Procopius’ Belisarius
Authority Enacted, Narrated, and Contested
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12797/CC.28.2025.28.10Keywords:
Belisarius, Procopius, genre comparison, reception layering, authority and gesture, narratology, political theology, military reputation, late antique historiographyAbstract
This article re-evaluates the portrayal of Belisarius by Procopius and other sixth-century sources, not to uncover new biographical data but to trace the evolving representation of his authority, reputation, and career. While Belisarius’ life and military record are well known, the focus here is on how Procopius constructs, modulates, and at times destabilises his image across distinct literary genres and narrative contexts. The methodology lies in the integration of genre comparison (Wars, Buildings, Anekdota), reception layering across Procopius’ corpus, and a tripartite analysis of authority through gesture, strategic command scope, and political-theological framing.
Belisarius’ military achievements against the Vandals, Goths, and Persians are examined alongside moments of critique, limitation, and internal challenge, revealing how Procopius’ narratives balance encomium with ambivalence. Authority is shown to be both performative and precarious – shaped by systemic pressures, interpersonal dynamics, and imperial ideology. The article combines narratological analysis, spatial and career mapping, and late antique political theology to illuminate the rhetorical and conceptual architecture of Belisarius’ portrayal. Other contemporary voices, such as Jordanes, are considered to contextualise Procopius’ representational strategies and to explore the conceptual ambiguities surrounding divine favour, supernatural agency, and delegated power. Ultimately, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of sixth-century political and military literacy – not through event reconstruction, but through the interpretive layering of genre, reception, and
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