Belisaurus and Narses
 |
| Mural of a man believed to be Narses |
The Goths now besieged Araminum where five thousand
Byzantine troops were ensconced under the leadership of John, nephew of Vitalian[i]. John had refused an order
from Belisaurus to join him in Ancona.
‘When
John was again despatched to Italy, he dared not go anywhere near Belisaurus
for fear of Antonina’s machinations, until that lady was safe in Byzantium. For
there was every reason to suspect that the empress had entrusted her with the
task of arranging his murder.’[ii]
John was in contact with the estranged wife of the new
Ostrogoth leader, Queen Matasuntha. Belisaurus was contemplating his next move
when the powerful Narses arrived with reinforcements.
The Grand Chamberlain Narses was one of the most powerful
people in the empire. His close proximity to Justinian only increased his
influence. But despite his appointment as Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard
Narses was not a soldier. So why did the emperor send him? Norwich believes
that the emperor was suspicious of Belisaurus’ motives and ambitions. Narses
was sent to keep an eye on a potential candidate for the imperial throne.
At a council of war it was agreed that John’s forces at Arminum
should be relieved; Narses having indicated that this would be Justinian’s
preferred option. Belisaurus put the besieging Ostrogoths to flight within a
couple of weeks. He must have been annoyed when John ignored him and attributed
his relief solely to the brilliance of Narses. Belisaurus was now aware that a
large contingent of his army would follow Narses rather than himself in the
event of any disputation between the two.
The army was split into two to mop up the remaining
Ostrogoth defences. Milan opened its gates to the Byzantine army and the
Ostrogoth king sent a force to regain this largest of the Italian towns. They
were joined by ten thousand troops from Burgundy. The relieving force was
numerically overwhelmed and refused Belisaurus’s orders, claiming they could
only take orders from Narses. Narses’ confirmation came too late; the Milanese
had already surrendered. All the male Milanese were put to the sword and the
women were enslaved and handed over to the Burgundians in acknowledgement of their
support.
One of the side effects of the fall of Milan was Narses’
recall. The mopping up detail was assisted by the appearance of a large
Frankish army. The Ostrogoths were attacked by their former allies, who fell on
them and large numbers of Goths fled southwards. The Franks also turned on the
Byzantine army but fell victim to dysentery.
The Ostrogoths wrote to the Persians suggesting that they
strike at the empire, before it could call on the resources of Italy as well.
The news of this reached Justinian, who was faced with a dilemma. Should he
continue with the conquest of Italy or concentrate his forces to see off the
Persian armies. He decided to come to terms with the Ostrogoths and sent
ambassadors at the end of 539 AD tasked with reaching agreement. The Ostrogoths
demanded that the treaty be signed not only by Justinian’s envoys but also by
Belisaurus, who saw the treaty as a betrayal of all he had worked to achieve in
the peninsula.
Belisaurus claimed that the treaty was an insult to his
soldiers and that victory was only a few weeks away. He refused to append his
signature to the treaty. The Ostrogoth king sent a messenger to Belisaurus
offering to make him king of the Ostrogoths if he would agree to declaring
himself Emperor in the West. Belisaurus appeared to accept the offer saying he
would proclaim himself emperor once he had entered his capital as king of the
Ostrogoths. The Goths accepted this prevarication and were betrayed when
Belisaurus transported their nobility off to Constantinople as prisoners along
with the royal treasury. Belisaurus returned to Constantinople in May 540 AD.
War with Persia
Coins of Chosroes reign
In June the troops of King Chosroes of Persia captured
Antioch, massacring most of the inhabitants and demolishing the city. His
troops had already taken Sura and burned Beroea (Aleppo). Having made off with
large amounts of spoils Chosroes offered Justinian peace at a price, which
Justinian was prepared to pay; five thousand pounds of gold upfront and an
additional five hundred pounds per annum to be added to the annual payment made
to the Persians.
‘To
Chosroes Justinian handed over vast sums in gold to secure peace’[iii]
Belisaurus had stayed in Constantinople; apparently obsessed
with his wife’s infidelity, which Theodora abetted, protecting Antonina. Long
time friends, Theodora and Antonina were now bound by the enmity towards John
of Cappodocia, who was known to harbour imperial ambitions. Antonina inveigled
him into a secret meeting and persuaded him to talk of his plans. Theodora’s
hidden spies recorded the conversation and John was arrested, found guilty and
stripped of his wealth. He was not mutilated or executed but merely exiled.
