Triumph (16 page)

‘And in case you think it is only that, surrender will mean the impoverishment of the nobles as well as the citizens of Ravenna.’

That satisfied the most gory-minded of his commanders; blood they loved to spill but what might accrue to their coffers was just as important, even if it had to be paraded through the streets of Constantinople to be gawped at by the mob. As had happened with the treasure of the Vandals, a hoard plundered from the whole of Roman Europe over two centuries, the Emperor was obliged, once the crowd had been afforded their glimpse of such fabulous wealth, to share the spoils of war with those who fought and won his battles.

The prospect of the forthcoming meeting was not aided by the information that Antonina was planning one of her entertainments and her refusal to put it off. She had invited dozens of officers, many of them young and junior, as well as some of the more refined women
who had become camp followers: Roman and Goth war widows, often from places taken by Flavius Belisarius and his armies, who traded their bodies for food, comfort and, it had to be admitted, sometimes for love.

‘You are a dullard,’ was her response when Flavius declined to attend, even for a short while.

‘You dazzle enough for both of us,’ was the diplomatic reply as his wife flounced out in a huff.

The sounds of that entertainment lay in the background as Procopius led the trio of Goth nobles into his private chamber once more, this a more bustling entrance than hitherto. The first words imparted told Flavius that Witigis was in full agreement to the proposal and would relinquish his power in favour of his enemy as long as certain conditions were met.

Flavius allowed them to be stated, the primary condition germane as to whether he accepted the kingship or not and that related to their treasury. How could he take that from them when it would be partly his own? Likewise, if he left the service of Justinian he would be a fool indeed to surrender to the Emperor any of the men he might need to hold on to his claim.

That stated, the time had come for an answer to the most important question of all. Would he agree to become King of the Goths? The eyes of four men were upon him, unblinking, and Flavius had the impression he was the only person breathing.

‘I am minded to accept, but not here and not in this room. Such a commitment can only be made when Witigis is present and able to formally announce, before his nobles, that he is standing aside. It is to that same body I must make my pledges.’

‘On the treasure and us and our fellow nobles retaining our freedom?’

‘Those would naturally be granted at the same time.’

For a man who could address a whole army, that last remark was so softly pronounced as to risk the need for repetition. The faces of the Goths, once their Latin speaker had repeated them, relaxed enough to allow them to nod, while Procopius could not stop the slight smile which adorned his face.

‘I bid you return to Ravenna and convey this to those to whom you must report. I must myself go to join my wife who is, as you can no doubt hear, entertaining our guests. It would be impolitic to stay away too long and perhaps set minds thinking when we still have a need for concealment.’

The envoys seemed to understand and accept this; they had limited knowledge of his private life. It was Procopius who had the strange expression, no longer smiling, he was looking at his master with troubled curiosity.

‘A word,
Magister
, after I have seen these men safely out of our lines?’

‘In the morning, Procopius, unless you would care to join Antonina and I.’

T
he time had come to send away those of his generals who may cause him trouble. Flavius despatched John Vitalianus and several of the commanders who had come with Narses, their task to take over with their contingents various Goth fortresses dotted over northern Italy. His reasons being sound this was readily accepted; such a move would nullify the risk of any attempt to relieve Ravenna as well as ease what might become a drain on supplies.

Not stated by either party was the motive for the way his orders were eagerly welcomed. With the Goths virtually beaten, these men would be free to plunder at will and in a polity that would willingly give up its possessions to avoid being ravaged. To the likes of John Vitalianus, Ravenna, though a wealthier prize, might turn into a siege of months, if not years. Better a bird in the hand when it came to full coffers.

If moving problem generals proved easy to accomplish, there was as yet many a dilemma to solve, not least the probing curiosity of Procopius. To avoid his secretary was impossible; they worked in close harmony on a daily basis on such matters as feeding the army, the state of the men’s health and corresponding with the various other commands and functionaries all over the Italian peninsula and Illyria, as well as communicating with Constantinople.

If Procopius probed to little avail that was as nothing to Antonina, who had a nose that could smell conspiracy a league away. In addition to her curiosity she added another problem to the life of her husband, for Flavius had sent Photius back to the capital once more. His wife had then sent for Theodosius, a man too fearful of Antonina’s natural son and possible violence to ever be in the same place.

Her husband was too preoccupied to give it the attention it deserved; having challenged Antonina in Sicily, following on from the revelations made by her maid, and having received an outright denial of any impropriety, he had to accept that even with what he had been told by Photius he had no actual proof that she had transgressed.

He had a plan to implement and for once it was held within himself, not even discussed with Procopius, not yet confided to his generals and certainly kept well secret from his wife. He had supplies moved closer to Ravenna, so that the besieged city could be fed, and then called a conference to gain support for his aims.

