среда, 1 июля 2020 г.

News update 01/07/2020 (5623)

Following the annexation of Africa, a war began for the possession of the historical core of the western part of the empire - Italy. The reason for the start of the war was the overthrow and murder of the legitimate queen of the Ostrogoths Amalasun-you by her husband Theoditus. In the summer of 535, Belisarius landed in Sicily with an 8,000-strong detachment and in a short time, almost without resistance, occupied the island. The following year, his army crossed to the Apennine Peninsula and, despite the huge numerical superiority of the enemy, recaptured its southern and central parts. The Italians everywhere met Belisarius with flowers, only Naples resisted. The Christian Church played a huge role in this support of the people. In addition, confusion reigned in the camp of the Ostrogoths: the murder of the cowardly and treacherous Theoditus, a riot in the troops. The army chose Witigis, a brave soldier but a weak politician, as the new king. He, too, was unable to stop the advance of Belisarius, and in December 536 the Byzantine army occupied Rome without a fight. The clergy and townspeople arranged a solemn meeting for the Byzantine soldiers. The population of Italy no longer wanted the power of the Ostrogoths, as evidenced by the following fact. When in the spring of 537 the 5,000-strong detachment of Belisarius was besieged in Rome by the huge army of Vitigis, the battle for Rome lasted 14 months; despite hunger and disease, the Romans remained loyal to the empire and did not let Vitigis into the city. It is also indicative that the king of the Ostrogoths himself printed coins with the portrait of Justinian I - only the power of the emperor was considered legitimate. In the deep autumn of 539, the army of Belisarius besieged the capital of the barbarians, Ravenna, and a few months later, relying on the support of friends in the city, the imperial troops occupied it without a fight.

It seemed that the power of Justinian knew no bounds, he was at the height of his power, plans for the restoration of the Roman Empire were coming true. However, the main tests were still waiting for his power. The thirteenth year of the reign of Justinian I was a "black year" and began a period of difficulties that could only be overcome by the faith, courage and steadfastness of the Romans and their emperor. This was the third stage of his reign (540-558).
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Even when Belisarius was negotiating the surrender of Ravenna, the Persians violated the “Perpetual Peace” signed by them 10 years ago with the empire. Shah Khosrow I invaded Syria with a huge army and laid siege to the provincial capital, the richest city of Antioch. The inhabitants boldly defended themselves, but the garrison turned out to be incapable of combat and fled. The Persians took Antioch, plundered the flourishing city and sold the inhabitants into slavery. The following year, the troops of Khosrov I invaded Lazika (Western Georgia), allied with the empire, and a protracted Byzantine-Persian war began. Thunderstorm from the East coincided with the invasion of the Slavs on the Danube. Taking advantage of the fact that the border fortifications were left almost without garrisons (there were troops in Italy and in the East), the Slavs reached the capital itself, broke through the Long Walls (three walls stretching from the Black Sea to the Sea of ​​Marmara, protecting the outskirts of the city) and began to rob the suburbs of Constantinople. Belisarius was urgently transferred to the East, and he managed to stop the Persian invasion, but while his army was not in Italy, the Ostrogoths revived there. They chose the young, handsome, brave and intelligent Totila as king and, under his leadership, began a new war. The barbarians enrolled runaway slaves and columns in the army, distributed the lands of the church and the nobility to their supporters, attracted those who were offended by the Byzantines. Very quickly Totila's small army occupied almost all of Italy; only ports remained under the control of the empire, which it was impossible to take without a fleet.

But, probably, the most difficult test for the power of Justinian I was the terrible plague epidemic (541-543), which claimed almost half of the population. It seemed that the invisible dome of Sophia over the empire cracked and black whirlwinds of death and destruction poured into it.

Justinian was well aware that his main strength in the face of a superior enemy was the faith and unity of his subjects. Therefore, simultaneously with the ongoing war with the Persians in Lazica, the difficult struggle with Totila, who created his own fleet and captured Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica, the attention of the emperor was more and more occupied by questions of theology. It seemed to some that the aged Justinian had lost his mind, spending days and nights in such a critical situation reading the Holy Scriptures, studying the works of the “fathers of the church” (the traditional name for the leaders of the Christian church who created its dogmatics and organization) and writing his own theological treatises. However, the emperor was well aware that it was in the Christian faith of the Romans that their strength was.