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Belisarius Military career

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CAREER OF BELISARIUS LONGER VERSION:

Born into Latin speaking background ca.between 500-505 AD in the border area of Thrace and Illyria.

520s-starts to serve in the personal bodyguard retinue of future Emperor Justinian at that time comander of the Imperial guard.It is also at this largely
uknown time when Belisarius started to build his famous Bucellarii household cavalry corps which will number up to 7000 soldiers at the top of
his fame and luck.

526-First Persian war of Justinian(525/6-532/3),young Belisarius is appointed join-commander of the Roman second army raid into Persarmenia.Although
Belisarius and his fellow bucellarius Sittas are defeated in battle by Armenian nobles they return with great booty and the same nobles shortly after joined
Roman side in the war.This campaign was likely meant only as a sidetrack move for Prsian attention from the main front in Mesopotamia.

527-Belisarius is sent to main oriental army at Mesopotamia where he serves as a deputy general(2nd in command)of old general Zacharias Dux Mesopotamiae
and is probably present at failed Roman sieges of Nisibis and Thebetha.

528-When Zacharias suddenly dies becomes Dux Mesopotamiae in his place and made quick attempt of his own offensive action but his army is severly
defeated by the Persians at the desert battle of Thannuris

-Belisarius is defeated again at Melabesa...
-and at Mindouos

529-Suprisingly even despite his early setbacks new Emperor Justinian decides to rise Belisarius into rank of Magister militum per Orientem-basically overall high Commanderof the eastern army on borders with Persia a rank he actively held from 529 to 532

530-June,Belisarius achieves splendid victory over the Sassanid Persians despite being numerically significantly suppressed by the enemy and while using similar tactics Persians previously used to defeat him at Thannuris

531-On April 19th Belisarius is forced to fight against his will by his own army and is heavily defeated by the Persians at the Battle of Callinicum.Consequently he is relived from the command and even Becomes subject of imperial inquiry about this defeat and other setbacks he had suffered.

532-Belisarius instrumental in suppressing so called Nika riots(which raged between January 13-18 in the streets of Constantinople)

532/533-Belisarius chosen as expedition high commander for highly risky attempt to regain former Roman Africa now in Vandal hands.

533-534 Roman army High commander in the Vandalic war (from june 533 to March 535)and de facto also first new Magister militum Africam although he was likely never officialy given this title.

-Victorious at the battle of Ad Decimum fought on September 13th

-Victorious at the battle of Tricamarum fought on December 15th

For his unexpectedly quick and sucessful conduct of the campaign Belisarius is allowed to celebrate a Triumph in Constantinople(formear Vandal
King Gelimer is there with him as his captive)-it is also for the first time Triumphal parade is awarded to a private citizen in over five and a half
centuries since the last non-imperial family member was allowed to held it.He is also made a Consul for the year 535

535-Belisarius sent to regain Sicily from Ostrogothic hands which he managed to do very quickly after encountering only very minor and short
Gothic ressistance at Panormus(modern Palermo).This campaign however triggered the Great Gothic war in which Roman Empire would consequently yearly bleed basically for the rest of the Justinians reign.

-On december 531 Belisarius triumphantly entered Syracuse during the last day of his Consulship.

536-Early during Spring of that year part of Roman African army revolted and Belisarius briefely returns to Africa to quell the revolt.

-Belisarius victorious over the rebel army at the Battle of Membresa.He quickly forced enemy to run although he only had 2000 man while rebels
9000.

-Belisarius sennt to invade Ostrogothic Italy escalating conflict into full scale war over ownership of Italian peninsula(war lasted from 535 to 554/60).Roman army landed in Italy during late Spring 536.

-On December 9, 536 Beliarius entered Rome at the head of the Roman army 60 years after ancient craddle of the Empire fell to the Barbarians.

537-538-Beliarius victorious over numerically much more superior Ostrogothic army under King Vitiges.During this siege lasting 1 year and 9 days
more than 60 engagements were fought.During one of the biggest one Belisar is almost fatally defeated at the Plains of Nero but in overall he showed
himself as a superb defensive commander especially able to achieve much with little.

540-Belisarius triumphantly entered Ravenna former western Roman and by that time Ostrogothic Capital,capturing King Vitiges.Goths probably
offered Belisarius title of their King or even title of the western Roman Emperor.Although at that point Gothic war was seemingly almost over
after Belisarius departed from Italy things get quickly nightmarish for the Empire and conflict continued being still more and more brutal and costly.

541-42 Belisar is for the 2nd time appointed Magister militum per Orientem to lead a new war with Persia.Being granted absurdly insufficient support from his Emperor(partly however caused by raging disaster of the great Justinic plague epidemy)campaign is largely inconclusive but even with his
limited sources Belisarius mannaged to skillfully hold back much bigger Persian army lead in person by the great king Khosrow I and tolose nothing from Roman territory while forcing the Persians to peace talks.

-Belisarius Victorious over the Persian army under Nabades at the battle of Nisibis

-Belisarius gained minor fort of Sisauranon but suffered heavy losses in the process

544-Late in this year Beliasarius is again apponted Magister militum per Italiam but his second Italian tenure is badly affected by the lack of
resources and by now tense relations with Emperor Justinian.Moreover Gothic ressistance was now lead by talented military leader King Totila
in whom Belisar basically found his equal.Being very much outmaneuvered by the Gothic champion Belisarius was unable to prevent loss of many
forts and cities.

547-Belisarius for the 2nd time reconquered Rome

548/9-Belisarius is relieved from the command over Roman Italian army.By this his active military career is effectively over and Belisar spends most of his
remaining years in semi-retirement in Constantinople and its close proximity being held in high esteem by the people of the city as well as most of other
imperial inhabitants.

549-In Constantinople Belisarius is granted the honorific(but practically empty)title of Commander of he Imperial guard(”Comes Domesticorum”)

559-Belisarius briefly and for the last time returns to action and once again safes Emperor Justinian and Constantinople this time from nomadic
Kutigurs(proto-Bulgarian tribe)under their Khan Zabergan 2000 strong detachment of
whom heskillfully defeats at the battle of Chettus/Chiton although having only around 300 real soldiers -veterans of his past campaigns

562-Belisarius is accused from High treason and Corruption, found guilty and sent into prison at the constructed trial presided by the old Emperor Justinian
himself.After some time he is released and officialy rehabilitated but Belisarius returns from prison as already broken old man.

565-Belisarius dies at Constantinople only few months before Emperor Justinian with whom they incriesed Imperial territory of almost 50 % and reconquered
bigger part of the former Roman west.

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Comments10
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Archanos's avatar

Its said that Justinina wept for 3 days for the loss of his greatest friend and ally, while the nation mourned the last of profesional general of ROME,