Quote:As far as the small number of troops involved, I would like to bring up two points. First, if Procopius can be believed on this point (most scholars seem to think so), Justinian was hesitant in placing too many troops under Belisarius. And even though good ol' Belisarius would probably have not acted in a rebellious manner, one can easily understand the emperor's recalcitrance on the matter. Much more can be said about this, but I'll let you guys roll it over a bit. Second, Justinian seems to have been - how to put it - a cheapskate when it came to the military. 'As few as can do the job',seems to have been the mantra. He put very few soldiers into the area of operations, considering how many he could have used. This does not include mention of the Persian front, nor of the plague. But just a couple ideas.

Keep'em coming!

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Quote:There were enough troops but too many generals.

I wonder which is worse, what you said, or too many troops and not enough generals? :lol:

But yes, the Balkans were regarded as sort of a backwater, at least as much as we can tell. Athens is not really included in the Balkan area. It was included in Greece, which the Romano-Byzantines differentiated from the Balkans. I guess the appropriate modern description for the "backward" area would be (approximately) everything west of Thrace to the Adriatic, and north of Macedonia to the Danube.

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Ioannes_Ahenobarbus:2ugz1sby Wrote:As far as the small number of troops involved, I would like to bring up two points. First, if Procopius can be believed on this point (most scholars seem to think so), Justinian was hesitant in placing too many troops under Belisarius. And even though good ol' Belisarius would probably have not acted in a rebellious manner, one can easily understand the emperor's recalcitrance on the matter. Much more can be said about this, but I'll let you guys roll it over a bit. Second, Justinian seems to have been - how to put it - a cheapskate when it came to the military. 'As few as can do the job',seems to have been the mantra. He put very few soldiers into the area of operations, considering how many he could have used. This does not include mention of the Persian front, nor of the plague. But just a couple ideas.

Keep'em coming!

Name me an Emperor Eastern or Western who trusted large numbers of troops to a talented general and did not live to regret that choice.

Quote:As far as the small number of troops involved, I would like to bring up two points. First, if Procopius can be believed on this point (most scholars seem to think so), Justinian was hesitant in placing too many troops under Belisarius. And even though good ol' Belisarius would probably have not acted in a rebellious manner, one can easily understand the emperor's recalcitrance on the matter.
Second, Justinian seems to have been - how to put it - a cheapskate when it came to the military. 'As few as can do the job',seems to have been the mantra. He put very few soldiers into the area of operations, considering how many he could have used. This does not include mention of the Persian front, nor of the plague. But just a couple ideas.

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Timotheus:3isi4pgu Wrote:Name me an Emperor Eastern or Western who trusted large numbers of troops to a talented general and did not live to regret that choice.

Vespasian.... :wink: True the general was his son....but they have been known to be nasty too! :wink:

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Ioannes_Ahenobarbus:1d8bacls Wrote:As far as the small number of troops involved, I would like to bring up two points. First, if Procopius can be believed on this point (most scholars seem to think so), Justinian was hesitant in placing too many troops under Belisarius. And even though good ol' Belisarius would probably have not acted in a rebellious manner, one can easily understand the emperor's recalcitrance on the matter.
Second, Justinian seems to have been - how to put it - a cheapskate when it came to the military. 'As few as can do the job',seems to have been the mantra. He put very few soldiers into the area of operations, considering how many he could have used. This does not include mention of the Persian front, nor of the plague. But just a couple ideas.

Actually, he gave Belisarius quite a large army, and we shouldn't be too willing to accept Procopius' statements - or later scholars' interpretations of those statements - at face value.

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Timotheus:1d8bacls Wrote:Name me an Emperor Eastern or Western who trusted large numbers of troops to a talented general and did not live to regret that choice.

Vespasian.... :wink: True the general was his son....but they have been known to be nasty too! :wink:

Justinian. The troops he gave to Belisarius and, especially, to Narses the Eunuch, could easily have allowed them to claim/nominate somebody for the throne ahead of Justinian.

Quote:Justinianus would have been in deep trouble if Belisarius had accepted the offer from Osthrogoths for throne... (IIRC. they offered him rule of Italy).