Narses

Narses was an Armenian-born eunuch who rose through the palace administration of Emperor Justinian I and became one of the most powerful officials of the sixth-century Eastern Roman Empire. He served in senior financial and chamberlain roles, helped the government during the Nika riots of 532 and developed a reputation for political skill as well as personal loyalty to the emperor.

In the 550s Justinian entrusted Narses with command in Italy, where he defeated the Ostrogothic king Totila at Taginae and helped bring the Gothic War to an end. Ancient and later sources disagree on some details of his birth and death, but his career is securely associated with the court of Justinian and the reconquest of Italy.

In Gillian Bradshaw’s The Bearkeeper's Daughter, Placed under the protection of the eunuch general Narses, John learns how power works inside Justinian’s empire and discovers that being connected to the empress can be as dangerous as it is advantageous.