The Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius Scholasticus - Coptic ...

220
EVAGRIUS
the eleventh year of the emperor Justinian’s direction of monarchical
rule. 51
The same Procopius records that, when the Goths [170] were besieging
Rome, Belisarius, having a suspicion of treachery against the city’s
archbishop Silverius, transported him to Greece and appointed Vigilius
as archbishop. 52
20 At about the same time, as the same Procopius records, the Heruls,
who had already crossed the river Danube while Anastasius was steering
the Roman realm, after receiving generous treatment from Justinian,
who granted them large sums of money, became Christians en masse
and changed to a milder lifestyle. 53
21 Then he relates Belisarius’ return to Byzantium, and how he brought
back Vitigis along with the spoils from Rome, Totila’s acquisition of the
Roman realm and how Rome again came under the Goths, that Belisarius
after twice landing in Italy recovered Rome again, and how when
the Persian war broke out Belisarius was again summoned back to
Byzantium by the emperor. 54
51 A summary of Wars v.14.4^5, 14. After Belisarius’ capture of Naples, Vitigis decided
not to devote his main forces to defending Rome, but he did install a Gothic garrison and
urge the inhabitants to remember the bene¢ts they had received from Theoderic, so that he
did not entirely abandon the city. Belisarius entered Rome in December 536, while the
Gothic garrison was allowed to withdraw.
52 Wars v.25.13. Vigilius, the papal representative (apocrisarius) at Constantinople, had
hoped to succeed Agapetus as Pope in 536 and reached some sort of understanding with the
empress Theodora about the attitude he would take to Chalcedon; however, before he could
return to Italy, Silverius had already been chosen in June 536. Theodora apparently continued
to scheme for the appointment of Vigilius, and during the Gothic siege of Rome in 537
accusations of treachery were produced and Silverius was deposed on 11 March, to be replaced
by Vigilius on 29 March 537 (Liber Ponti¢calis, Life of Silverius).
53 A summary of Wars vi.14.28^36. The Heruls, a tribe renowned for their barbarous
customs, which Procopius describes at some length, were among the troops which Narses
brought to Italy in 538. The Herul king, Greps, was baptized at Constantinople on 6
January 528, with Justinian acting as godparent.
54 An extremely brief summary of events in Procopius. Belisarius returned to Constantinople
in 540 (Wars vii.1), part of the reason being the war with Persia which had just
broken out. The victorious campaigns of Totila (PLRE III. 1328^32), who became Gothic
king in 541, occupy most of Wars vii; he captured Rome on 17 December 546, after a siege
lasting one year (vii.20). Belisarius returned to Italy in 544, where he found it di⁄cult to
contain Totila’s successes; there was, however, no di⁄culty about reoccupying Rome early