Narses facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Narses
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Man traditionally identified as Narses, from the mosaic depicting Justinian and his entourage in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna
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| Native name | |
| Born | 478 or 480 |
| Died | 566 or 573 (aged 86/95) |
| Allegiance | Byzantine Empire |
| Service/ |
Byzantine Army |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | Nika Rebellion
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Narses (also sometimes written Nerses; Latin pronunciation: [ˈnarseːs]; Armenian: Նարսես; Greek: Ναρσής; 478–573) was a very important general who served the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. He was from Armenia and spent most of his life working in the emperor's palace in Constantinople. Narses was one of the greatest military leaders of his time. He helped the Byzantine Empire win back lands during a long war called the Gothic War.
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Who Was Narses?
Narses was born in Persarmenia, which was the eastern part of Armenia. This area had been given to Persia about 100 years earlier. He belonged to a noble Armenian family called the Kamsarakan. Historians believe he was born around 478 to 480 AD. He died sometime between 566 and 574 AD, making him quite old.
A writer named Agathias Scholasticus described Narses as a smart man who could adapt well to different situations. He said Narses was not a great speaker or writer. But he made up for it with his quick thinking. Agathias also noted that Narses was small and thin. Yet, he was stronger and more spirited than people might have expected.
Narses' Strong Beliefs
Narses was known for being a very religious man. He had a special devotion to the Virgin Mary. Stories say she would tell him the right time to attack in battle. Narses would never fight without her approval. He was also very generous to the poor and worked hard to restore churches. People believed he won battles more by praying to God than by using weapons. Before becoming a top army commander, Narses built a church and monastery. He planned to retire there one day.
Early Career in the Palace
It's not fully known how Narses came to Constantinople. Or how he started working in the emperor's palace. When he is first mentioned in history, Narses was serving Emperor Justinian I in 530. He was a high treasurer, managing the emperor's money.
Narses quickly moved up in rank. He became the commander of the emperor's special guard. Eventually, he became the Grand Chamberlain (praepositus sacri cubiculi). This was a very powerful position in the palace. He also became a Master of Soldiers (magister militum), a top military role.
Stopping a Rebellion
Narses played a key part in stopping the Nika riots in 532. These riots were a huge rebellion in Constantinople. Emperor Justinian or his wife Theodora told Narses to use money to bribe the leaders of one of the rebel groups, called the Blue Faction.
Narses reminded them that the man they wanted to make emperor, Hypatius, was from the rival Green Faction. He also pointed out that Justinian supported the Blues. His words and the money convinced the Blue Faction to switch sides. They turned against Hypatius and helped Justinian. Narses might have even been with the men who pulled Hypatius from the throne.
Leading the Army
After helping to stop the Nika Riots, Narses was put in charge of an army. This army was sent to Italy to help another great general, Belisarius. Narses arrived in Italy in June 538 with about 7,000 soldiers. His army was made up of many different groups of people.
Narses met Belisarius to plan their next moves. They disagreed on some things, and a rivalry grew between them. Emperor Justinian had to send a letter to Belisarius. He stated that Belisarius alone was in charge of the army. Narses was then called back to Constantinople. But he was not in trouble. He remained a trusted helper to the Emperor and Empress.
For the next twelve years, Narses mostly worked behind the scenes. In 545, Justinian sent Narses to recruit soldiers from a group called the Heruli. Narses was popular among them.
Return to Italy
In 551, Narses was finally sent back to Italy. This is where he would win his greatest victories. Another general, Germanus, was supposed to finish the war in Italy. But Germanus died on his way there. So, Narses was appointed the new supreme commander of the army.
Narses had access to the Emperor's money. This allowed him to gather a large army of 20,000 to 30,000 troops. Many soldiers liked Narses because he treated them well. His army was very strong and included many different groups of people.
Narses took over a year to reach Italy. The Ostrogothic king, Totila, controlled the sea. This made it hard for Narses to get supplies by ship. But the Byzantine navy won an important battle at sea called the Battle of Sena Gallica. This victory helped Narses get his supplies. Narses eventually reached Ravenna without being stopped.
Battle of Taginae
Narses marched to find Totila's main army. He sent a message to Totila, offering him a chance to surrender. Or to choose a day for battle. Totila said they would fight in eight days. But Narses was smart and prepared for battle sooner. He chose a defensive position, as his army was larger than Totila's. This battle, now called the Battle of Taginae, would be Narses' biggest win. It showed he was as skilled a general as Belisarius.
Clever Battle Tactics
Narses' success at Taginae came from how he arranged his troops. He set them up in a crescent shape. Most of his foot soldiers were in the middle, with archers on the sides. The foot soldiers were actually cavalry who had gotten off their horses. This was because the Goths thought regular foot soldiers were weak.
