Count Belisarius Summary
Robert Graves

Count Belisarius Summary

The events of Count Belisarius take place in the sixth century in the Mediterranean region. In the society of that time and place, religion, especially Christianity, was often regarded as a political matter, with not only individual people but whole populations shifting from one religion to another when political or military power shifted from one religious faction to another. Views on morality were also different from modern ones. The historical Empress Theodora was once a prostitute; although some pious Christians would have objected to Emperor Justinian marrying her, most citizens of the Byzantine Empire would have seen nothing extraordinary in her profession. The world of Belisarius' day was one of palace intrigue, shifting alliances, and universal treachery.

In his foreword to Count Belisarius, Graves points out that the armies of Belisarius' time were much different from the armies of Julius Caesar's era: "Belisarius . . . is...

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