‘Though I will not yet refer to the conditions under which this has been made, the Goths have sent envoys offering to surrender their capital and bring an end to the war in Italy.’

That set them talking, as each mind calculated what this would mean to them; war brought rewards, but so did peace. Flavius let it rumble on until it began to naturally diminish, eyes turning from neighbourly exchanges regarding what offices might fall to the successful and back onto the man who would control them.

‘I have good reason to believe that Witigis will stand down as their leader, or failing that be deposed by the same kind of vote that gave him the crown. The question we must settle is this: is such an outcome best for the empire? As you will know from my difference with Narses, my instructions from our emperor set that as a tie to any action I take.’

‘And the alternative?’ asked Martinus, exercising his right of seniority to enquire, even if the answer was obvious.

‘To take Ravenna by storm?’

‘In doing so we would lose many of our soldiers,’ Martinus replied, to a ripple of agreement. ‘They are as likely to drown in the marshes as fall to an arrow or sword.’

‘I agree it will not be easy.’

‘Given it would take time, we would have the problem of supply,’ added Ildiger.

‘All of this is true, but what I require from you is open support for my own inclinations, which is to accept the Goth offer.’

Flavius let that sink in; he was being open and if any had doubted why he had sent so many men and their commanders away they could be in no doubt now. It was also unnecessary to explain the politics of what he was seeking, nothing less than a full agreement to a course of action on which he had set his mind, as a means of protecting himself against future censure.

The history of the empire was replete with instances of men being successful in war being brought low at some later stage for real or perceived corruption on campaign and that was a many-headed beast that rarely had much to do with the theft of treasure. Victory always raised a man’s profile, which made him an automatic target for anyone either jealous or fearful that their present situation could be rendered insecure. Even if they could not bring him down they could dent his reputation.

He had made a foe of Narses, for one, and he was a man with too many connections to treat lightly. The old eunuch would not be alone in a city where Flavius knew he already had enemies, even if such people never revealed themselves. A smile and warm greeting in the corridors of the imperial palace was not to be taken at face value; it
could just be the prelude to an accusation of malfeasance.

‘I see the Goths as humbled. To fight on and seek to destroy them is not in the best interests of both the empire and the Emperor. So I propose to accept the offer of surrender and enter Ravenna under truce, sparing the Goths any blood as I spare the men I lead. If any here think that unwise or contrary to my instructions say so now.’

There were any number of exchanged looks before the nodding began, that followed by vocal acceptance.

‘Good, I will ask my secretary to prepare a document to which we will all append our signatures and our seals. If that offends anyone’s sense of honour I ask your forgiveness, but hope that you will see the need.’

Once that was prepared and signed Flavius sent word to Witigis, still the Goth leader, saying that he would accept the surrender of the city and enter at the head of his army within two days. That completed, the barges full of grain seized by Vitalius, which had been held back by the low water in the river, would be allowed into the city to feed a near starving population, this ensuring that the Byzantines would be welcome by the populace if not the warriors.

Given time to prepare, the Byzantine army worked hard to shine in what all saw as a victory parade, one not dissimilar to that which might one day follow down the Triumphal Way in Constantinople. Every bit of finery owned by every soldier would be on display and that went too for their general, who wore his finest armour and rode his most handsome horse.

His place was ahead of the open-sided palanquin in which sat a superbly attired Antonina, insisting on her right to give precedence only to her husband and not his officers or men. It was a sorrow to Flavius if not to her that Photius was absent from this moment, galling that behind his wife rode Theodosius, who had put not one
jot of effort into the campaign but seemingly spent his time both in North Africa and Italy fleecing the locals and filling his coffers, albeit in a quasi-legal fashion.

The Goth nobles had gathered before the Roman palace built by the Emperor Honorius to greet their conqueror and, for many included in the conspiracy, they hoped their future ruler. In the latter they were to be disappointed: following on from the formal handing over of the keys of the city, the first thing they were told was that his loyalty to his own ruler and the empire transcended anything else that could be gifted to him.

That declaration set up loud objections; had Flavius not promised their envoys of his intention to accede to their offer of the kingship? Equally of interest was the expression this engendered on the faces of his senior commanders, all finding out for the first time that such a proposal had even been advanced. The most telling was that of Procopius, who could not keep off his face a thunderous look, there to indicate his feeling of a personal betrayal.

There were Goths present prepared to react with violence and they had to be restrained by their more sober comrades. The men Flavius led had already set about disarming their foes and here, within the audience chamber of the old palace, the man who had repudiated what they thought had been a commitment was surrounded by his personal bodyguards in numbers that would do nothing other than produce a massacre.

‘There were fears that your assembled would be sent to Constantinople as captives. That, I assure you, will not happen.’

‘Are your assurances worth anything, Flavius Belisarius?’

‘Yes, Witigis, they are, but I require that those who have homes elsewhere disperse. If they do not, I must confine them as I am obliged to do to you.’

