For a thousand years the Byzantine Empire, the Roman Empire of the East, was held together by great generals and soldier-emperors. They won back lost provinces, turned back Persians and Arabs, and led the empire to its medieval height. These are the greatest commanders of the Byzantine Empire, each linked to the war that made their name.
Belisarius. The last of the Romans, who won at Dara and reconquered Africa and Italy for Justinian.
Heraclius. The emperor who saved the empire from Persia and won at Nineveh, then faced the Arab conquests.
The Battle between Heraclius and Chosroes, part of Piero della Francesca's fresco cycle of the Legend of the True Cross in San Francesco, Arezzo, painted between 1452 and 1466. Public domain
Nikephoros II Phokas. The pale death of the Saracens, who won back Crete and rolled the frontier east.
The strength of Byzantium lay in its armies and the men who led them. Belisarius nearly won back the Roman West for Justinian; Heraclius marched into Persia and saved the empire when it seemed doomed; Nikephoros II Phokas won back Crete and drove the frontier east; and Basil II broke Bulgaria and led the empire to its medieval height. Their defeats mattered too, from Yarmouk to Manzikert, each a turning point in the long history of the East.
Basil II in triumphal dress, crowned from heaven with angels at his side, from the emperor's own psalter of the early 11th century, now in the Marciana library in Venice. Public domain
Among the most important are the general Belisarius, the emperors Heraclius and Basil II the Bulgar-Slayer, and the general-emperor Nikephoros II Phokas, who defended and expanded the empire across the centuries.
Who was the greatest Byzantine general?
There is no single answer, but Belisarius, who reconquered Africa and Italy for Justinian, is the most common choice, with Nikephoros II Phokas and Basil II close behind.
Who was Belisarius?
He was the greatest general of the emperor Justinian, who won at Dara and reconquered North Africa and much of Italy, and is remembered as the last of the Romans.
Which emperor led Byzantium to its height?
Basil II the Bulgar-Slayer, who conquered Bulgaria and extended the frontiers, left the empire at its greatest extent and wealth since the Arab conquests.
Did the Byzantines lose major battles?
Yes. Even under great commanders the empire suffered disasters, from the loss of Syria at Yarmouk in 636 to the catastrophe at Manzikert in 1071, each of which reshaped its history.
Where can I read about their wars?
Each commander links to their key campaigns and battles, from Belisarius in Africa and Italy to Basil II in Bulgaria, and you can compare them with the world's greatest commanders.
