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Antonina (wife of Belisarius)
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Antonina | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 484-495 |
| Died | after 565 |
| Nationality | Byzantine |
| Occupation | Patrikia |
| Known for | Wife of the general Belisarius, confidante of Empress Theodora |
| Spouse | Belisarius |
| Children |
|
Antonina (Greek: Ἀντωνίνα, c. 484 or 495 – after 565) was a Byzantine patrician and wife of the general Belisarius.
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The historian Procopius, who was Belisarius' legal advisor, alleges that her influence over her husband was great and features her as dominating him.[1] The historian Paolo Cesaretti mentions her as a controversial figure and the "right arm" of the empress Theodora in the exercise of influence and power.[2]
The chief source regarding Antonina is Procopius' Secret History, whose reliability is debated by scholars, and Procopius' Wars. Much of the information that we have regarding Antonina is uncertain and subject to speculation.[3] However, multiple contemporary sources such as John Malalas and Liber Pontificalis corroborate Procopius' account that she orchestrated the downfalls of John the Cappadocian, the praetorian prefect, and Silverius, the Bishop of Rome.[4]
- ^ Martindale, Jones & Morris (1992), p. 91–93
- ^ Paolo Cesaretti, Theodora: Empress of Byzantium, Paris, 2003, Payot, IX, p. 167
- ^ Parnell, David Alan (2023). Belisarius & Antonina: love and war in the age of Justinian. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-19-757472-0.
- ^ John Malalas, Chronicle, 18.480; Liber Pontificalis, Life of Silverius
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