Count Belisarius

Product Information

He is also noted for his calmness in danger. [12] At Rome, when a rumor spread that the Goths were already in the city, and his men begged him to flee, he instead sent men to verify whether the claim was true and made clear to the officers that it was his job and his alone to deal with such a situation. [12] Overall performance [ edit ]

Following this disappointing campaign, mitigated by Belisarius' success in preventing the total destruction of Rome, in 548–49, Justinian relieved him. In 551, after economic recovery (from the effects of the plague) the eunuch Narses led a large army to bring the campaign to a successful conclusion; Belisarius retired from military affairs. At the Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople (553), Belisarius was one of the Emperor's envoys to Pope Vigilius in their controversy over The Three Chapters. The Patriarch Eutychius, who presided over this council in place of Pope Vigilius, was the son of one of Belisarius' generals.

Browse reviews by Period

The Rome that Belisarius entered reflected the general decline of the western empire. Though still the largest city in the west, its population had shrunk, people drove cattle through the forums, and buildings destroyed by the Visigoths and Vandals in the last century had not been repaired. Jacobsen, Barry (15 April 2017). "Belisarius at Daras, 530 AD: A Study in the Use of Interior Lines" . Retrieved 8 October 2019. Belisarius [2] ( Latin pronunciation: [bɛ.lɪˈsaː.ri.ʊs]; Greek: Βελισάριος; c. 500 [Note 2] – 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under the emperor Justinian I. He was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean territory belonging to the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century prior.

The volume concludes with a bibliography and index. Some typographical and substantive errors were found, but did not in the main obstruct comprehension or appreciation. 3 Esta bella obra histórica nos plantea en los albores de los cimientos de la civilización occidental cuando un mediocre emperador bizantino tomó dos muy buenas decisiones que llevarían a la reconquista de los territorios perdidos por el Imperio Romano en Occidente y sembrar el destino del mundo filo judeo-cristiano. Para los interesados en la historia jurídica, una de estas decisiones fue el famoso Código Justiniano, la segunda, confiar su milicia a un hombre honorable valiente y extraordinariamente leal, Belisario.

In Italy, he mostly relied on sieges to defeat the Goths. [15] At this he was so efficient that Totila refused to engage in them until Belisarius was unable to take the initiative due to supply shortages. In the 20th century Belisarius became featured in a number of works of fiction, including the military science fiction Belisarius series by David Drake and Eric Flint. [50] :280–281 A writer for Tor.com noted that "science fiction and fantasy are obsessed with retelling the story of Belisarius, when the mainstream world isn't particularly interested." [51] Shahid, Irfan (1995). Byzantium and the Arabs in the Sixth Century. Dumbarton Oaks. p.78. ISBN 978-0-88402-214-5. While the full conquest of Africa is often portrayed as the original objective of the campaign, it is unlikely this was actually the case. [13] Belisarius had the full authority to act in any way he saw fit. [13] Only when Belisarius was already in Sicily was the choice made to sail straight for the Vandal heartland. [13] If the Vandal fleet had been ready, such an operation would have been unlikely to succeed. [13] When information arrived in Constantinople it was already weeks, if not months, old, so it seems unlikely that Justinian in Constantinople would have made the decision on whether to move on the area at all. [13] Only at Sicily would one be in any kind of position to decide on how to proceed. [13] As a result, many Byzantine soldiers defected or mutinied. The command of the troops in Italy was divided by Justinian to prevent any commander from becoming too powerful. Most of the time these commanders refused to work together as Justinian's plague made it dangerous to leave the base. Meanwhile, the Goths under the brilliant and energetic leadership of Ildibad and Totila went on the offensive and recaptured all of northern Italy and parts of the south. Apparently Totila considered the opportunity to win an easy victory greater than the risk of losing his force due to plague. As a result, they won many engagements against the uncoordinated Byzantines including the Battle of Treviso, the siege of Verona, the Battle of Faventia, the Battle of Mucellium and the siege of Naples. But by now they weren't powerful enough to capture Rome.