Narses
At a glance:
- Series: Magill’s Guide to Military History
- Categories: Government and Politics, Military History
- Subcategories: Generals, Military Officers, Soldiers, Empires, Dynasties, Byzantine Empire, Barbarians, Nomads
- Curriculum: Italian History, Medieval History/Middle Ages, Eastern European History, Middle Eastern History
Article abstract: Military significance: As commander of the Byzantine army in Italy from 551 to 567, Narses ended eighty years of Gothic rule in Italy, returning it to the Byzantine Empire.
Narses, a foreign-born eunuch, rose in the Byzantine bureaucracy, as did many eunuchs in his time, and became grand chamberlain by 530. He acquired some experience subverting or fighting rioters in Constantinople (532) and Alexandria (535). Then, he went to Italy with 7,000 troops in 538 to reinforce Belisarius against the Goths, where he gave good advice but was...
[The entire page is 323 words long]
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