Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Belisarius". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol.3 (11thed.). Cambridge University Press. 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. Shahid, Irfan (1995). Byzantium and the Arabs in the Sixth Century. Dumbarton Oaks. p.78. ISBN 978-0-88402-214-5. Before he could advance on Rome, Belisarius first had to take Naples to the south, which he invested in the summer of 536. After failing to persuade the populace to submit peacefully, he subjected the city to a month-long siege. Naples was so stubbornly defended that Belisarius began to despair of taking the place–until a curious foot soldier discovered that a destroyed aqueduct could be used as a tunnel past the city walls. Soldiers made their way along the aqueduct into the heart of the city, climbed down by means of an overhanging olive tree, made their way quietly through the streets to a tower in the wall and, after surprising and killing its defenders, held the position while their comrades roped together their scaling ladders–which their carpenters had made too short–and ascended the wall.

In 539, Belisarius set up siege forces around Auximum and sent troops to Faesulae, [15] [40] starving both cities to submission by late 539. [40] He led the siege of Auximum himself; knowing he couldn't storm the city, he tried to cut the water supply but this failed. When the captured leaders from the Faesulae garrison were paraded in front of the city, its garrison too surrendered. If he moved on Ravenna his rear would now be secure. Vitiges hadn't been able to reinforce these places, as there was a food shortage throughout Italy and he couldn't gather enough supplies for the march. Belisarius stationed his army around the Ostrogothic capital of Ravenna in late 539. [41]Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference

His name is mentioned, and his "ancient palace"/"sunken city" ruins—below a Mosque in Istanbul—are a playable level in Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb. Börm, Henning (2013). "Justinians Triumph und Belisars Erniedrigung. Überlegungen zum Verhältnis zwischen Kaiser und Militär im späten Römischen Reich". Chiron (in German). 42: 63–91. One of the attributes of Belisarius' campaigns was his benevolence towards soldiers and civilians alike. [15] This caused the local population to support him, which was vital to winning, for example, the battle of Ad Decimum. Many enemy garrisons also changed sides, as they could expect leniency. It also put Gelimer under time constraints, and as such forced him to fight the battle of Tricamerum. While Belisarius was in the east, the situation in Italy had vastly deteriorated. [15] The governor sent to the area, a man named Alexander, was corrupt. He trimmed the edges of coins and kept the trimmings of precious metal to increase his own wealth. He charged many soldiers with corruption and demanded they pay fines, and he decreased military spending and demanded that tax withheld from the Goths would be instead paid to the Byzantines. Joseph von Bülow, Historical Sketches of Europe, Illustrating Important Events and Characteristic Traits of Celebrated Persons, Accompanied, Each of Them, by One of Nep. Geiger's Original Pen Drawings, Volume 2, the University of Wisconsin – Madison, 1860In his assessment of the commander, Hughes concludes that Belisarius' strategic abilities were unrivaled. [15] Character [ edit ]

A dazzling historical novel set in the sixth century AD, from I, Claudius author Robert Graves, and with a new introduction by novelist Lydia Kiesling. Belisarius was, historically speaking, a bit beyond me. I knew the "golden ages" of Greece and Rome pretty well, even a lot of confused stuff about the Roman Republic, but affairs of the Constantinopolitan sixth century empire of Justinian, indeed the whole period between Constantine and the, shudder, Dark Ages were terra incognita. Graves' well-researched novel was therefore an introduction to the history of the period when the Empire attempted to regain the West.

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a b c d e "History". sansilverioshrine. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021 . Retrieved 30 August 2019. Belisarius as a character [ edit ] Sculpture [ edit ] Bust of Belisarius, 1785–91, Marble, J. Paul Getty Villa The Emperor Justinian was determined to drive out the barbarian invaders holding the western provinces of the Roman Empire. The obstacles were enormous and after the disastrous fiasco of 467, and he needed someone to successfully lead the army in this new invasion. A young general from Thrace named Belisarius had just made a name for himself on the Eastern Front by defeating a Persian army nearly twice his size. Justinian felt he had found his 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

The Rise of Byzantium". War. Vol.1. London: Dorling Kindersley Limited. 2009. p.62. ISBN 978-1-4053-4778-5. Hanson, Victor Davis. The Savior Generals: How Five Great Commanders Saved Wars That Were Lost. Bloomsbury Press, 2013. ISBN 978-1-6081-9163-5 online edition 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. The influence of the poet, novelist, mythographer, and translator Robert Graves on the reception of classics in the 20th century is staggering. While Graves is already the subject of several edited volumes, 1 the current volume is the first to be devoted exclusively to this aspect of Graves’s work. Arising out of a 2009 conference held at the University of St. Andrews and published as part of OUP’s “Classical Presences” series, the volume, in the words of its editor A. A. G. Gibson, seeks “to energize the debate about the value of [Graves’s] contribution” (5) to modern reception of the ancient world. It achieves this goal admirably. The wide range of essays covers almost every aspect of Graves’s prodigious literary career, and allows the contradictions of his persona to emerge in full: the author steeped in classical learning whose fierce iconoclasm frequently provoked antipathy or indifference from the academic community; the celebrated writer of historical fiction, who, in his quasi-religious devotion to poetry, regarded his novels as mere money-spinning “potboilers” (e.g. 57).Envy soon reared its ugly head among Roman officers who passed word to the Emperor that Belisarius was planning to make himself King of Africa or perhaps even Emperor. Justinian recalled him to Constantinople. Belisarius knowing full well his innocence loaded ships with his guards, captives, and treasure. He sailed into the harbor of Constantinople before word had reached the city that he had even left Africa. His arrival sparked a public sensation. John Murray (Firm) (1872). A Handbook of Rome and Its Environs. J. Murray, 1872. p. 156. Belisarius built a small oratory in Trivio in Rome. Belisario: tragedia lirica by Gaetano Donizetti, libretto by Salvatore Cammarano after Luigi Marchionni's adaptation of Eduard von Schenl's Belisarius (1820), scenography by Francesco Bagnara, premiered during the Stagione di Carnevale, 4 February 1836, Venezia, Teatro La Fenice.