Flavius Belisarius The Defender of the Byzantine Empire...

Flavius Belisarius (505-565 CE), a Byzantine general under Justinian I, succeeded in winning countless victories and notably expanded and defended the Byzantine Empire. Despite the fact that he was a successful, advanced leader, Belisarius tragically ended his life shunned from the public. Flavius Belisarius was born in Germania, Illyria in 505 CE. Very little is known about his ethnic background, but some historians say he was of Slavic background (Barker 1). He was assigned under Justinians command when he was about twenty-five years old, and he was awarded full command of the army (Barker 1). He led armies against the SÄ sÄ nian Empire (Persia), the Vandal Kingdom (North Africa), the Ostrogoths (Italy), and the other barbaric†¦show more content†¦In 533, Belisarius was sent with five hundred transports and ninety-two warships to attack the Vandals in North Africa (Durant 109). Belisarius had proven to be a loyal and effective general, so Justinian gave him full comm and of the expedition (Hughs 75). He even gave Belisarius a large mixed army of infantry and cavalry (Hughs 75). He left in June 533, accompanied by his wife Antonia and Procopius who was his assessor and secretary (Hughs 78). In the process of his mission, he captured a one of the Vandal messengers who helped Belisarius discover the Vandals’ plot (Hughs 109). He was able to destroy the Vandal Kingdom in just a few months and only two victories (Barker 1). After this victory, Justinian had Belisarius return to Constantinople for a brief triumph. On his way home, the Moors came down the hill, attacking the Roman garrison. Fortunately, Belisarius made his way back just in time to jump into action and defeat the Moors (Durant 109). During this time, he married an old friend of the empress Theodora, Antonia, but after a few years, she passed away (Barker 1). They had one daughter by the name of Joannina (Hughs 69). Many theories centered around why Antonia accompanied him on his expeditions, and one of the most common claimed that Belisarius forced her to because he didn’t trust her (Hughs 108). In 535, the successful general was sent to Italy to begin recovering the territory from the Ostrogoths.