Thread by @byzantineprof

Belisarius and Antonina were extremely well-traveled individuals. Between 528 and 548, for instance, Belisarius was away from Constantinople for part or all of 19 of these years. Antonina was away from Constantinople for part or all of 14 of these years. #Byzantine #History

The destinations of their travels are generally well-known: the Roman East (particularly Roman Mesopotamia and Syria), North Africa, and Italy. Of all these locations, they both spent by far the most time in Italy (about 11 years).

Of course none of this travel was for pleasure. It was all in the service of Belisarius' military career. In the majority of these years, Belisarius held the title of General of the East, even while fighting in the West.

The extreme geographic mobility of Belisarius, and the need for him to master warfare in theaters as wide-ranging as the mountainous strongholds of central Italy and the broad plains of Mesopotamia, may make him seem exceptional.

However, perhaps surprisingly, this sort of geographical mobility and flexibility was quite common in the sixth century. At least two generals of the period held just as many unique geographical commands as Belisarius.

The general Martin, for example, fought in Mesopotamia (531), North Africa (533-536), Italy (536-540), Mesopotamia again (543-544), and the Caucasus (551-556). What a career!

Examining the geographic range of military careers of sixth-century generals was the focus of one of my earliest articles, which appeared in the Journal of Medieval Military History in 2012. Link here if you are interested and want to learn more:
researchgate.net/publication/35…