Belisarius is that one dude from a TV show that isn't the main character, but is everyone's favorite. Man, the genius of these people, even Theodora, what with her work to help women, it's just incredible that minds can work like that.
Sometimes history is way more interesting than fiction. Seriously I can't imagine what rumors came from Belisarius surviving all those arrows. I bet his men talked about it for days if not weeks.
***** Yeah, same goes for other great warriors. Like Guan Yu from the era of the Three Kingdoms Wars. He was said to be able to fight 10.000 men on his own. His sworn brother Zhang Fei apparently scared of an army of 100.000 men by merely shouting at them. Even animals there had their own history. Red Hare was supposed to be a horse that could run the length of China in one day without rest. Hex-Mark was the horse of Liu Bei, but before that belong to several kings and feudal lords that died, so it was believed that this horse brings bad luck and death to it's owner. However during the Chang Ban battle, Hex Mark managed to leap over a river canyon and carry its master, Liu Bei, to safety while archers tried to kill them. History is filled with such amazing legends and even though they seem over-hyped and unbelievable, there is always a piece of truth within these stories. :3
LordBloodySoul I agree completely, it doesn't make sense when someone can defeat 10.000 men on his/her own but (s)he at least had to be an awesome warrior to get that kind of legend. If you just look at history a little and have the talent to write you can write some awesome fictional books based on actual history.
Bulut Güner The bible is the best example. Both Moses and Jesus were actual people, but their powers and background stories were made more out of this world. Also the great flood mentioned in the bible was an actual event in history that submerged lands like Spain and Italy completely.
It's amazing how brilliant of a general Belisarius was... I never realized just how much of a genius he was until this series. Easily one of the greatest tactical minds of all time.
I think this episode sets Belisarius to the status of "Magnificent Bastard": 25% engineer, 25% civil leader, 25% improviser, 100% balls... and this series should be called Justinian and Belisarius. I mean, damn.
That's debatable whether her major peptalks overshadows his consistently amazing generalship. But many of these episodes are almost entirely about Belisarius and his actions, and it would be a better label to include him.
Oh I have, but here is the thing, Belisarius took the Eternal City,most of the western empire and held it and with less then even hannibal pound for pound. Check a book out by Basil H. Liddell Hart callled Strategy.
shikatsu Hannibal, a general who took a blood oath from his father to never be a friend of Rome, a general who encircled a larger army with a smaller army, a general who scaled the Alps in the winter time, a general who made use of elephants in his army. He could've taken all of Rome if it weren't for the fact that the Carthaginian ruler called him back to the empire.
Belisarius took an unguarded city, from a kingdom that was several times smaller than Rome itself, whereas Hannibal faced the largest city in the world at the time guarded by tens of thousands of men with even more reinforcements capable of being mustered. Also while Belisarius constantly received supplies and reinforcements, the elite back in Carthage never supported Hannibal who had to rely on his own army and had to make diplomacy with Rome's allies and hire mercenaries (who aren't as good compared to regular soldiers). You seem to forget the two faced completely different enemies and circumstances. So you, are wrong.
But all this still doesn't compare to Subutai, who conquered 32 states over the course of 20 campaigns, during which he conquered more land than any other general (granted, large amount of this land were pretty barren, but other areas were still rich), not to mention the nearly supernatural ability to command two armies at once which were hundreds of kilometers apart, the most famous of these instances were when destroyed the Armies of Poland and Hungary in two separate battles two days from each other that were 500 km apart. That's nearly the distance from Southern Italy to Rome.
HeeminGamin After running through dying men and mud, even your mother will not recognize you from the hight of the walls. It's not like you can show an ID card to them or something. He could only prove himself in action.
I almost find myself wanting the series to end here just to end on a happy note for our three main characters. But history doesn't have neat and tidy endings. Bring on more.
Sometimes the endings are neat and tidy in history, but I can't think of one right away. Maybe George Washington? The Chinese pirate lady (I can't recall her name) ended in a neat and tidy ride off into the sunset
Wait wait wait wait wait wait. He marched to take Rome with 7,500 men...AND DID IT!? Jesus effing Christ, I thought that this was when Justinian's rule would peak and start to dip! Freaking hell Belisarius!
Chauzuvoy Are you referencing Isaac Asimov's Foundation? ;-) (If not, please ignore my question.) Seriously speaking, it would depend on the situation. Justinian and Belisarius were friends and trusted each other, so turning on each other wasn't really in the cards. Even if they weren't friends, from what we can tell, Belisarius wasn't that kind of a guy to try to take the throne for himself. Capable? Yes. Ambitious? Not really. For that matter, a strong general will only look inward towards conquering his own empire if the emperor ruling it was weak. But because the particular emperor here- Justinian- is strong, any ambitious general would have to look outwards to have a realistic chance of success at some sort of conquest. TBH, it's complicated. There's ultimately a lot of other things to consider when wondering how the strong emperor/strong general dynamic works. But here, at least, it meant an emperor who could trust his general, a general whose emperor backed him up, with the result being the last great triumph of the Roman Empire.
***** Yea, he is a bit unbalanced. I mean that luck stat of his is through the roof; I swear, he could have five guys running at him and they'd all end tripping over inconvenient mole hills.
Why does someone *not* make a movie outta this? Shit's got all the makings of a summer blockbuster. Of course, then you realize it'd end up like Kingdom of Heaven or Alexander...
Man, Belisarius is a freaking boss! This account of events really shows the hard work, determination, courageousness, and intelligence that went into taking Rome back. I daresay that Belisarius is the real protagonist of this story.
Belisarius seeing the siege towers, laughing at his terrified men and then killing the Ostrogothic solders pushing it with his own arrows is a true "hold my beer" moment.
