If it available for your country it will shown as book reader and user fully subscribe will benefit by. Whether or not he was true to the oath you shall judge after reading this story. Count belisarius is a magnificent combination of creativity and history. I, claudius is one of my favourite books of all time, and all quiet needs no introduction either. Mar 11, 2020 on december 9, 536 ad, byzantine count belisarius entered rome through the asinarian gate at the head of 5,000 troops. The series revolves around reallife historical figure flavius belisarius and a war between two societies that finds its way to 6th century earth. The sixth century was not a peaceful time for the roman empire. Count belisarius of byzantium, reputedly a christian, enters rome, where he will make a magnificent defense of the ancient city against the goths. Leading its defense was the byzantine general belisarius, a man who earned the grudging respect of his enemies, and who rose to become the emperor justinians greatest military leader. Count belisarius won the prix femina in april 1938, shortly after it was published, and although some consider it among his best novels,10 others do not. Loosely based on procopius history of the justinian wars and secret history, this novel tells the generals story through the eyes of eugenius, a eunuch and. Belisarius is a series of science fiction novels written by david drake and eric flint. Belisarius is perhaps the last loyal general the roman empire can still count on.
Introduction count belisarius 1938 is somewhat different from robert gravess earlier claudius novels in that it was written as a response to a puzzle and controversy about its main source. With this book, robert graves again demonstrates his command of a vast historical. Count belisarius, which followed robert graves successful i claudius novels on the early roman empire, tells a fascinating tale of the age shortly after the. Earth have sent a crystal, aide, to halt their advance. Invaders threatened on all fronties, but they grew to respect and fear the name of belisarius, the emperor justinians greatest general. Guided by visions from a future that may never be, he and a band of comrades penetrate the malwa heartland, seeking the core of the enemys power. Belisarius, the finest general of his age, must save the world. Belisarius saga audiobooks listen to the full series. Robert gravess vivid novel count belisarius 1938 is the best fictionalized treatment of the generals life. The series revolves around reallife historical figure flavius belisarius and a war between two societies that finds its way to. Listener gary asks which of the few books on belisarius are the best. Gravess researches for the golden fleece led him into a wideranging study of myths and to what was his. His name is frequently given as one of the socalled last of the romans.
May, 2017 one of the defining features of belisarius career was his success despite varying levels of support from justinian. Other articles where count belisarius is discussed. Mar 06, 2014 count belisarius ebook written by robert graves. Count belisarius robert graves, historical novels, books. Belisarius puts down the nika uprising, slaughtering between 20,000 and 30,000 people.
Count belisarius by robert graves and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Welcome,you are looking at books for reading, the count belisarius, you will able to read or download in pdf or epub books and notice some of author may have lock the live reading for some of country. He twice defeated the persians and reconquered north africa from the vandals in a single year at the age of 29, before going on to regain spain and italy, including rome briefly, from the barbarians. Just as gravess claudius novels i, claudius and claudius the god and his wife messalina were based on the twelve caesars of suetonius. Retelling belisarius in all these different ways, changing history, changing the end, letting belisarius win, let people play with stories of staving off. Books like hercules, my shipmate deserve to be as popular as claudius and, likewise, count belisarius. Livy, thucydides, herodotus, and certainly xenophon in the persian war sections. Count belisarius ebook by robert graves rakuten kobo. Eminent historical novelist and classicist robert graves presents a vivid account of a time in history both decadent and violent. Count belisarius is a historical novel by robert graves, first published in 1938, recounting the life of the byzantine general belisarius ad 500565 just as gravess claudius novels i, claudius and claudius the god and his wife messalina were based on the twelve caesars of suetonius and other roman sources, count belisarius is largely based on procopiuss history of. With this book robert graves again demonstrates his command of a vast historical subject. Ostensibly written from the viewpoint of the eunuch eugenius, servant to belisarius s wife, but actually based on procopiuss history, the book portrays belisarius as a solitary honorable man in a corrupt world, and paints a vivid picture of not only his startling military feats but also the. The belisarius series is a fictional saga in the alternate history and military history subgenres of science fiction, written by american authors david drake and eric flint. Count belisarius is a historical novel by robert graves, first published in 1938, recounting the.
Count belisarius is a historical novel by robert graves, first published in 1938, recounting the life of the byzantine general belisarius ad 500565 just as gravess claudius novels i, claudius and claudius the god and his wife messalina were based on the twelve caesars of suetonius and other roman sources, count belisarius is largely based on procopiuss history of justinians wars. Read count belisarius online by robert graves books free 30. Belisarius is arrested and imprisoned on trumpedup charges of corruption. But let me assure you, if you are perhaps christians of the monkish sort who read. Count belisarius, the greatest general of the age and perhaps of all ages, must outwit the evil empire and then, when there is no longer room to maneuver, to meet it. Memoirs of hadrian, julian, and count belisarius one of the reasons i decided to do a masters degree in ancient history came from my interest in seeing the ruins around greece and italy during my travels there. Its marketed as a book about the outbreak of justinians plague that put a halter on his plans of reconquering the western roman empire. Therefore it need a free signup process to obtain the book. Continuing the popular belisarius saga, with two fulllength novels in one volume. At the same time, 4,000 ostrogoths left the city through the flaminian gate and headed north to ravenna, the capital of their italian kingdom. For a variety of reasons, belisarius is one of the most compelling figures of late antiquity and byzantine history, and, as i stated earlier, unequivocally one of the very best military commanders in history. Anyone have recommendations for books on flavius belisarius.
