Belisarius: Conquest of Italy (4/6) 

I hope you enjoy the latest episode of our Belisarius series, as the war to reclaim Italy enters its darkest chapter.. Thanks to our sponsor Fishing Clash - download and play for free: fishingclash.onelink.me/dkOM/EpicHistoryTV Don't forget you can also support the channel, and get ad-free early access to all new videos, at our Patreon page: www.patreon.com/EpicHistoryTV

"Better one bad general than two good ones" ~ Napoleon. This point is well illustrated in this video!

Justinian: “I hate Belisarius” Also Justinian: “I need Belusarius”

Twice life had offered Belisarius a kingly crown and twice he had refused.

“There is no point in being lucky if you do not have the wit to take advantage of your good fortune.” ― Ian Hughes, Belisarius

Your documentaries have the perfect blend of information and excitement. Seriously nobody does it better, on television or youtube.

Belisarius was quite a great general. Sadly because he lived in the aftermath of the fall of the western roman empire, he is highly underrated. But if it wasn't for Belisarius, there would never have been a Byzantine golden age.

Gotta love belisarius. One of the most underrated roman men in history.

„For not by numbers of men, nor by measure of body, but by valor of soul is war to be decided.“ - Belisarius

Procopius' accounts over the famin were haunting... Very well done to include them in the episode; these vivid words of someone who witnessed such tragedy are a remind to us all of what is war beyond the romance of tactics and heroic feats.

Loving this Belisarius series... This is how history should be taught in schools!

It’s interesting that the Romans still saw the Empire as a Republic. I assume this is because of the etymology of the title of Emperor, meaning, “1st Citizen”, as well as the Senate’s existence contributing to the view.

Crazy how Milian was so far away, yet went back to the Empire.

As ever, it's the common man who suffers and dies in the wars. RIP to the untold hundreds of millions of farmers, fishermen, and other non-combatants who lost their lives because generals, kings, and emperors had to have glory and power.

Incredibly nice of you to add 15 subtitles compared to many History channels Thank you

Once again, Epic History TV shines light on another underappreciated era of history where we can envision these great figures and states Excellent job in the animation and outstanding narration; you will be the next source of historical education at this rate. Keep it up!

Imagine being one of those two Goths traveling to Persia and seeing more world than your entire generation probably would. And all of that while acting in a spy movie.

The voice of the narrator is sooo epic! It makes me hungry fo new videos. I love to rewatch the Napoleon series just because this voice. There is no other channel with such classy narrator, not even the Kings and Generals

Love it. Amazing how your storytelling makes me wonder, "what happens next?" when the ending has been known for 1,500 years.

First Good General: "Yes great plan, although mine differs slightly from yours..." Second Good General: And that's when I stopped listening.

Been waiting with anticipation for this one. These Belisarius series are insanely good.👌 Thank you very much. 😎👍

Dude Belisarius is so loyal. Justinian was so lucky to have him

Damn John is even worse than I thought. He didn't seem like much of a moron in the last episode, but wow he was insufferable. Blame definitely goes to Justinian for not making command clear cut enough, but I definitely understand why he wouldn't.

This channel is not only as good as but actually better than most paid documentaries. Love your videos so much! This Belisarius series has been mindblowingly good. Thanks for all your work!

The "unbiased history" video actually isn't far off from what happened. I'm pretty sure the (ultimately failed) Ostrogothic resurgence wasn't due to Satan raising them as an army of skeletons, though.

14:55 Theodebert: "I'M GONNA FIGHT EVERYONE!" "Wait, there's no food here? Aaight, Imma head out"

Belissarius, being a part of the "new people"(novi homini) class, was always met with distrust and hindering from the aristocracy. Did the most with whatever he was given and there are recordings of him giving a lot back to his veterans and the peasants. The way not only his peers and emperor, but also history in general underappreciated the man says a lot about the fate of true heroes. He was the real Jon Snow

i googled eunuch founded this and thought it was intersting so i guess fun fact: a eunuch is a man who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the umerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium BCE

Another great video on the ''Eastern'' Roman Empire and Belisarius - A somewhat what under spoken about period in history. This is a winner. Also good to see the correct terminology is being used, ''Romans'' & ''Roman Empire'', rather than ''Byzantine'', which was never used until modern times.

Excellently done video, as always. This period is the one to change the fate of the rest of the Justinian's reign and perhaps even the history of the Eastern Roman Empire as a whole. Because when Belisarius refused Justinian's peace proposal with Ostrogoths, he unknowingly prolonged this war for almost two decades, where Empire would have to spend enormous resources to finish it. Also, I'm glad that you mentioned building of Hagia Sophia, since its construction is a landmark in history of architecture. Also, I hope that, even though it's outside Belisarius's personal story, you mention what happened with Narses and his various military victories.

You have really blown me away with this series! Absolutely fantastic work!!

Why can't media companies with a thousand times Epic Historys budget produce series as good as this ? They should be forced to watch and hold their heads in shame.

If there are any channel that live up to their names, its this one. Every segment of history portrayed here, truly is, EPIC!