A significant portion of Tolkien's work was based on late classical and early medieval period. Even the battle outside Minas Tirith "Battle of Pelennor Fields" is just too obvious a copy of the "Battle of Catalaunian Field" in Roman history and the deaths of Theoden in Pelennor and Theodoric in Catalaunian is just too obvious.
I like how this series has shown that so much of being a good general is understanding logistics and having an engineers straightforward approach to sticking into the nitty gritty details of problems. The literal "how do my/their men traverse this distance and what can I do about that?"
History truly is greater than fiction, at times. Thank you for these series of videos; as a history buff, from Japan to the British Isles, I truly love these retellings; they're captivating and informative. Belisarius truly was a man greater than men. I believe I've never seen so much agreement on one particular point or man anywhere else on the internet. Belisarius still conquers the minds of men hehe. I can't wait to see what's in store!
Justinian & Theodora are back! Continue watching the new series where their general, Belisarius, faces fierce opposition in Italy... but not from the enemies he expected. Watch: ruclips.net/video/oUtEJtBeCaQ/видео.html
***** Irrelevant, the only city sieged in this video was Rome, and Belisarius didn't have the idea to put a chain in Constantinople, so I'm safe to asume he was refering to the Rome chain, used to protect the mills during the Rome siege.
Every time I play Rome, I always sally out my cavalry to hit the vulnerable units climbing the ladder and those waiting for their turn. I also support them with archers but I usually use my archers to torch down rams and towers. If the enemy tried to counter charge with his cavaly, I'll just let them chase my cavalry beside the towers then my archers will pepper them.
We should get a sequel/tangent series for all past topics! My suggestions would be: Rome: The Punic Wars --> The Fall of Carthage World War I: The Seminal Tragedy --> Otto von Bismarck Warring States Japan: Sengoku Jidai --> Hideyoshi's Invasion of Korea England: South Sea Bubble --> Prime Minister Walpole Africa: Zulu Empire --> The Boer Wars Make it happen Patreonites (After the Crusade, Yi and Justinian 2.0 series obviously)
You do realize that Admiral Yi’s naval campaigns take up literally 1/3 of the defence of Korea ( the remaining 2/3 is Ming intervention and Korean civilians/the few sane Korean land commanders putting up a resistance)? In that aspect you already got to see a lot of Hideyoshi’s invasion. Granted, the topic does really merit a series, and they really should have shown the recapture of Pyeongyang, the Japanese ambush of the Ming at Byeokjegwan and the truly epic sieges at Jinju (two sieges, actually) and Haengju (very much a case of unstoppable infantry meets immovable artillery)
Wait, no autocaptions on this video? How will I get my fix of Ostrogoths referred to as astronauts? Also, I wonder if, by that point, Belisarius was seen as something of a bogeyman among Ostrogoths, as he seemed unstoppable and unkillable.
***** He was. On more than one occasion, his name alone was enough to cause the enemy with a much larger army than his, to retreat at his approach. Not only with the Goths but also with the Persians led by their king himself.
stuka80 So it's not just the Ostrogoths, but with other nearby civilizations as well? Wow, that's pretty impressive. He really WAS larger than life. Were there any cases of someone using Belisarius's name to scare an opposing party without Belisarius actually being involved?
petargrad That comment on his wife xD lol. But yes...martial lord of loyalty, he reminds me of admiral Yi. Incorruptible and ready to die for his country despite questionable suppourt from his superiors. Shinning star of history.
petargrad Yeha that's probably why Theodora didn't like Belisarius, because her mind was being poisoned by his snake-wife. Come to think of it why was an empress friends with a woman who slept with her adopted son just piss off her husband xD
petargrad Yeah I know...Damn it seemed like fate was against Belisarius all the time, really amazing how he almost always came out on top. I kinda get where that 'blind begger' legend comes from. I see it as all the shit he had to put up with when he just wanted to serve his emperor and win wars for the empire, while the soldier recognising him is us today remembering him in a good light.
When a series makes me stop everything else I'm doing in the moment, I see a new episode appear, that series truly is a great one. Thank you Extra Credits for showing me the beauty of history. You truly are worth of supporting!
the seige of rome and the counter attack by Belisarius with the cavalry gave me the idea that this probably inspired Tolkien for the idea of the last charge of the rohan warriors at helms deep. its too familiar sounding not to draw some parallels.
I love Extra History, but nothing else, at least to myself, comes close to how fascinating and captivating the story of Byzantium is. The ambition of Justinian, the honour and genius of Belasarius.. It's all a joy to watch. Great work!
Hi EC guys! I would love to say I love your extrahistory series! I am not a game dev, just a normal person with interest in how things worked. However this extrahistory series really pulled me in since I could watch it and enjoy it without needing to be within the games industry! Thanks for doing it, keep up the good work!
Belasarios was WAY too smart for the era. I mean holy cow. So many times he could have said "Screw it, it's not possible. Send me some freakin' troops or this ain't happening, Justinian!". So many times he was screwed and could have died or given up or failed. And he instead won with genius. Seriously, it's almost like he deserved this series more than Justinian! XD
Seem odd that this would end here. This series is title Justinian and Theodora, but we've barely had any of the latter, and the former seemed to get usurped in the last couple of episodes by Belisarius.
TAEHSAEN The only problem with this is that I think it may be too much for one series. Certainly not that they couldn't do it, but they wouldn't be able to do it with the level of detail we love them for, and I doubt they'd be happy with it either.
PokeZelda6664 They could probably do the time between the escape from Elba to the defeat at Waterloo. A short period of time they can go into super-detail, and they can easily do other parts of Napoleon's life later if it's popular enough.
I wish I had money to support this series on patreon, Extra History has to be my favourite series on RUclips right now. What you guys are doing is great, this is amazing.
