Count Belisarius

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The reign of Justinian is many ways the last hurrah of the Roman Empire seeing the recapture by the Eastern Empire of the key western provinces of North Africa and Italy. It is also the period of wonderful building such as the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople and San Vitale in Ravenna. The period of success, in many respects a product of Belisarius’s supreme generalship, is shortlived and soon afterwards events conspire against the Byzantines. I love the story of Belisarius. Did Robert Graves abuse history in writing this? I certainly hope so. By the end, however, I didn't really care if Belisarius was as good as Graves made him out to be, if the narrator, Eugenius, (Belisarius' wife Antonia's manservant ) is unreliable, or if Antonia slept with one man or many after marrying this 'Last Great Roman'. Graves bends this story into his own parable about power, corruption, honor and ingenuity. Other generals and the emperor Justinian serve as counter-examples of Belisaurius and also reflect the time he lived. The book wasn't perfect, but it was a great book about a near perfect man. Source for a handbook: Reflections of the Wars in the Strategikon and archaeology" in: Ancient Warfare edited by Jasper Oorthuys, Vol. IV, Issue 3 (2010), pp. 33–37

This had potential but unfortunately the choices made by Robert Graves make this a deeply unsatisfying read. Husband, Janet G.; Husband, Jonathan F. (30 July 2009). Sequels: An Annotated Guide to Novels in Series. American Library Association. ISBN 978-0-8389-0967-6. Just as Graves's Claudius novels ( I, Claudius and Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina) were based on The Twelve Caesars of Suetonius and other Roman sources, Count Belisarius is largely based on Procopius's History of Justinian's Wars and Secret History. However, Graves's treatment of his sources has been criticized by the historian Anthony Kaldellis, who writes that "There are many historical novels set in the early sixth century, but none can be recommended that are both historically accurate and well-written. R. Graves's Count Belisarius... is at least well-written." [1]Graves writes in the style of Classical authors. The conceit is that this is the biography of Belisarius as written by his wife’s trusted domestic slave, and it possesses many of the flourishes and literary devices common to that period. But if I’m going to read something of that sort, I’d rather just go to the source itself and read some Procopius directly. Of course, if I did that, I would miss out on the fact that Count Belisarius is actually more a biography of the military leader’s remarkable wife, Antonina, and her close childhood friend, the Empress Theodora. This is a nice approach – both women are fascinating figures in their own right, but it wasn't enough in itself to really hook me. Belisarius: Military Master of the West: Book One: Nika: historical novel by Peter Keating Vanguard Press (2021) – written from the view point of Belisarius as he recounts his life after being discharged from the service of Justinian—it paints a different portrait of the man loyal to his emperor, but under the sway of the two most powerful women, the Empress Theodora and his wife Antonina. This work covers his rise to prominence in the service of Justinian, his initial military campaigns in the East, then dealing with the Nika riot and finally becoming the first Roman to completely defeat the Vandals in North Africa and then capture Sicily.

The Roman Empire was still the only world power. No other nation had the resources to assemble such a strike force. The logistics alone must have been a nightmare: 36,000 soldiers and sailors, some 6,000 horses, arms, engines, military stores, water and provisions to last for a three month voyage of over 1,000 miles. Although not quite the masterpiece that both of the Claudius novels are, Count Belisarius is a great read, and brings the period, the 6th century C.E. to vibrant life. The titular Count Belisarius is a devout Orthodox Christian general of the Eastern Roman empire during the reign of Justinian. The book, supposedly written by his wife's eunuch Eugenius, follows his campaigns in Rome and Northern Africa, chronicling the court intrigues and jealousies that prevent him from winning the glories that should have been his. Throughout, Belsarius remains a stoic Christian and loyal to the emperor who disdains him while envying his success. Belisarius appears as the playable main protagonist in the Last Roman campaign DLC for Total War: Attila as well as the Historical Battle of Dara, The player receives missions of historical context. Starting at the beginning of the Vandal Wars, he leads the Roman Expedition to reconquer the West (North Africa, Italy, Gaul, Spain), officially for Justinian, but there's always the option to Declare Independence and turn Belisarius himself the Emperor of the West and what he conquers.One of the defining features of Belisarius' career was his success despite varying levels of available resources. His name is frequently given as one of the so-called " Last of the Romans". He conquered the Vandal Kingdom of North Africa in the Vandalic War in nine months and conquered much of Italy during the Gothic War. He also defeated the Vandal armies in the battle of Ad Decimum and played an important role at Tricamarum, compelling the Vandal king, Gelimer, to surrender. During the Gothic War, despite being significantly outnumbered, he and his troops recaptured the city of Rome and then held out against great odds during the siege of Rome.