Belisarius: The Battle of Rome (3/6)

534 a flavius belisarius Eastern Roman general has waged one of the most successful campaigns in the Empire's history the complete reconquest of North Africa in just 6 months almost without loss he is well rewarded by Emperor Justinian he celebrates his victory with a Triumph in Constantinople and receives the title of conso Bellisario has helped Justinian's regime survive political crisis now his victory offers irrefutable proof of God's Divine sanction emboldened Justinian will pursue a new strategic Vision the reconquest of the Western Roman Empire and its reunification belisarius is next mission will be to Italy where he will fight a desperate struggle for the Eternal City roome [Music] itself 60 years have passed since the Western Roman Empire fell to barbarians many kings emerged to rule over its shattered remains above them all towered theodoric the great with Eastern Roman approval he he' LED his ostrogoth War bands from the Balkans into Italy he overthrew and killed odaka the man who' deposed the last Western Emperor and forged his own goth superstate theodoric an Aryan Christian worked with the senate in Rome and sought close relations with the Eastern Roman Empire to Emperor anastasius he wrote Our royalty is an imitation of yours modeled on your good purpose a copy of the only Empire procopius the 6th Century historian and Aid to belisarius would himself praise theodoric as in name a tyrant but in fact an emperor no less than any who've ever distinguished themselves in that office in the eyes of his supporters theodoric had revived the Western Roman Empire in all but name but the succession would unravel his great achievement theodoric had three daughters so his Heir was to have been his son-in-law etheric but he died four years before the king in 522 the succession passed to theodor's 10-year-old grandson aeric his mother the highly educated and formidable Amala ruled as Regent in defending her position Amaluna made powerful enemies is among the Goths and when her son died aged just 18 one of those enemies her cousin theodahad became king in 535 he has Amaluna imprisoned on an island in the middle of Lake balina Weeks Later assassins arrive they're rumored to be vengeful relatives of men Amaluna had had killed during her Regency the do daughter of theodoric the great is strangled in her bath theodahad thinks he can quietly eliminate his rival without repercussions but Amaluna had been a trusted Ally of the emperor Justinian and he is looking for an excuse for War and the emperor upon learning what had befallen Amaluna immediately entered on the war being in the ninth year of his Reign for Justinian chaos at the ostrogoth court presents an opportunity after success in North Africa he wants Italy for the Empire the Strategic and symbolic gains will be immense before her death Amala sunta had offered him the kingdom in exchange for political Asylum now Justinian pressures the odad a notoriously corrupt and greedy man to accept the same deal or face War Justinian's tough diplomacy is backed up by military deployments Mundus commanding the Army in yria advances into goth controlled Dalmatia and takes Salona the modern city of split belisarius meanwhile is ordered to sail with 9,000 men to Sicily to see if the Goths there will put up a fight only the Garrison of poo offers resistance which is soon overcome the rest of Sicily submits to the Romans without a fight on the last day of 535 belisarius marks the end of his consulship scattering coins to the crowds in Syracuse as his troops marched triumphantly through the city as negotiations continue in the goth Capital Ravena between theodahad and Justinian's Envoy Solomon pretorian prefect of North Africa arrives in Sicily with alarming news from Carthage the Army angered by late pay and religious discrimination has murdered its officers and mutinied belisarius immediately sails for Carthage with just 100 picked men his own formidable reputation plus generous handouts of cash quickly secures the Loyalty of 2,000 troops whom he leads out to face the 9,000 mutineers the mutineer Army is a motly crew of Romans mercenaries Renegade vandals and escaped slaves commanded by stas a former buus they have no generals and little discipline when stas tries to maneuver his army into a better position it becomes badly disordered belisarius immediately launches an allout attack stas and his army turn and run belisarius has saved Carthage but the war in North Africa against berbers and Rebels will drag on for 15 more years years this task Falls to Solomon as belisarius must race back to Sicily to quash another Mutiny among his own troops in the Balkans meanwhile a goth Counterattack results in the death of general mundas and the Romans make a tactical withdrawal when news of this minor Triumph reaches King theodahad he feels suddenly emboldened and rejects all Justinian's demands belisarius receives new orders he is to cross the straight of mesina and reconquer Italy from the ostrogoths belisarius lands in Italy with barely 8,000 men the bulk of his troops are infantry including 3,000 dorians Fierce Warriors from the Taurus Mountains of Anatolia his Cavalry includes hun and Berber mercenaries as well as the elite bukari the picked troops maintained by belisarius and other senior commanders as in North Africa