How TF have I never heard of Belisarius before this series !! When in the first episode you mentioned Belisarius along the likes of Napoleon , Alexander and Caeser I was like " pfff yeah right as if " ...by this episode I am in awe by the seer brilliance of this man , his loyalty and his grit ... He can easily be compared to Caeser considering the nature of his campaigns .
There is so much more to cover on Justinian's reign to make it a true shame if it finishes now! That aside, this was a fantastic series and another job well done ^_^
Wow! Six episodes, and yet, I am left wanting more. It would seem that Justinian very well sounds like the Emperor who almost could have reclaimed the title "Caesar" and finally reuniting Rome, divided. This series has been outstanding from start to finish, and I do hope it gets revisited at some times in i the near future,
acuerdox Well yes, but I love the writing style and aesthetic this show has, it makes a sea of knowledge extremely approachable, that's what I love about this channel
labrynianrebel you know, if you like this. I recommend that you watch Dan Carlin's videos. he has a youtube channel and a webpage. check out "thor's Angels" vid
This sure showed how amazing Belisarius was. The guy doesn't get enough credit that's for sure. He won Rome, he battled and fought and he accomplished more than anyone could have expected with what he had. Glad to have heard this story just to see how amazing a general he was.
I don't usually like praising military leaders as they are often artificers of massacres, sending young men to die in their stead, but I'm willing to make an exception with Bellisarius. He was willing to fight alongside his men for starters, risking his life and experiencing the same horrors of war as the rest of his troops.
No! I want to know about the inevitable fall! The fall has to be coming soon! Also, Belisarius, certified awesome. Few people could be that great and have the unique combination of brains, wit, and balls to hold Rome with those odds.
aaronman4772 There is no fall, actually - not in the lifetime of the people in this story, anyway. After another 10 years of back-and-forth war with the Ostrogoths, Italy is pacified, and then Italy and North Africa remain in Roman hands for several more generations. Justinian and Belisarius both die peacefully of old age (in the same year, even), having restored the Roman Empire to its former glory - although they never got around to re-conquering Gaul, Britannia, and most of Hispania. Things do start going wrong eventually, and the Roman Empire is shattered, but that happens in the next century, long after everyone in this story is dead.
Veshgard You're putting a hilariously positive spin on what is a rather terrible period of history. The plague makes its debut during Justinian's rule, killing so many it crippled the Empire and changed the very fabric of society. Combined with extreme weather events and a huge earthquake, rumors spread that God had abandoned the Empire. Belisaruis is forced into retirement and humiliated due to political back-stabbing and intrigue--and Theodora did some of that back stabbing! (This actually started during the period this video covered, but I think they wanted to go out on a high note, so they just ignored it completely.) The war in Italy goes on forever with little hope of ending, which is made even worse by Justinian beginning to distrust Belisarius--he begins sending less troops to Italy, and even begins meddling in the great general's affairs. Justinian is so devastated by Theodora's early death, he becomes a shadow of his former self. I could go on and on. I'll admit that people in the Empire centuries later looked fondly onto this era, so he did leave a good legacy. Though this was probably helped by the near constant decline of the Empire from here on.
MrCrazy Alligator That is all true, of course. But what you said doesn't contradict any of what I said. I put a positive spin on it because, compared to everything that started happening in the next century (and everything that happened *before* Justinian, too), this really WAS an extremely positive period of history. Yes, the Roman Empire doesn't really make any more *progress* after the events in this episode, but on the other hand they don't *lose* any of what Belisarius conquered, either. Considering what period of history we're in, I count that stalemate outcome as "huge success".
+MrCrazy Alligator The empire did have a renaissance period starting in the ninth century though, in which they reconquered much lost territory and experienced a thriving economy and blossoming art and philosophy. It wasn't all down hill from here.
Wouldn't I be a student with no money, I would support you guys! You do a great job, not just with your History series, but also with the rest of your videos. I hope i can continue my study (which is game design/programming) without problems, so I have the chance to meet you to thank you in reality! Keep it up guys!
MORE OF THIS! I can not stress this enough. This one is by far my favorite of your history series yet. This one particular episode felt a little bit rushed.. I feel I could have enjoyed chewing on the juicy meat for a bit longer before moving on to the next meal. But If there's more to this story, I want to see how it ends.
***** Nah hannibal. I mean just because he took the cavalry outside the walls whilst they infantry were climbing the ladders? pfft I do that all the time in rome 2.
I'm content to just leave off right here, at the apex of the Roman comeback. Don't need to ruin it by hearing how it all went south, so thanks for just leaving us Rome-lovers the glory we crave, Extra Credits!
Thanks again for all of these Extra History vids. I lament so many of my friends complete ignorance and disinterest in history. Maybe more of these will help. I know you've already done a WW1 series but I'd love to see one on the East African campaign and Colonel Lettow-Vorbeck. Just an almost unbelievable military campaign that only a handful of people have heard about.
Great series guys. Maybe you could tackle some other not well known but awesome guys in history. I have a list here (not in order): 1. Ashoka the Great 2. Khosrow I Anushiruvan (AKA "The immortal soul") 3. Mithridates VI of Pontus 4. Taizong of Tang 5. the great adventures of Zhang He 6. Baldwin IV of Jerusalem 7. Krum the Fearsome of Bulgaria 8. Sundiata 9. Jan Zizka, the Hussite rebellion and the Bohemian Crusade 10. Tran Hung Dao 11. Koxinga 12. Alp Arslan 12. Wladyslav Jagiello, Teutonic Wars, Prussian Crusade and the begining of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Yes! More on Justinian's story! Thank you, Extra Credits! I have loved your videos on history. I've loved the series on the Sengoku Jidai, I loved the Punic Wars, and now this. Please keep making more! History is my favorite subject, and it's make better by good story telling (and your fun illustrations). Please keep doing what you're doing. You'll have my views! Thanks again :) If you ever want any suggestions on other histories to talk about, I might have a few ideas to run past you should you want them. I look forward to your next videos with Extra History!