‘Antonina,
as I have said, had fallen out with her husband, but was an inseparable friend
of the empress because she had recently contrived to ruin John the
Cappodocian.’[iv]
Chosroes returned the following year, breaching his own
peace treaty. The semi-autonomous kingdom of Colchis had been sent a personal
representative of Justinian’s. The representative had instituted a number of
imperial monopolies and had antagonised the citizens of Colchis. Their king
appealed to Chosroes for assistance. Colchis was a poor country, but offered a
bridgehead on the Black Sea, from whence expeditions against the Byzantine
Empire could be launched.
‘Again,
the Persians under Chosroes thrice invaded the rest of the Roman territory and
razed the cities to the ground. Of the men and women they captured in the
cities that they stormed and in the various country districts, some they
butchered, others they carried away with them, leaving the land completely
uninhabited wherever they happened to swoop. And from the time when they first
invaded Colchis the destruction of the Colchians, the Lazi, and the Romans has
continued to this day.’[v]
Chosroes launched an expedition into Lazica, capturing its
port city of Petra[vi].
Belisaurus meanwhile launched an attack into Persian territory capturing the
town of Sisaurana, but an attack of dysentery amongst his men meant that they
had to retire.
Sex and the CityAntonina now required Theodora’s support in return. She had been conducting an affair with her godson and adopted child Theodosius. The scandal rocked Constantinople. Antonina’s son Photius informed Belisaurus of the affair. Photius detested his mother, whom he suspected of plotting to kill him. Antonina had announced her intention of joining Belisaurus in the east. It was planned that once she arrived Photius would kidnap and imprison Theodosius.
Antonina was arrested upon arrival and Photius had Theodosius
was arrested and confined. However somehow Antonina managed to get word to
Theodora and Photius was arrested in turn along with a number of Belisaurus’s
friends, who were tortured along with Photius, who was to remain incarcerated
for three years, but failed to inform Theodora’s servants of the whereabouts of
Theodosius.
‘There
she imprisoned Photius and kept him guarded for a long time. From this prison
he had the extraordinary luck to escape twice over and get clear.……..convinced
by this vision, he broke out of his prison and made his way to Jerusalem
without being caught………Belisaurus, on the other hand, had paid no regard to his
oaths and had chosen to give no help at all to his stepson.’[vii]
Antonina became reconciled with Belisaurus, while Theodora’s
agents discovered the whereabouts of Theodosius and restored him to his
mistress, only to die a short time later of dysentery.
Year of the Plague
Coin from Justinian's reign
In 542 AD the Bubonic plague spread across the empire; originating
from Egypt, killing off over ten thousand people a day at its height. Over
three hundred thousand people are estimated to have died; as much as 40% of the
population. Justinian fell ill, which opened the question of the succession.
Theodora knew that her future safety depended on a successor who was her
supporter and with whom she could marry.
The choice of emperor lay with the army and they were in
Mesopotamia. When the news of Justinian’s illness reached them they agreed not
to accept a diktat from Constantinople. With Justinian too ill to rule Theodora
was now in charge. She was furious and blamed Belisaurus and another general
named Buzes, who was thrown into the capital’s dungeons.
Belisaurus was too powerful to be dealt with in the same
manner as Buzes and he was instead accused of stealing monies from the Vandal
and Goth treasuries; monies that should rightfully have enriched the Imperial
Treasury. Belisaurus was removed from his command, his household disbanded and
his treasury confiscated by Theodora’s agents.
It was not until the following year that Justinian was well
enough to intervene. Belisaurus was pardoned and partially restored to favour;
his treasury was returned to him with the exception of 3,300 cwt of gold, which
Theodora had gifted to her husband. Belisaurus and Antonina’s only child was
affianced to Theodora’s grandson Anastasius. Theodora informed Belisaurus by
letter that she had only forgiven him because of her close friendship with
Antonina.
It is unlikely that Belisaurus was forgiven for any other
reason than practicality. The situation in the east was deteriorating rapidly
and Belisaurus’s military skills were desperately required.
Bibliography
Byzantium – The Early Centuries – John Julius Norwich, Folio
Society 2003
The Secret History – Procopius – Folio Society 1990
En.wikipedia.org
[i] Vitalian was a military adventurer of Goth origins who had supported Orthodoxy against Anastasius’s monophysite beliefs and had brought an army three times up to the walls of Constantinople.
No wonder 'Byzantine' is a byword for complexity and double dealing in politics...
ReplyDelete