Commander Narses – Conqueror of Rome

Commander Narses (478-573) was a Romanized Armenian general and an influential court official of the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Justinian I. Along with Belisarius, he was one of the great generals in service of the Byzantine Emperor.

Narses was born presumably in 478 in the territory of Armenia, which was then part of Sassanian Persia.

After the victory at Busta Gallorum, the siege of Rome by the Byzantines began. The siege did not last long, given the small size of the Roman garrison and the fact that the population in general supported the Byzantine commander.

With the support of a huge number of archers and siege equipment, Narses hit the main gate of the city, while another Byzantine commander John struck another part of the city’s walls. Soon, Rome was conquered, and Narses along with his army was solemnly met by the inhabitants of the “eternal city.”