In my mind this whole thing is playing out like a David Gemmel novel - with Belisarius as the main protagonist. Really enjoyed this particular Extra History; my second favourite behind The South Sea Company and narrowly above the Sengoko Jidai.
Belisarius is that one dude from a TV show that isn't the main character, but is everyone's favorite. Man, the genius of these people, even Theodora, what with her work to help women, it's just incredible that minds can work like that.
So he's Daryl from The Walking Dead lol
Like finan in the last kingdom.
Vegeta basically
So like kakashi from Naruto
Gojo
Sometimes history is way more interesting than fiction. Seriously I can't imagine what rumors came from Belisarius surviving all those arrows. I bet his men talked about it for days if not weeks.
***** well, the dude *was* the favorite commander of a demented headless demon emperor, so maybe he had a few supernatural tricks up his sleeve?
*****
Yeah, same goes for other great warriors. Like Guan Yu from the era of the Three Kingdoms Wars. He was said to be able to fight 10.000 men on his own. His sworn brother Zhang Fei apparently scared of an army of 100.000 men by merely shouting at them. Even animals there had their own history.
Red Hare was supposed to be a horse that could run the length of China in one day without rest. Hex-Mark was the horse of Liu Bei, but before that belong to several kings and feudal lords that died, so it was believed that this horse brings bad luck and death to it's owner. However during the Chang Ban battle, Hex Mark managed to leap over a river canyon and carry its master, Liu Bei, to safety while archers tried to kill them.
History is filled with such amazing legends and even though they seem over-hyped and unbelievable, there is always a piece of truth within these stories. :3
LordBloodySoul I agree completely, it doesn't make sense when someone can defeat 10.000 men on his/her own but (s)he at least had to be an awesome warrior to get that kind of legend. If you just look at history a little and have the talent to write you can write some awesome fictional books based on actual history.
Bulut Güner
The bible is the best example.
Both Moses and Jesus were actual people, but their powers and background stories were made more out of this world.
Also the great flood mentioned in the bible was an actual event in history that submerged lands like Spain and Italy completely.
How about that Mad Jack Churchill bloke? He captured 132 German soldiers in WWII with a god damn SWORD.
It's amazing how brilliant of a general Belisarius was... I never realized just how much of a genius he was until this series. Easily one of the greatest tactical minds of all time.
Jedibob5 Yup, Alexander the Great levels of creativity, common sense and charisma, truly a general that deserves more appreciation by historians.
KaiserAfini And he seems to have even been a decent person on top of it.
Belisarius deserves a movie, or even a full series of the quality of Rome.
Jedibob5 I'd agree with that, but nothing beats Hannibal's strategic capabilities at the battle of Cannae.
***** Now that is a great idea. Call HBO now, we must make this a reality.
I think this episode sets Belisarius to the status of "Magnificent Bastard": 25% engineer, 25% civil leader, 25% improviser, 100% balls... and this series should be called Justinian and Belisarius. I mean, damn.
Belisaurus best boy?
TheatreStyle "no-name General who fought some guys somewhere and conquered some place"
are you serious
you are arent you?
jesus christ
TheatreStyle Poe's Law'd this comment chain.
That's debatable whether her major peptalks overshadows his consistently amazing generalship. But many of these episodes are almost entirely about Belisarius and his actions, and it would be a better label to include him.
TheatreStyle What does this have to do with progressiveness? Belisarius had a much larger impact on history than Theodora ever did.
Belisarius, the epitome of genius in war and loyalty.
You never heard of Hannibal in the second Punic War then
Oh I have, but here is the thing, Belisarius took the Eternal City,most of the western empire and held it and with less then even hannibal pound for pound. Check a book out by Basil H. Liddell Hart callled Strategy.
shikatsu Hannibal, a general who took a blood oath from his father to never be a friend of Rome, a general who encircled a larger army with a smaller army, a general who scaled the Alps in the winter time, a general who made use of elephants in his army. He could've taken all of Rome if it weren't for the fact that the Carthaginian ruler called him back to the empire.
Belisarius took an unguarded city, from a kingdom that was several times smaller than Rome itself, whereas Hannibal faced the largest city in the world at the time guarded by tens of thousands of men with even more reinforcements capable of being mustered. Also while Belisarius constantly received supplies and reinforcements, the elite back in Carthage never supported Hannibal who had to rely on his own army and had to make diplomacy with Rome's allies and hire mercenaries (who aren't as good compared to regular soldiers). You seem to forget the two faced completely different enemies and circumstances. So you, are wrong.
But all this still doesn't compare to Subutai, who conquered 32 states over the course of 20 campaigns, during which he conquered more land than any other general (granted, large amount of this land were pretty barren, but other areas were still rich), not to mention the nearly supernatural ability to command two armies at once which were hundreds of kilometers apart, the most famous of these instances were when destroyed the Armies of Poland and Hungary in two separate battles two days from each other that were 500 km apart. That's nearly the distance from Southern Italy to Rome.
The Ostrigegoths recognized Bellasarius's horse but the City guard didn't!?
HeeminGamin The horse was most likely covered in mud and blood also,the guy was on the walls.
HeeminGamin After running through dying men and mud, even your mother will not recognize you from the hight of the walls.
It's not like you can show an ID card to them or something. He could only prove himself in action.
HeeminGamin *Ostrogoths
It was muddy remember???
What’s an “Ostrigegoth”, do you mean Ostrogoth?
