Belisarius

Belisarius was a leading general of the emperor Justinian I. He defeated the Vandals in North Africa, fought the Ostrogoths in Italy and commanded against Persia, becoming one of the most celebrated soldiers of the early Byzantine Empire.

In William Havelock’s The Last Dying Light, after entering the Roman army, Varus serves under the rising commander Belisarius against invaders in the Balkans. In David Pilling’s The Red Death, Coel joins the Roman army under Flavius Belisarius, the one of the most renowned soldiers of the age, and fights in the Roman invasion of North Africa. Other novels featuring Belisarius include William Havelock’s An Age of Darkness and Light, David Pilling’s Flame of the West, William Havelock’s Immortal, David Pilling’s Siege of Rome, and William Havelock’s The Eternal City.

In non-fiction, Belisarius is discussed in Nick Holmes’s Justinian’s Empire and Procopius’s The Secret History. In Nick Holmes’s Justinian’s Empire, Holmes covers the codification of Roman law, the Nika riots, the construction of Hagia Sophia and the campaigns led by Belisarius against the Vandals in North Africa and the Ostrogoths in Italy.