It presents a compelling portrait of a man bound by a strict code of honor and unrelenting loyalty to an emperor who is intelligent but flawed, and. Originally published in 1829, its a bit outdated it continues the myth of belisarius blinding, but remains the standard if only for want of a serious rival. Count belisarius was the last general of the roman empire to be given a triumph. Count belisarius does justice to such a character, and its narrative force is at least as strong as vidals julian, though neither are. Aide holds all human knowledge but he cannot act by himself. My favorite is the classic one by lord mahon philip henry stanhope called the life of belisarius. Threatened by invaders on all sides, the roman empire in the sixth century struggled to maintain its borders.
A military history of the campaigns of belisarius, the greatest general of the eastern roman byzantine emperor justinian. I think the brilliance of writers like robert graves and hilary mantel is there ability through historical fiction to capture something more than history. Unlike claudius, the events of the book are related by the eunuch eugenius, who is a trusted slave to the family of antonina. Pardoned by justinian and restored to former position. Leading its defense was the byzantine general belisarius, a man who earned the grudging. Robert graves threatened by invaders on all sides, the roman empire in the sixth century fought to maintain its borders. It feels a little laboured at times, as though graves heart wasnt quite in it. The books were written by flint based on drakes plots. Invaders threatened on all fronties, but they grew to re. During his career, he will receive little support from the suspicious emperor justinian, but when he is put on trial on what appear to be trumped up charges of corruption, justinian will pardon him.
Belisarius is primarily science fiction though some might describe it more accurately as alternative history. Belisarius is the hero of two great bits of genre fiction from my adolescence. Count belisarius 564 pages a history of the classical age and into the romantic age. His reconquests of north africa, and sicily in the 530s ce were the high mark of the reign of justinian i. His wife was an intimate of the empress theodora, and he shows well in history, having also defended the empire from invasions by the persians and the huns. Its protagonist is a real historical figure, the late roman general flavius belisarius 505565 ad the saga is published by baen books wherein an overarching theme ties each book together. How rome held up during gothic wars realclearhistory. Ostensibly written from the viewpoint of the eunuch eugenius, servant to belisariuss wife, but actually based on procopiuss history, the book portrays belisarius as a solitary honorable man in a corrupt world, and paints a vivid picture of not only his startling military feats but also the. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read count belisarius. May 23, 2017 retelling belisarius in all these different ways, changing history, changing the end, letting belisarius win, let people play with stories of staving off the collapse of civilization through a. The scope of the book is massive encompassing religious controversy and cultural developments as well as military history yet, throughout, graves succeeds. Its protagonist is a real historical figure, the late roman general flavius belisarius 505565 ad. Robert gravess sources for count belisarius include some of the great historical works of classical antiquity.
The malwa empire squats like a toad across sixth century india, commanded by ruthless men with depraved appetites. One big reason for this is that he was accompanied by procopius, who wrote a history of his campaigns and then took all the unscholarly bits and put. The belisarius series is a alternate history scifi series by american novelists david drake and eric flint. Count belisarius ist ein 1938 erschienener roman des britischen schriftstellers robert graves. The last roman general by ian hughes is a good biography of him. Finding history whats the best book about belisarius.
Both readers of history and readers of historicalfiction can enjoy this book. Same author has also written good books on stilicho and aetius. Count belisarius isnt in the same league, but still a worthwhile read. The 18thcentury french writer jeanfrancois marmontel used the story of belisarius as a vehicle for an oblique attack on louis xv and for a plea for tolerance and justice, in his philosophical novel belisaire 1767. The art of war is an enduring classic that holds a special place in the culture and history of east rs 250 rs 237. His more than 120 books also include a notable historical novel, i, claudius 1934. Anyone who enjoyed his more famous books, such as i claudius will probably enjoy this one too. It chronicles the war between two competing societies. Count belisarius does make me want to dig deeper into procopius history of the wars of justinian and the secret history. Count belisarius 1938, a sympathetic study of the great and martyred general of the byzantine empire. The story follows flavius belisarius, a real historical figure. However, its a broader book than that, as most of the book is spent esta. Robert graves, english poet, novelist, critic, and classical scholar who carried on many of the formal traditions of english verse in a period of experimentation. Read count belisarius by robert graves available from rakuten kobo.
Count belisarius project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Known as aide, this crystalline entity, when held in the hand of the roman general count belisarius, reveals enough of future technology and history that the roman army in a. Count belisarius penguin modern classics robert graves, john julius. Loosely based on procopiuss history of the justinian wars and secret history, this novel tells the belisariuss story through the eyes of eugenius, a eunuch and servant to the generals wife. Count belisarius, the greatest general of the age and perhaps of all ages, must outwit the evil empire and then, when there is no longer room to maneuver, to meet it swordedge to sword. Robert graves takes historical personages and makes them live as no history book ever did. Leading its defense was the byzantine general belisarius, the emperor justinians greatest military leader. Aug 03, 2006 count belisarius is a magnificent combination of creativity and history. And when belisarius leads the forces of good, only a fool would side with evil. With this book robert graves again demonstrates his command of a vast historical subject, creating a startling and vivid picture of a decadent era. Robert gravess historical novel count belisarius and l. Count belisarius by robert graves, first edition abebooks. Except for a few pages by agathias on belisariuss defence of. Count belisarius by robert graves, 97801411883, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
1231 1503 512 381 1458 236 1278 959 1015 622 483 437 524 807 1143 1276 354 1426 1499 1175 1117 481 1292 326 1368 1530 630 213 1013 503 156 1209 592 255 925 1243 356 70 1420 681 320