I almost find myself wanting the series to end here just to end on a happy note for our three main characters. But history doesn't have neat and tidy endings. Bring on more.
Rabbit Cube Couldn't agree more!
And they all died the end
Sometimes the endings are neat and tidy in history, but I can't think of one right away. Maybe George Washington? The Chinese pirate lady (I can't recall her name) ended in a neat and tidy ride off into the sunset
Plz keep it going Patreon supporters. Do it for my broke ass.
***** Don't worry, we will.
***** How did you break it?
Yeah! Keep it going!
It's why I do it. You can learn so much from these videos but still want to know more
***** Don't worry, we gotcha.
Wait wait wait wait wait wait. He marched to take Rome with 7,500 men...AND DID IT!?
Jesus effing Christ, I thought that this was when Justinian's rule would peak and start to dip! Freaking hell Belisarius!
erttheking no 5000 men
erttheking Well, he was invited into rome, after the army holding it left to deal with some trouble in north.
erttheking Strong emperor + strong general = SUPER EFFECTIVE!
+DreamPen But a strong emperor can't allow any general to become too strong, for fear of him taking the empire for his own.
Chauzuvoy Are you referencing Isaac Asimov's Foundation? ;-)
(If not, please ignore my question.)
Seriously speaking, it would depend on the situation. Justinian and Belisarius were friends and trusted each other, so turning on each other wasn't really in the cards.
Even if they weren't friends, from what we can tell, Belisarius wasn't that kind of a guy to try to take the throne for himself. Capable? Yes. Ambitious? Not really.
For that matter, a strong general will only look inward towards conquering his own empire if the emperor ruling it was weak. But because the particular emperor here- Justinian- is strong, any ambitious general would have to look outwards to have a realistic chance of success at some sort of conquest.
TBH, it's complicated. There's ultimately a lot of other things to consider when wondering how the strong emperor/strong general dynamic works. But here, at least, it meant an emperor who could trust his general, a general whose emperor backed him up, with the result being the last great triumph of the Roman Empire.
Belisarius is OP as fuck. Rome, pls nerf.
***** Yea, he is a bit unbalanced. I mean that luck stat of his is through the roof; I swear, he could have five guys running at him and they'd all end tripping over inconvenient mole hills.
Joshroom Wymbsy You think he's OP, go back and watch the Sengoku Jidai videos about Oda Nobunaga and Tokugowa Iesu for some serious OP moments.
Joshroom Wymbsy CA plz nerf Roman Hunnic horse archers. Ostrogothic heavy calvary too slow to catch them and they do too much damage to infantry.
New update coming out will buff Gandhi's nukes.
Arcralf Gandhi now shoots nukes from archery bows?
Why does someone *not* make a movie outta this? Shit's got all the makings of a summer blockbuster. Of course, then you realize it'd end up like Kingdom of Heaven or Alexander...
Man, Belisarius is a freaking boss! This account of events really shows the hard work, determination, courageousness, and intelligence that went into taking Rome back. I daresay that Belisarius is the real protagonist of this story.
Ugh no! Don't end the story there! Voting so hard right now.
scyx Cannot find where to vote on Patreon. Can you help?
Dmitrij Bugajev I couldn't find it either. Might not be up for vote yet.
scyx Well there goes my suggestion for the Ottoman Empire :( all the voters will just go for Patron Byzantium DAMIT!
JKAzrael247 I've seen Ottoman Empire on the polls before. It will happen eventually. Don't worry. :)
scyx Hope so since at least I get to see Istanbul from the View of the Ottomans as well as their Dynasty :P
Belisarius seeing the siege towers, laughing at his terrified men and then killing the Ostrogothic solders pushing it with his own arrows is a true "hold my beer" moment.
GigaSigmaChad moment
I'd buy tickets to this movie.
6:46 "Forget the towers! Aim for the trolls! bring them down!" There's a lot of theory that Tolkien's Gondor was based on the Byzantines.
A significant portion of Tolkien's work was based on late classical and early medieval period. Even the battle outside Minas Tirith "Battle of Pelennor Fields" is just too obvious a copy of the "Battle of Catalaunian Field" in Roman history and the deaths of Theoden in Pelennor and Theodoric in Catalaunian is just too obvious.
If Middle Earth is Europe then Gondor is in Italy.
Yeah. Even the Battle of Helm's deep was obviously based on Battle of Vienna, Gandalf's cavalry charge was based on Winged Hussar's charge.
@@juanthegreat3954 I thought *that* was Minis Tirith
The Patreon supporters have spoken: the Justinian and Theodora series will continue in fall of 2015! bit.ly/EHPatreon
Extra Credits Fantastic news!
Extra Credits What does the "Next episode: August 1" mean?
NIKA!!
+Ian Scott NIKA!!!
NIKA!!!!!
I like how this series has shown that so much of being a good general is understanding logistics and having an engineers straightforward approach to sticking into the nitty gritty details of problems. The literal "how do my/their men traverse this distance and what can I do about that?"
History truly is greater than fiction, at times. Thank you for these series of videos; as a history buff, from Japan to the British Isles, I truly love these retellings; they're captivating and informative.
Belisarius truly was a man greater than men. I believe I've never seen so much agreement on one particular point or man anywhere else on the internet. Belisarius still conquers the minds of men hehe.
I can't wait to see what's in store!
Justinian & Theodora are back! Continue watching the new series where their general, Belisarius, faces fierce opposition in Italy... but not from the enemies he expected.
Watch: ruclips.net/video/oUtEJtBeCaQ/видео.html
+Extra Credits Happy to see the series continue. :)
Extra Credits are under
69 yooooo
Belisarius too strong, Jesus please nerf!
Forget Justinian this man is the hero of our tale.
