‘The Glory of the Romans’: The General Belisarius in Byzantine Cultural Memory (6th-16th Centuries).
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2025-06-15
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en
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This thesis analyses how the 6th-century general Belisarius was commemorated in Byzantine cultural memory through Assmann’s concept of cultural memory, from descriptions of Belisarius’ lifetime until his appearance in the Belisariad-poem in the 14-16th centuries. First, it will explore the genesis of the contemporary notion that the general was a victim of phthonos (‘envy’). Second, it will explain how Belisarius became a relatable figure for later authors’ own times against the historical background of the 10th-12th centuries, which saw renewed Byzantine military activity and innovations in literary expression that both facilitated a renewed interest in the ancient general. Finally, the three editions of the popular Belisariad-poem reveal the use of Belisarius’ memory as a moral didactic figure over the course of the 15th century. The conclusion of this research is that the figure of Belisarius was increasingly commemorated as a timeless multilayered moral character in Byzantine cultural memory.
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Faculteit der Letteren