‘Is that what I am now?’ Witigis asked. ‘A prisoner?’

‘An honoured one who will be treated with respect.’

‘Our treasury, which you led us to believe would be safe?’

‘How many talents of gold do you think Justinian has expended in Italy? Is it not the misfortune of war that the loser must forfeit what they own to offset that? If I left it in your hands I would as well leave my head along with it. I would soon be accused of harbouring it for myself.’

Ennes stepped forward to take charge of Witigis, who was escorted to a set of the old imperial apartments. The guard commander already had his instructions to treat the Goth leader with respect and to ensure that whatever comfort could be provided for him be made available. Flavius, once his audience had dispersed, made his way to the part of the palace once occupied by Theodoric.

If he was not a Goth king he was yet the ruler of that leader’s old patrimony and one of his duties would be to visit the great mausoleum built to hold the great man’s remains, this being a personal inclination to honour Theodoric’s memory as well as a politic act to impress the inhabitants.

Behind the army came the instrument that would control the fate of the city: Procopius and his numerous clerks, along with priests who would rededicate churches that had been used in the Arian rite back to an observance of proper Roman Christianity, albeit instructions had been issued that they be tolerant of religious differences.

If Flavius had faced the Goths without any conscience, that did not extend to his secretary, who plainly felt betrayed though he held in his feelings until a whole raft of matters had been dealt with, orders issued to military commanders and various officials regarding the governance of the city. Knowing what was coming, once they were alone, Flavius got his reasoning in quickly.

‘I did not swear to accept.’

‘Then why give the impression that you had?’

‘You can ask that in the one-time residence of a Roman emperor? I have Ravenna without having to fight to gain it. My soldiers are, as we speak, taking control of the provinces to the north without spilling a single drop of blood. I have brought to an end nearly five years of conflict.’

‘So it was a deliberate falsehood?’

‘It was a stratagem and a successful one and at no time did I ever issue a binding oath. I cannot fathom why you are so troubled.’

‘No, and there is the pity. I find I have dedicated my life to a man who cannot see what is in his own interest and is blinded by a faith that I do not share. Do you think this will end the malice of Theodora? Do you think that Justinian will treat you as he should? Did you ever truly consider what it was the Goths were offering and where it could lead?’

‘I did, Procopius. I gave it much thought.’

‘And chose the wrong course.’

‘To your mind, not mine,’ Flavius insisted. ‘Do you not know me after all these years? Do you not know where I would seek reasons on how I should act?’

The response had about it a quality of defeat. ‘Your father.’

‘My whole family, Procopius, may God rest their souls. I was brought up to be a Roman and so were my brothers. Our father saw it as the highest duty of our lives to live and, if need be, die for the empire and that is the fate that fell to them even if it was a tainted one. It is my hope that one day, I may meet them in some celestial paradise, especially the man I revered most in all my life. Would you have me face him when I betrayed that which he held dear?’

‘You were afforded the chance to enhance the empire by being its ruler.’

‘At the cost of rebellion. That is too high a price chalice from which I do not wish to sup.’

‘Beware there is not a cup of poison awaiting you anyway.’

‘You would have me act the creature Theodora suspects me to be. Even without the memory of my father that is something to which I could never ascribe.’

Over the weeks that followed Flavius saw his policy bear fruit as one after another the Goth leaders who had not been trapped in Ravenna came to the city to offer obeisance to this new dispensation. Yet as always there was a gremlin waiting to fracture what should have been a satisfactory whole, a single leader called Ildibadus, who held Verona. Initially willing to surrender, he withdrew that when he heard that the Goth treasury was to be forfeit to Justinian.

Added to that, his fellow nobles were deeply unhappy that Flavius had spurned their offer of either regal of imperial estate and Ildibadus became the focus of that dissent. He had an ally in the nephew of Witigis who still held Milan, and, combined, the pair formed a bloc that tore a hole in the peaceful fabric Flavius was seeking to construct. He had to watch from the sidelines as moves were made to elect a new king, the crown finally being settled on the head of Ildibadus, though not before, at his instigation, it had once more been offered to and declined by Flavius Belisarius.

Given their losses and his strength this did not worry the man who had taken Ravenna; he was sure that very little campaigning would be required to put paid to any attempt by this truncated force to effect matters. It was an irritant, not a difficulty, that was till matters elsewhere intervened, this in the form of an order from Justinian.

‘Recalled?’

‘To take command in the east,
Magister
.’

There was a look on the face of Procopius and Cabasilis, the descendant of a famous imperial general and the messenger from Constantinople, as if to imply such orders were only an excuse to get him to the capital where reasons would be found to arraign him for some invented offence, and there was one obvious risk. Could the news of the Goth offer have got to Constantinople and back again in such a short time?