TwilitKage Jesus needs a nerf too since Jesus can kill people from a sword from his mouth and kill them by talking.
Beryl Freeday also his auto revive is way to powerful, three day start up is not nearly enough balance
there is no nerf
newtonjar he fucking glitches every time he goes on water and floats above it
King Charles XII Of Sweden also seems like a genius
And this chain idea later helped to defend Constantinople...
I think I will hang Belisarius' portrait on a wall at my home.
Dmitrij Bugajev Rome, not Constantinople.
***** And pieces of that chain still exist laying around Istanbul.
***** Irrelevant, the only city sieged in this video was Rome, and Belisarius didn't have the idea to put a chain in Constantinople, so I'm safe to asume he was refering to the Rome chain, used to protect the mills during the Rome siege.
Not to mention King's Landing.
Yep, you are right.
I wonder who that guy was who didn't let Belisarius through.
It was Walpole.
XD XD XD
XDDDDDDDD FUNNY MAY MAY
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!
Inventor Raccoon that's why they should...
ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN
lmaoo
I play total war games and I always charge out my cavalry to scatter those under the ladders. Feels good that I reinvented Belisarius' tactics myself
i may have to use that tactic
Every time I play Rome, I always sally out my cavalry to hit the vulnerable units climbing the ladder and those waiting for their turn. I also support them with archers but I usually use my archers to torch down rams and towers. If the enemy tried to counter charge with his cavaly, I'll just let them chase my cavalry beside the towers then my archers will pepper them.
I'm usually the one attacking the walls, not defending them.
Who here plays EU4, and after hearing how Belisarius conquered Rome with 5000 men considered uninstalling the game?
The Reich aye
Sounds like a fun Basileus into Rome run
Well he just walked into a fort with no garrison
We should get a sequel/tangent series for all past topics! My suggestions would be:
Rome: The Punic Wars --> The Fall of Carthage
World War I: The Seminal Tragedy --> Otto von Bismarck
Warring States Japan: Sengoku Jidai --> Hideyoshi's Invasion of Korea
England: South Sea Bubble --> Prime Minister Walpole
Africa: Zulu Empire --> The Boer Wars
Make it happen Patreonites (After the Crusade, Yi and Justinian 2.0 series obviously)
labrynianrebel you got Bismarck but I really want to see the fall of Carthage
You do realize that Admiral Yi’s naval campaigns take up literally 1/3 of the defence of Korea ( the remaining 2/3 is Ming intervention and Korean civilians/the few sane Korean land commanders putting up a resistance)? In that aspect you already got to see a lot of Hideyoshi’s invasion.
Granted, the topic does really merit a series, and they really should have shown the recapture of Pyeongyang, the Japanese ambush of the Ming at Byeokjegwan and the truly epic sieges at Jinju (two sieges, actually) and Haengju (very much a case of unstoppable infantry meets immovable artillery)
Wait, no autocaptions on this video? How will I get my fix of Ostrogoths referred to as astronauts?
Also, I wonder if, by that point, Belisarius was seen as something of a bogeyman among Ostrogoths, as he seemed unstoppable and unkillable.
***** He was. On more than one occasion, his name alone was enough to cause the enemy with a much larger army than his, to retreat at his approach. Not only with the Goths but also with the Persians led by their king himself.
stuka80 So it's not just the Ostrogoths, but with other nearby civilizations as well? Wow, that's pretty impressive. He really WAS larger than life.
Were there any cases of someone using Belisarius's name to scare an opposing party without Belisarius actually being involved?
*****
lol not that i know of.
Bellersarius: I am inevitable.
*proceeds to kill half the Ostrogoths*
You're officially my 10-year-old's new favorite history RUclipsr. He's devouring your whole playlist, and learning so much!
I love how Belisarius is just, like, the most awesome person to ever live.
Belisarius, hands down one of the greatest military commanders in history!
petargrad True, although it wasn't only Justinian to blame because he generaly trusted Belisarius, Theodora on the other hand hated him.
petargrad That comment on his wife xD lol. But yes...martial lord of loyalty, he reminds me of admiral Yi. Incorruptible and ready to die for his country despite questionable suppourt from his superiors. Shinning star of history.
petargrad She was such a bitch, if only divorce existed back then.
petargrad Yeha that's probably why Theodora didn't like Belisarius, because her mind was being poisoned by his snake-wife.
Come to think of it why was an empress friends with a woman who slept with her adopted son just piss off her husband xD
petargrad Yeah I know...Damn it seemed like fate was against Belisarius all the time, really amazing how he almost always came out on top. I kinda get where that 'blind begger' legend comes from. I see it as all the shit he had to put up with when he just wanted to serve his emperor and win wars for the empire, while the soldier recognising him is us today remembering him in a good light.
Belasarius Is one of the coolest dudes ever.
When a series makes me stop everything else I'm doing in the moment, I see a new episode appear, that series truly is a great one. Thank you Extra Credits for showing me the beauty of history.
You truly are worth of supporting!
the seige of rome and the counter attack by Belisarius with the cavalry gave me the idea that this probably inspired Tolkien for the idea of the last charge of the rohan warriors at helms deep. its too familiar sounding not to draw some parallels.
I love Extra History, but nothing else, at least to myself, comes close to how fascinating and captivating the story of Byzantium is. The ambition of Justinian, the honour and genius of Belasarius.. It's all a joy to watch. Great work!
I cant believe I've been watching this repeatedly for over 5 years now. Thank you, Extra History.
Hi EC guys! I would love to say I love your extrahistory series! I am not a game dev, just a normal person with interest in how things worked. However this extrahistory series really pulled me in since I could watch it and enjoy it without needing to be within the games industry! Thanks for doing it, keep up the good work!