The archers on the sides could shoot arrows at the Gothic cavalry from the side. This was very effective, like a later battle called Agincourt. Narses also placed most of his cavalry right next to his foot soldiers. They were not meant to help the main line. Instead, they were there to launch a surprise attack when the Goths were fully surrounded.
Narses knew Totila would attack the "weak" center. This allowed Narses to completely destroy the Ostrogothic army. Totila sent many waves of troops. But they became disorganized by the arrows raining down on them. By the time they reached Narses' foot soldiers, they were already broken.
Finally, Totila's cavalry was pushed back onto their own foot soldiers. Narses then ordered his own cavalry, which he had kept hidden, to charge. The Gothic retreat quickly turned into a complete escape. The Gothic cavalry ran right over their own foot soldiers, who also fled.
King Totila himself was killed in this battle. One story says he fled with only five followers. Then, a Gepid leader named Asbad caught up to him and killed him with a spear. His body was quickly buried. Later, a Gothic woman showed where he was buried, and his body was found and identified.
Winning Back Italy
After the Battle of Taginae, Narses marched to Rome. He had to lay siege to the city for a short time. Narses attacked one side with many archers, while another general, John, attacked another part of the walls. From Rome, Narses worked to remove all remaining Ostrogothic forces from Italy.
Narses then moved to capture Totila's treasury, which was held in a very strong fortress called Cumae. While some of his army went to deal with Teias, Totila's son and the new Gothic king, a group was sent to take Cumae. Teias tried to avoid Narses' main army. After small fights for almost two months, Teias retreated into the mountains. His army soon faced starvation.
Battle of Mons Lactarius
The Goths suddenly charged down the mountain in a tight group. They caught Narses' army by surprise. The Goths fought on foot, and Narses' army also fought on foot. The battle lasted two days. A writer named Procopius described the great bravery of King Teias. He said Teias's heroism was like that of ancient heroes.
Teias led the charge towards Narses. Procopius said that every time Teias's shield was full of arrows, he would get a new one. Finally, a spear hit his shield, and he was struck dead. A soldier cut off his head to show the Goths their king had died. But instead of giving up, the Goths fought even harder the next day.
The second day was similar. The Goths charged and fought on foot with few tactics. Finally, the Goths sent some officers to Narses. They said they would surrender if they could leave the country safely. Narses accepted their terms.
Final Victories
After the Goths were defeated, a group called the Franks tried to invade the lands Narses had just won back. Narses regrouped his army in Rome. When spring came, he marched his army against the Franks. The Franks were led by two brothers, Leutharis and Buccillinus. They were taking different routes and plundering the land.
At the Battle of Casilinum, Narses used very strong foot soldiers in the center. These were hand-picked troops wearing long mail coats. Highly trained cavalry were on the sides. The Franks were described as very rough and had no cavalry. Their main weapons were throwing axes and javelins.
The Franks attacked Narses' center. It was pushed back at first but was reinforced by the Herulis, who slowed the attackers. At this point, Narses had his cavalry move in from the sides. They did not directly attack the Franks. Instead, they shot a huge number of arrows into them. The Franks became disorganized, and their tight formations broke. Narses then ordered a general charge that destroyed their ranks.
The Franks were massacred. It's said that only five of them escaped that day. Narses' three major victories showed his skill in using combined tactics. He used cavalry and archers together to create confusion and defeat his enemies. After these wins, Narses returned to Rome.
Narses' Later Years
For the next twelve years, Narses likely stayed in Italy. He worked to reorganize its government. Emperor Justinian sent Narses new laws to help with this. Narses completed some restoration projects in Italy. He repaired many bridges into Rome and rebuilt the city's walls. But he could not return Rome to its former glory.
Little is known about Narses' final years. Some historians believe he died in 567, while others say he died in 574. If he died in 574, he would have been around 96 years old.
A famous story says that Narses was called back to Constantinople. This was because the new Emperor Justin II and his wife, Empress Sophia, were upset with him. Narses then supposedly retired to Naples. The story says Sophia sent Narses a golden spinning tool. It was a sarcastic message, inviting him to return to the palace to oversee the women's spinning. Narses is said to have replied that he would spin a thread that neither she nor Justin would ever find the end of.
From Naples, Narses supposedly invited the Lombards to invade northern Italy. However, historians question if there was real hostility between the empress and Narses. One historian wrote that Narses' body was returned to Constantinople. Another wrote that Narses was buried in a monastery he founded, with the Emperor and Empress present.
Images for kids
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In Spanish: Narsés para niños