he is accompanied on campaign by his wife antonina a capable and trusted Ally of Empress Theodora that the emperor entrusts the campaign to such a small Force when the Goths Can field an army four times its size indicates Justinian's Supreme confidence in belisarius but it is also a sign that he has badly underestimated the Goths and their will to fight belisarius his army is welcomed by Southern Italians and meets no opposition as far as Naples this city has strong walls and a Garrison of 800 Goths belisarius appeals directly to its citizens urging them to throw open the gates and warning of the dire con consequences of an assault I pray that an ancient city which has long been inhabited by Christians and Romans may not meet with such a fortune especially at my hands as a commander of Roman troops the citizens of Naples are divided But ultimately their leaders reject the demand to hand over the city when bellisario's troops sneak into the city using an old UCT there is a Savaged Slaughter of Goths and Italian citizens alike until the general can restore order the main ostrogoth Army has been standing idle 60 Mi to the north theodahad never suited to military command and now unsettled by Omens does nothing to save Naples it's his own death sentence he is deposed and kill killed Vitus becomes the new king of the ostrogoths he is in his 60s but he's an experienced soldier who fought alongside theodoric the great he assumes that belisarius must be leading a large army up from the south and wants more time to gather his forces he also plans to negotiate a truce with the Franks which will free up more troops for the war against the Romans so leaving 4,000 men to hold Rome Vitus withdraws to Rena belisarius garrisons Naples and advances up the old Roman Road the Via Latina to Rome but as he nears the great City the Goths simply abandon it they March out through the Porta flaminia as belisarius and his Army march in through the Porta asaria a gate which though much restored survives to this day 60 years after the fall of the Western Empire Rome once more belongs to the Romans belisarius duly dispatches the keys to the city to Emperor Justinian Rome in the 6th century is still a great City but a shadow of its former glory in its Imperial Heyday Rome's population had been around half a million now it's just a fifth of that but it Remains the seat of the Roman senate and the pope and a city of intense emotional and cultural significance to all Romans the city is also notoriously difficult to defend which is why the Goths have abandoned it the famous aurelan walls are crumbling and at 12 mi in length are two too long for a small army to easily hold the Goths had also worried that Rome's large population might turn against them belisarius is down to 7,000 men not enough to face the Goths in open battle so he sends detachments to Garrison key strongholds along the via flaminia the road to Rena which he hopes will delay the inevitable goth Advance while Rome he and his men begin hurried preparations for a Siege the walls are repaired and merlons are added a deep moat is dug around the city the granaries are filled with grain all Rome's adult male citizens are conscripted into the city guard Vitus meanwhile has been told how small belisarius his army is embarrassed by his earlier caution he gives the order for his reinforced Army to march on Rome his chief concern is to get there before belisarius can escape but belisarius has no plans to flee and whoever of you has hopes of setting foot in Rome without a fight is mistaken in his judgment for as long as bisar arus lives it is impossible for him to relinquish this city such were the words of belisarius 537 ad in early spring Vitus leads a huge goth Army probably more than 30,000 men down the Via flaminia sweeping past the small Roman outposts belisarius plans to fight a delaying action a mile and a half north of the city as the milvian bridge but his infantry terrified by the size of the goth Army abandoned the bridge without a fight belisarius is left facing the goth army with just a thousand Horsemen he orders his men to charge belisarius himself fights in the front rank scores of men fall around him goth Spears finally drive belisarius and his men back towards the PTO salaria at first its Defenders don't recognize belisarius covered in dust and Gore and won't let him in he's forced to launch another desperate charge to drive the Goths back from the walls finally the gate is opened and he and his men get back into the city the siege of Rome begins the city is too large for Vitus to completely surround he builds seven fortified camps north of the city and cuts the aqueducts that have supplied Rome with water for 800 years there will be no baths for the Romans but the city's wells will still Supply drinking water when belisarius rejects calls to surrender the Goths begin building Rams ladders and Siege Towers for a major assault 18 days later they attack but their inexperience in Siege Warfare is soon evident their towers are pulled by oxen the Romans shoot all the animals and the towers are left Stranded the Goths assault the city from multiple directions the melum of hadrien converted into a fortress comes under heavy pressure but eventually the Goths are thrown back on all fronts that night the Romans celebrate a great Victory lighting fires and