(re)Claiming the West: Justinian’s Expedition in Italy

Alessandro Carabia*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

The year 533 marked the beginning of a series of military expeditions undertaken by Constantinople aimed at reconquering the “lost west”. After North Africa, Italy, with its powerful symbolism, became the main target of Justinian’s generals. According to Procopius’s history, the wars started as a series of almost unplanned events, while modern scholars tend to emphasize its military nature. This paper analyses the complexity of the reasons which led to the war and how they were used to support it from different ideological and practical points. We will see how these points reflected a crucial aspect of Justinian policy and how this was portrayed by the propaganda and perceived by contemporaries. In the end, the paper will discuss if we can consider Justinian’s operations in the West as a restauratio of the Empire or a war of expansion that created new provinces without changing the eastern-focused trends of Constantinopolitan policies.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)107-139
Number of pages33
JournalImago Temporis: Medium Aevum
Issue number18
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2024

Keywords

  • Justinian
  • Italy
  • Late antiquity
  • Late Antique History
  • Late Antique Archaeology
  • Archaeology
  • History
  • Reconquest

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