My favorite 😍💕 video on RUclips... downloaded it and watched it dozens of times...
Belsarius rocks!!
So, Belisarius was a paladin. Like, an actual D&D paladin. The man clearly originated from a fantasy universe. No Earthling could be so awesome.
9:58 You're trying to tell me that's a horse on the left? No, that is a majestic lama in a turtleneck, and I love it!
Please don't end it there. Best series you've got going atm!
I'm amazed at how interesting and entertaining you make ancient history sound. Keep us the good work!
Belasarios was WAY too smart for the era. I mean holy cow.
So many times he could have said "Screw it, it's not possible. Send me some freakin' troops or this ain't happening, Justinian!". So many times he was screwed and could have died or given up or failed. And he instead won with genius.
Seriously, it's almost like he deserved this series more than Justinian! XD
Seem odd that this would end here.
This series is title Justinian and Theodora, but we've barely had any of the latter, and the former seemed to get usurped in the last couple of episodes by Belisarius.
EXTRA CREDITS: Please do NAPOLEON! Please please please!!
TAEHSAEN YES!
Yes
TAEHSAEN Walpoleon?
TAEHSAEN The only problem with this is that I think it may be too much for one series. Certainly not that they couldn't do it, but they wouldn't be able to do it with the level of detail we love them for, and I doubt they'd be happy with it either.
PokeZelda6664 They could probably do the time between the escape from Elba to the defeat at Waterloo. A short period of time they can go into super-detail, and they can easily do other parts of Napoleon's life later if it's popular enough.
I think it's a pretty good bet that we Patreon supporters will definitly vote to see this get continued XD
I wish I had money to support this series on patreon, Extra History has to be my favourite series on RUclips right now.
What you guys are doing is great, this is amazing.
How TF have I never heard of Belisarius before this series !! When in the first episode you mentioned Belisarius along the likes of Napoleon , Alexander and Caeser I was like " pfff yeah right as if " ...by this episode I am in awe by the seer brilliance of this man , his loyalty and his grit ... He can easily be compared to Caeser considering the nature of his campaigns .
This is all STILL very informative and relevant. Love Roman History
Belisarius just seems like a very chill dude. Guy got brains.
Curious how much of Justinian's rule depended on good rope... xD
I've liked and watched Extra Credits for a very long time now, but Extra History is BY FAR my favorite series you guys do. Keep it up!
This is probably my favorite series of extra history. Every part from the art to the script is excellent. Good work and keep making more videos!
There is so much more to cover on Justinian's reign to make it a true shame if it finishes now! That aside, this was a fantastic series and another job well done ^_^
Justinian and Theodora more like Belisarius the most epic badass history has ever seen.
Wow! Six episodes, and yet, I am left wanting more. It would seem that Justinian very well sounds like the Emperor who almost could have reclaimed the title "Caesar" and finally reuniting Rome, divided. This series has been outstanding from start to finish, and I do hope it gets revisited at some times in i the near future,
THE MINUTE I GET ANY MONEY IT IS GOING STRIGHT TO PATREON FOR THE CONTINUATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I MUST KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cell-Head you can always read a history book. or wikipedia.
acuerdox Well yes, but I love the writing style and aesthetic this show has, it makes a sea of knowledge extremely approachable, that's what I love about this channel
acuerdox But Wikipedia is full of Extra History spoilers!
labrynianrebel
you know, if you like this. I recommend that you watch Dan Carlin's videos. he has a youtube channel and a webpage. check out "thor's Angels" vid
acuerdox
Looks right up my alley, thanks!
This is a really great series, Happy you guys are doing it.
I wholeheartedly believe that if hbo made a series of Justinian, Theodora, belisaius and justinians advisors, it’d be one of the greatest shows ever.
Me: The siege of Minas tirith is the greatest seige EVER.
Belisarius: Am I a joke to you?
This sure showed how amazing Belisarius was. The guy doesn't get enough credit that's for sure. He won Rome, he battled and fought and he accomplished more than anyone could have expected with what he had.
Glad to have heard this story just to see how amazing a general he was.
I don't usually like praising military leaders as they are often artificers of massacres, sending young men to die in their stead, but I'm willing to make an exception with Bellisarius.
He was willing to fight alongside his men for starters, risking his life and experiencing the same horrors of war as the rest of his troops.
I get chills thinking about how both he and Justinian felt when Rome was theirs again.
Belesaurias was a fucking badass
No! I want to know about the inevitable fall! The fall has to be coming soon!
Also, Belisarius, certified awesome. Few people could be that great and have the unique combination of brains, wit, and balls to hold Rome with those odds.
The main reason to the fall of justinian was the fall of belassaurios
aaronman4772 There is no fall, actually - not in the lifetime of the people in this story, anyway. After another 10 years of back-and-forth war with the Ostrogoths, Italy is pacified, and then Italy and North Africa remain in Roman hands for several more generations. Justinian and Belisarius both die peacefully of old age (in the same year, even), having restored the Roman Empire to its former glory - although they never got around to re-conquering Gaul, Britannia, and most of Hispania.
Things do start going wrong eventually, and the Roman Empire is shattered, but that happens in the next century, long after everyone in this story is dead.
Veshgard You're putting a hilariously positive spin on what is a rather terrible period of history.
The plague makes its debut during Justinian's rule, killing so many it crippled the Empire and changed the very fabric of society.
Combined with extreme weather events and a huge earthquake, rumors spread that God had abandoned the Empire.
Belisaruis is forced into retirement and humiliated due to political back-stabbing and intrigue--and Theodora did some of that back stabbing! (This actually started during the period this video covered, but I think they wanted to go out on a high note, so they just ignored it completely.)
The war in Italy goes on forever with little hope of ending, which is made even worse by Justinian beginning to distrust Belisarius--he begins sending less troops to Italy, and even begins meddling in the great general's affairs.