singing from the battlements both sides prepare for a long Siege belisarius is an inspiring presence in the city active calm and confident even when others begin to despair he has written to Justinian urgently requesting reinforcements now he oversees every aspect of the city's defense and Supply he orders all non-combatant to travel South to Naples so there are fewer mouths to feed he has the keys to the gates changed regularly to reduce the risk from treachery while his Berber mercenaries Patrol at night with dogs to detect any surprise attack his wife antonina also takes an active role when the pope is suspected of conducting secret talks with the Goths she demands tell us Lord Pope silverius what have we done to you and the Romans to make you want to betray us to the Goths the pope is arrested and sent out of the city a month Into The Siege belisarius receives much needed reinforcements 1,600 Cavalry mostly hanss and slaves led by martinus and Valyrian belisarius has seen that the Goths have no mounted archers now he can use his own to make hit and run attacks against the enemy a few hundred Horsemen will ride within range of the Goths shower them with arrows then fall back under covering fire from the city walls ROP counts 67 actions of this type both large and small almost all are won by the Romans because of their Superior Cavalry the victories raise morale and frustrate the enemy but they will not break The Siege the situation deteriorates dramatically when the Goths take portus Rome's port at the mouth of the river Tyber making it much more difficult to get supply into the City by September 6 months into the siege hunger and sickness begin to take hold even the Army's mules are killed to make sausages the citizens of Rome beg belisarius to stake everything on one decisive battle for the city but he refuses telling them you act as though you were playing dice and what to risk everything on a single roll but it is not my custom to choose the short course over the best [Music] course instead belisarius sends antonina and procopius to Naples with instructions to use his authority to requisition All Grain and every soldier who can be spared and send both to Rome 500 men and a convoy of supplies are soon rolling up the Via apia they're followed by 1,800 Cavalry reinforcements who land at drus modern Otranto then 3,000 dorians arrive at Naples aboard grain ships and travel on to osta by sea after months of delay the vast resources of the Eastern Roman Empire are finally coming to Bellis Arias's Aid The Garrison of Rome launch a series of diversionary attacks on the Goths these allow the supplies under antonina's direction to slip into the city the threat of starvation is ended it's the last straw for vigus his own men have been camped outside Rome for almost a year harassed by the enemy themselves decimated by disease and hunger the ostrogoth King asks for a truce to open negoti ations with the emperor he offers Justinian all of southern Italy but it is not enough the initiative has swung to belisarius belisarius has sent an Elite Force of 2,000 Cavalry commanded by John North into ponum Behind Enemy Lines when the Goths break the terms of the truce belisarius orders John to unleash hell almost all the goth Warriors are away on military service their farms and settlements are completely exposed John sacks Burns and plunders at will enslaving hundreds of goth women and children Romans are not harmed vitus's Uncle gathers a small Force to challenge John they no match for his buari [Applause] John ignores The Goth strongholds at orbino and aximum but at the invitation of its citizens occupies the walled city of arinum just 30 Mi south of the ostrogoth capital at Rena Vitus has no choice but to abandon The Siege and marched North to defend the goth Heartland against the odds under resourced and outnumbered belisarius has triumphed in one of history's most epic sieges a siege that has lasted one year and 9 days because of him the City of Romulus and the Caesars once more belongs to the Roman Empire the war against the Goths in Italy seems to be entering its Final Phase bis sas's position appears unassailable but as every Emperor knows the history of the Empire has been blighted Time and Again by the treachery of over Mighty generals belarus's victories are as glorious as any in Rome's history how can Justinian not regard him with suspicion soon belisarius will find himself facing new Rivals from within the Empire just as an old enemy reemerges in the East big thanks to Legend Arian for providing our total war Atilla gameplay footage check out his own YouTube channel for more videos on this period including his latest video on this cenan Civil War of the late 6th Century thank you also to Professor David Parnell of Indiana University Northwest our series consultant you can follow David on Twitter at bizantine Prof or via the link in our video description and thank you of course to all the epic history TV patreon supporters who make this channel possible [Music]

Channel: Epic History

Views: 673,759

Keywords: epic history tv, history, epic history, roman, rome, constantinople, justinian, vandals, barbarians, byzantine, byzantium, byzantine empire, roman empire, Ancient Rome, Romans

Id: -7wwfGJXEZg

Length: 24min 0sec (1440 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 10 2021