Great Video! Both Justinian and Belisarius, in my historical analysis, really deserve the title of VLTIMVS ROMANORVM ("the last of the Romans"), including also the generals Mundus (who reconquered Dalmatia) and Narses (who replaced Belisarius in Italy). After the campaigns carried out by Belisarius (Βελισάριος), Justinian regained altogether 6 (six) former provinces of the Western Roman Empire (Pars Occidentalis): Africa Proconsularis (current Tunisia), which had been under Vandal control since the early 5th century AD (as this channel already mentioned it); Sicily (Σικελία), which also had been under Vandal control since the 5th century; Dalmatia (current Croatia), which was conquered by General Mundus (Μούνδος); Sardinia et Corsica (Sardinia and Corsica), which were seized by the Byzantines after Belisarius' brilliant victory at the Battle of Tricamarum (533); Mauritania Tingitana (modern Morocco); and, of course, Italy itself (ITALIA), which was the so-called "ruler of the provinces" (DOMINA PROVINCIARVM). Rome itself, the "queen of Italy" (Regina Italiae), as I like to call it, was conquered by Belisarius in 537. Note: Yes, Hagia Sophia was completed in the exact SAME year that Rome was recaptured by Belisarius' troops (537)! Italy, including Rome itself, was under "Barbarian" control since 476 AD, more precisely when Romulus Augustus, the last Roman Emperor of the West, was deposed by Odoacer. Rome, in turn, had been under Ostrogothic control since 493 AD! The Byzantine/Roman reconquest of Italy during the Gothic War, therefore, was EXTREMELY significative and symbolic. The Byzantine conquest of Rome was undoubtedly the greatest triumph of Justinian's foreign policy (RENOVATIO IMPERII). The message was quite clear: Italy, which was once considered the "queen of the world" (RECTRIX MVNDI); the "ruler of the provinces" (DOMINA PROVINCIARVM) and the "motherland of all lands" (OMNIVM TERRARVM PARENS); was reconquered and regained by the TRUE heirs of the Roman Empire! Moreover, Justinian also conquered a small part of the Iberian Peninsula (Hispania), more precisely the former Roman province of Hispania Baetica (modern Andalusia), including the city of Córdoba itself (CORDVBA), which was both the capital of Hispania Baetica and the birthplace of Seneca. Altogether, the Byzantines conquered considerable portions of the modern Andalusian provinces of Córdoba, Seville, Cádiz, Málaga and Granada. In fact, Justinian wanted a unified and centralized Roman Empire, whose territory, in turn, should stretch from HISPANIA (Iberian Peninsula) to Mesopotamia (Iraq); from the Strait of Gibraltar (FRETVM HERCVLEVM) to the Black Sea (PONTVS EVXINVS); and, lastly, from BRITANNIA (England) to ARABIA PETRAEA (current Jordan, Sinai Peninsula and Saudi Arabia); covering Egypt (AEGYPTVS), SYRIA PALAESTINA (former Judea/IVDAEA), which covered the modern territories of Israel, Syria and Lebanon; CYRENAICA (current Libya); Africa Proconsularis (current Tunisia), Sicily (SICILIA) and, of course, Italy itself. Justinian, in other words, simply desired to restore the power of Trajan's Rome! And... he almost accomplished this feat! No wonder he is considered "the last of the Romans" (VLTIMVS ROMANORVM).

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this is the best history channel ever by far. There is no comparison 🙌🏾

You guys are easily my favourite channel on RU-vid!!! Keep up the great work, us history buffs are so lucky to have you!!! In the future, please consider doing a series on Frederick the Great; but whatever topic you choose next, you can sure I’ll be watching and loving it!

Absolutely brilliant narration and graphics as always, I'm very much looking forward to the next Belisarius video!

This was just brilliantly done. Thank you to EHTV as always

These are honestly the best documentaries on the topics I have ever seen. The production quality, balance between history and tension, the music, the character building. It makes them such a joy to watch.

Just phenomenal story to tell. Now Epic history I challenge you to make videos about Scipio Africanus in the days of the Roman Republic.

Great documentary thank you very much Epic HistoryTV! Keep up the good work!

6:25 I love this art work!!! Depicts it exactly how I'd imagine it

Love this series. Belisarius is one of my favorite characters from history. I remember reading about his victory at Rome in the book Tactical Genius in Battle when I was like 10 or 11. Thanks for doing this one

Thank you again Epic History. No one in youtube makes such good documentary than yours. I literally get goose bumps with excitement and joy while watching your videos. My only request is if you can make videos more often! You would be the king of history documentary!!

There is immense amount of epic in this video! Thank you for these amazing work!

The Job of this channel is great. The times in which noone dives on history lectures make it much more intresting to watch

Love how you get us hooked and show what's to come in the next episode great narration

This is the best series on the subject. Extremely well done! Thank you.

Awesome, this documentary is so interesting! Thanks for your contribution! You're making the difference on the teaching of History.

Belisarius sounds like a mad lad

Great video again. I'm entirely looking forward for more Belisarius and Napoleon of course content!

