March 25, 2009

I've been listening to podcasts on the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. In The History of Rome, the editor has upwards of 60 different episodes from the early republic to where he is now - the second triumvirate and the rise of Augustus. For me, Augustus is by far the most fascinating figure in Roman history.

History has more war than politics (unless you consider war a more brutal form of politics) so the episodes always mention a famous general in that time period.

In The History of Rome, the most famous generals discussed so far have been: Hannibal (who was a general of Carthage), Scipio Africanus (who eventually defeats Hannibal), and Caesar.

In 12 Byzantine Rulers, there is Belisarius, who fought for the emperor Justinian.

I've been thinking about who might be the greatest general ever (because I'm a nerd). I read a few articles and found some lists online:

Generals of Western History: Joan of Arc is on this list....How she made it, I don't know.

Famous Ancient Generals

I've found Belisarius to be one of the most interesting generals I've heard of yet. All the other generals I know of were after some sort of personal gain. Caesar wanted to be king of Rome, Scipio wanted money and fame, Hannibal wanted revenge, Alexander the Great was bored so he picked fights, Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan were just effing insane, Napolean was a self-important ass (he was French), and Patton was a dick who loved war. They all sought some sort of glory for themselves, using war to advance their careers. I get the idea that Belisarius is different (although Robert E. Lee comes to mind, too).

Here is an article about him.

In the 12 Byzantine Rulers podcast, the editor described how often Belisarius was sent against enemies completely outnumbered yet managed to win almost every time. He was always loyal to Justinian, never seeking glory for himself but was distrusted by the emperor. His command was undermined in an expedition in Italy, he was plotted against, his victories were ignored and others received credit for them and he was put in prison for a supposed plot against Justinian. Yet he was always loyal.

I've read a lot of history and men who were capable generals usually ruled, one way or another. Their ambition is what made them great generals and untrustworthy men all at once. Generals like Caesar were equally great at conspiring for power. Their ambition would drive them to do anything to have it. Belisarius is intriguing because he never conspired and I wonder what made him different from others. I've heard that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Belisarius seemed to defy corruption.

Anyway, just a thought that's been on mind for a while.