Belisarius & Antonina: Love and War in the Age of Justinian

Review

by John Polemikos
published on 02 May 2025

A marriage-focused biographical analysis, Parnell's engaging portrayal of the famous general Belisarius and his wife Antonina offers fresh perspectives on the lesser-explored experiences of elite women during the Late Antiquity/Early Byzantine Period. Given the lack of sources related to Antonina, using their marriage as a lens to analyse the time period involved an extraordinarily close reading of the major surviving sources, namely Procopius’ "Wars" and "Secret History."

More than just captivating entertainment and an enthralling narrative, this book is an outstanding classroom resource for teaching students the art of detecting bias and uncovering the truth through a careful analysis of primary sources.

The book begins with a very good description of Constantinople during the respective upbringings of Belisarius and Antonina before their marriage. Next follows a discussion of Belisarius as commander of the Roman troops on the Persian frontier. During this time, roughly from 527 to 532 CE, Antonina was most likely separated from Belisarius since she was pregnant with her daughter. Parnell claimed that the couple’s role in the Nika Riots ending this period significantly propelled the general’s career. Chapter Three outlined Belisarius’ “victory in Africa” where he defeated the Vandals. The next two chapters describe the couple’s role in the defeat of the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy. In this war, along with the victory over the Vandals, Antonina played an active role and accompanied her husband. In Chapter Six, Belisarius was separated from Antonina when he was sent to protect the frontier from a Persian invasion. This chapter ends with the bombshell that Antonina was not actually engaged in an affair with her adopted son, as many historians believe. The last chapters were about the failed Italian campaign of 544-549 CE, the broken marriage pact of their daughter, and the death of Justinian and Belisarius. Finally, there was a discussion of Belisarius’ later appearances in fiction over the years.

What stands out about this book is Parnell's argument that Antonina was no ordinary homebound figure—she was dynamic and engaged. She was an active partner who played a direct role in shaping domestic, political, and military affairs. She accompanied Belisarius on most military campaigns, once prevented the army’s water provisions from spoiling, occasionally managed political affairs within the army, played a key role in deposing Pope Silverius, and successfully petitioned Constantinople for additional supplies and reinforcements—all while managing her own household.

Curiously, the word “Byzantine” is only used a handful of times in the entire book just to clarify that it would not be used again to describe the identity of Belisarius and Antonina. Parnell prefers to identify them as they identify themselves: as Romans.

Parnell convincingly and quite skillfully dismisses the widely-held accusation made by Procopius that Antonina was having an affair with their adopted son, Theodosius. He makes the case that these accusations were not merely recorded by Procopius but were fabricated by Photios, Antonina's son from a previous marriage. He speculates that Photios and Theodosius conflicted over their inheritance. Parnell argues that Photios may have spread these rumors about Theodosius by inventing the affair to come out ahead. This fabricated story was then recorded by Procopius in his Secret History.

Overall, David Parnell’s memorable book is necessarily speculative but makes very reasonable conclusions. Parnell is Professor of History at Indiana University Northwest. At times, his book mirrors military history with its detailed battle narratives. Yet, by centering on marriage, the book broke new ground, serving as both a valuable teaching tool and a gripping read for general audiences.

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