Excellent series and really outstanding animation. Looking forward to the next installment!

Best channel for this type of documentary! Thank you, amazing video

Music + tone +choice of words + great images = great story telling as always🔥🔥🔥🔥

Amazing content! The best channel on youtube from a fellow history nerd! keep up the great work!

Amazing as always guys!!!!! Really love every video, keep it up.

Excellent Series of Documentaries. As excellent as the one on Napoleon. Thank you very, very much.

The artwork and narration is top notch as usual!

I truly love these. As one who appreciates Roman History this is an absolutely great series.

Extremely well done, much appreciated 👍

An amazing work EHTV! as always

The quote too many chefs messes with the good pot or somthing like that meshes well here. Can’t have to many ego commanders. You need one supreme commander otherwise there’s gonna be misunderstandings. For example having a committee run organization can never operate cause you’ll have no one agree on anything and nothing gets accomplished. You need one man in charge that’s popularly picked to run it and everything falls in. Justinian miscalculated here. If he was really concerned about bellsarius betraying him he should’ve just had a spy network on him just to make sure he’s not showing disloyalty. Also Justinian let his dreams and ambitions get the better of him. By focusing on Italy he neglected the east where khosrow knew he was weak. Justinian in my opinion should’ve either worked on making a Alliance with Persia even though that sounds far fetched or just focus on beating him cause he stretched his forces to far out. Going as far as Spain. Once he died Persia would take more swipes at the Byzantines and both would end up being overwhelmed by the up in coming Muslims

Superb narration and animated videos of Belisarius activities.

This made me so happy and looking much forward to the next.

You have two series that made me love your channel, NAPOLEON and BELISARIUS. Still, every content you post entices me to remain subscribed.

Interesting and mysterious as always can't wait for the next episode!

Amazing production value and narration! Keep up the great work!

You guys did an amazing job making this video. congrats to all that helped make this video

Amazing content, best I've seen on RU-vid or any history channel.

Witigis's appeal to the Persians was easily the most intelligent and devastating move he made during the entire war. The Romans were at the very cusp of victory over the Goths, with Ravenna fallen, Witigis captive, and only a few isolated pockets of Gothic resistance remaining in northwestern Italy. Only a few more months of mopping up and all of Italy would've been securely Roman once more. Many criticize Justinian for recalling Belisarius at such a moment, but that is unfair. It was not incompetence, jealousy, or suspicion, as many suggest, that led Justinian to his surely agonizing decision, but desperation. He needed more men on the eastern frontier to fight the Persians, and he needed them as soon as possible, Italy and the Goths be damned. I applaud you for taking this interpretation of events seriously at the end of the video. I'm by no means saying that my view is absolute and undisputed historical truth, but to come to a similar conclusion at least shows that you made a serious attempt to understand and analyze the history yourselves, rather than mindlessly parrot sources. Last but not least, your videos on Belisarius are extremely well-done, and would surely have made Procopius and Bury proud.

Your videos are always so well-done! Keep on the good work!

Love this channel!! Wish there was a new video every week thou. Very entertaining!!!

One of the greatest contributions to human kind..your channel

This was amazing. So entertaining. Thank you.

Such a great work! How many times Milan has been destoyed, and how many times it was reborn from the ashes as the greatest city of Italy.

Excellent video, thank you for making it!

Amazing content as always! Epic History TV > Netflix :D

What a great video!!! keep on the good work!!!

Love this series !!! Amazing video 👍

What I concluded from these 4 parts is how incompentent and disorganized Germanic tribes were, both Ostrogoths and Vandals missed so many opportunities to take advantage and exploit as narrator mentioned many Roman mistakes, it's incredible how such a small force of Belisarius managed to break two bigger armies despite roman army having issues with chain of command.

Epic history, always, hits us, with these great videos.

This keeps on getting better n better. Great video.

Yes! More quality from my favorite youtube channel💯💯

I love these please upload more better than almost every show on tv love the content

Best history Channel on RU-vid 👌 I recommend you to be used by history teachers whenever I can :)

Eagerly anticipated. As always Epic History TV delivers.

Though my first introduction to Belisarius and Justinian was through extra history, getting down to the more finer details in these videos has been wonderful, and though telling's on how or why certain events may differ here or there I truly love both series and find them the best works to give to first timers or people who love history but have trouble going through the larger (and sometimes duller) history books, just like extra history before it I do not look forward to the end of this series because once again ill have to say goodbye to some of the greatest leaders of history all over again.

We're so blessed that this channel gives us amazing videos for free

awesome episode as always!

I waited so long for this and it's totally worth it!

Once again you guys have did a great job! Amazing, congratulation! keep it up yeah

Great documentary, so exciting!

Probably my favourite historical retelling to date

This series are too good to be true, continue the hard work!!!

Greatest history channel I’ve ever seen. Glorious

“Your strategy is not in the interest of the Republic.” You may not like it, but this is what 100 Speech looks like

Yes, been waiting for this, thank you 🙏

Shout out to the team effort behind this videos👌

Enjoying the series of belisarius keep it up