Feeble is the struggle of human nature against power, and when men have attained it even by the disregard of friendship they imagine the sin will be forgotten because friendship was not disregarded without a weighty cause. M. Tullius Cicero. De Amictia. Laelius on friendship. Section 63.
Historical note: This quote made me think of the tumultuous relationship between Justinian and his general Belisarius. Justinian and Belisarius were purported to be close friends before Justinian donned the purple. But upon assuming power, Justinian was frequently indifferent toward his "friend" and sometimes downright duplicitous. Even though Belisarius won victory after victory for Justinian, often Justinian would withhold desperately needed funds or supplies, assuming his "friend" would rise to the challenge anyway. It didn't help that the Empress Theodora was dangerously jealous of Belisarius' relationship with the emperor and used Belisarius' wife, Antonina, to spy on him and exercise power over him.
During the recapture of much of the Italian peninsula during the Gothic War of 535-554 CE, Justinian further undercut Belisarius when he sent a favored court eunuch, Narses, to "assist" in the military struggle. A Romanized Armenian, Narses was not without military acumen but was a creature of court politics and fiercely ambitious. Narses' early career is unknown. When first mentioned by Procopius in 530 CE, Narses was serving as Justinian's steward. Later he served as high treasurer and rose through the ranks to become the commander of the eunuch bodyguard for the Emperor and, eventually, the Grand Chamberlain and the Master of Soldiers (magister militum). During the Nika Riots, Narses, on the instruction of either Justinian or Theodora, bribed the Blue Faction's leaders to support Justinian instead of Hypatius. He was rewarded for his service with the command of a moderately-sized army and sent to "help" Belisarius defeat the Ostrogoths under Vitiges.
Belisarius had driven the Ostrogoths north as he worked his way up the Italian peninsula toward Mediolanum (modern Milan). There, the city's representatives had requested a small force of 1,000 of Belisarius' men to defend the city from the Ostrogoths and Belisarius had agreed. Then Vitiges asked the Franks for help and a force of 10,000 Burgundians crossed the Alps to beseige Mediolanum. A relief force was dispatched by Belisarius but its commanders, Martin and Uliaris, did not make any effort to help the besieged city. Instead, they asked for further reinforcements by the forces of John the Cappadocian, Praetorian Prefect, and the magister militum of Illyricum, Justin, who were operating in the nearby province of Aemilia. But, John and Justin refused to move without orders from Narses, rather than Belisarius.
The delays proved fatal for the city, which, after many months of siege, was close to starvation. The Goths offered Mundilas, the relief force's defending commander, a guarantee that the lives of his soldiers would be spared if he surrendered the city, but no guarantee was offered for the civilians, so Mundilas refused. By the end of March 539, however, his starving soldiers forced him to accept the terms. The Roman garrison was spared, but the inhabitants were subjected to a massacre and the city was razed.
After this disaster Narses was recalled and Belisarius confirmed as supreme commander with authority throughout Italy. But Narses just returned to Constantinople and once again immersed himself in the cauldron of court politics, encouraging Justinian's growing jealousy of Belisarius. This jealousy finally overwhelmed Justinian when the Goths at Ravenna offered Belisarius the throne of the west. Although Belisarius refused the honor, he was recalled to Constantinople and his estates confiscated.
Of course Justinian recalled him to service during wars with the Persians, more conflicts with the Goths, and eventually a last battle with the Kutrigur Bulgars. But despite using Belisarius repeatedly to not only preserve the empire but increase its size by 45%, Justinian offered no support when Belisarius was prosecuted on a trumped up charge of corruption. He at least pardoned him, but only after his estates were once more confiscated.
Image: The Battle of Mons Lactarius between the Byzantine forces under Narses and the Goths by Alexander Zick (1845-1907)
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