian: The Headless Emperor // Procopius Secret History // 6th century AD Primary Source
...for one of these asserted that he would rise suddenly from the imperial throne...and the head of Justinian would disappear suddenly, but the rest of his body seemed to keep making these same long circuits...
Here we have a Halloween special for you - Procopius Secret History, which portrays the then Emperor Justinian as not only cruel and incompetent but actually possessed by demons.
Rediscovered centuries after its writing in the Vatican Library, it was finally published in 1623. Possibly the result of Procopius disillusionment or even as a type of insurance to be released if anything were to happen to him, it covers the same period of Byzantine history as his History of the Wars; featuring all the same players but completely different in tone.
How do we actually know about history? Voices of the Past is a channel dedicated to recreating the original accounts from the people who lived through events, or who lived far closer to them than we do today. We do this word for word, with an accompanying soundtrack of rousing music and images.
— Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to subscribe for new videos every single week! & Let us know in the comments what you’d like to see covered in the future.
— Don’t forget to subscribe to our other channel History Time, where we make full length historical documentaries:-
https://www.youtube.com/historytime
— Music courtesy of:-
- Epidemic Sound
— Voice actor & editor:-
David Kelly
We try to use copyright free images at all times. However if we have used any of your artwork or maps then please dont hesitate to contact me and we’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit.
Thanks to:
Tataryn [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)] Justinian: The Headless Emperor // Procopius Secret History // 6th century AD Primary Source](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dLKfcjjJmJs/mqdefault.jpg)





![Letter from Genghis Khan Asking for the Secret of Eternal Life // (1219) Invitation to Taoist Monk
By the end of his reign, Genghis Khan was the most powerful man in history. As he oversaw his vast empire, there was one final enemy he found himself facing - his own mortality. Here we have the letter Genghis wrote to the famous Taoist monk Qiu Chuji urging him to cross the vast distance to come to his court, as the Supreme Khan wished to discover the secret of preserving life - immortality.
Check out the original source (and the story of the monk) at this excellent website:
https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/changchun.html
If this channel is something you like, if you think saving primary sources is important, head over to the patreon and join up!
patreon.com/voicesofthepast
— Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to subscribe for new videos every single week! & Let us know in the comments what you’d like to see covered in the future.
— Don’t forget to subscribe to my brothers channel History Time, where he makes full length historical documentaries:-
https://www.youtube.com/historytime
— Music courtesy of:-
- Epidemic Sound
— Voice actor & editor:-
David Kelly
We try to use copyright free images at all times. However if we have used any of your artwork or maps then please dont hesitate to contact me and we’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit.
Thanks to:
Hardcore-Mike [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)] Letter from Genghis Khan Asking for the Secret of Eternal Life // (1219) Invitation to Taoist Monk](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fQDNKP8L0Es/mqdefault.jpg)