Justinian is so devastated by Theodora's early death, he becomes a shadow of his former self.
I could go on and on. I'll admit that people in the Empire centuries later looked fondly onto this era, so he did leave a good legacy. Though this was probably helped by the near constant decline of the Empire from here on.
MrCrazy Alligator That is all true, of course. But what you said doesn't contradict any of what I said. I put a positive spin on it because, compared to everything that started happening in the next century (and everything that happened *before* Justinian, too), this really WAS an extremely positive period of history.
Yes, the Roman Empire doesn't really make any more *progress* after the events in this episode, but on the other hand they don't *lose* any of what Belisarius conquered, either. Considering what period of history we're in, I count that stalemate outcome as "huge success".
+MrCrazy Alligator The empire did have a renaissance period starting in the ninth century though, in which they reconquered much lost territory and experienced a thriving economy and blossoming art and philosophy. It wasn't all down hill from here.
i friggin love this extra history series
Wouldn't I be a student with no money, I would support you guys!
You do a great job, not just with your History series, but also with the rest of your videos.
I hope i can continue my study (which is game design/programming) without problems, so I have the chance to meet you to thank you in reality!
Keep it up guys!
Your very best Extra History this far imo! Just how you made me feel part of that world is just amazing!
MORE OF THIS! I can not stress this enough. This one is by far my favorite of your history series yet. This one particular episode felt a little bit rushed.. I feel I could have enjoyed chewing on the juicy meat for a bit longer before moving on to the next meal. But If there's more to this story, I want to see how it ends.
This is helping me understand for my test tomorrow. My teacher never told me what i needed to study. Gee you gotta love high school.
this guy is like the greatest strategist and military leader ever.
well fucking played.
Belisarius has to be the greatest military leader in history. If not, the most badass!
***** both!
***** Nah hannibal. I mean just because he took the cavalry outside the walls whilst they infantry were climbing the ladders? pfft I do that all the time in rome 2.
***** Julius Caesar never lost a battle.
Mad Jack Churchill is the most badass leader in history. He captured 132 Germans in WWII with nothing but a sword.
MVcamera But failed to conquer Britannia TWICE!
I really wished my history teacher had the skill to explain these stuff at least half as entertaining as this.
This should be called Belisarius - Extra History ..... You guys are awesome please keep doing this!
Well made!
My favorite part of these videos are the horses! They’re so cute!!!!
To have the best feels when watching these videos particularly is to listen to total war soundtracks while watching.
I'm content to just leave off right here, at the apex of the Roman comeback. Don't need to ruin it by hearing how it all went south, so thanks for just leaving us Rome-lovers the glory we crave, Extra Credits!
Please please please finish it up :3 I love extra history it's become one of the highlights of my week
Oh right that's how so much people got these videos early you support these guys on Patreon
Im Turkish and even I enjoy the story. I like the way you illustrate and tell the story.
Manic Wombat Ye I guess :D
Thanks again for all of these Extra History vids. I lament so many of my friends complete ignorance and disinterest in history. Maybe more of these will help.
I know you've already done a WW1 series but I'd love to see one on the East African campaign and Colonel Lettow-Vorbeck. Just an almost unbelievable military campaign that only a handful of people have heard about.
Great series guys. Maybe you could tackle some other not well known but awesome guys in history. I have a list here (not in order):
1. Ashoka the Great
2. Khosrow I Anushiruvan (AKA "The immortal soul")
3. Mithridates VI of Pontus
4. Taizong of Tang
5. the great adventures of Zhang He
6. Baldwin IV of Jerusalem
7. Krum the Fearsome of Bulgaria
8. Sundiata
9. Jan Zizka, the Hussite rebellion and the Bohemian Crusade
10. Tran Hung Dao
11. Koxinga
12. Alp Arslan
12. Wladyslav Jagiello, Teutonic Wars, Prussian Crusade and the begining of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
You have a gift for exposition and a good voice for narrative. You should look into being a voice for Audio books
I never knew heard of this before. It is quite literally an epic part of history. Really liked this episode.
This should be a movie.
Dude the boat mill solution made me just drool in amazement.
im not a patreon supporter but PLZ KEEP THIS STORY GOING
the simple drawings of battles makes it really simple o understand good job art team!!!!!!
Thank you, Extra Credits. Thank you. Thank you for letting me know about this Magnificent Bastard known as Belisarius through this series.
Belisarius had a knack for commanding heavy cavalry into victory.
I like your series about The Crusaders and the Byzantine Empire. Keep up the good work.
Yes! More on Justinian's story! Thank you, Extra Credits! I have loved your videos on history. I've loved the series on the Sengoku Jidai, I loved the Punic Wars, and now this. Please keep making more! History is my favorite subject, and it's make better by good story telling (and your fun illustrations). Please keep doing what you're doing. You'll have my views! Thanks again :) If you ever want any suggestions on other histories to talk about, I might have a few ideas to run past you should you want them. I look forward to your next videos with Extra History!
This series is some of your best work guys! I'm going to tell everyone about Extra Credits and Extra History now!
What a general.... Thank you EC for enlightening us.
2:50 So, a few men could *Hold The Line* at the *Salarian* bridge, eh? Eh? Eh? Eh?
Eh? Sorry.
Yeah. They could & they did
Really got me on the edge of my seat, absolutely love this series!!
In my mind this whole thing is playing out like a David Gemmel novel - with Belisarius as the main protagonist. Really enjoyed this particular Extra History; my second favourite behind The South Sea Company and narrowly above the Sengoko Jidai.
Do more Roman history. It's an amazing City/Country/Empire.
Please continue this story! It's really interesting and you guys tell it really well :)