Byzantine Empire: Justinian and Theodora - The Reforms of Justinian - Extra History - Part 2

📜 Byzantine Empire: Justinian and Theodora - Part 2 - Extra History
Justinian wanted to restore the glory of Rome, but many obstacles stood in his way. He brought on talented advisors to help him reform the tax system, the law code, and the military might of the empire. With them he made great strides, but these advisors had very human flaws. His tax collector, John the Cappadocian, centralized tax collection and crushed corruption in his agents, greatly increasing the revenue to the empire - but he also skimmed money off the top to feed his private corruption. Meanwhile, a lawyer named Tribonian took centuries of confusing and even conflicting legal precedents and resolved them into a single code, the Corpis Juris Civilis, which remains the foundation of modern law today. He even made a textbook for students to learn from. But he was also a practicing pagan during an era when Justinian was trying to crack down on pagan rituals. And last, Justinian's chief military commander Belisarius helped the Empire recover its military glory. He defeated the Sassanid Persians in the Battle of Dara, crushing a force of 50,000 men with only 25,000 of his own through clever strategy: he dug a trench to halt their infantry's advance, then baited the Persian cavalry into overextending and sprang a surprise attack on them with Hun mercenaries. Although Belisarius seems to have been an upstanding person, his personal historian Procopius tainted even his clean record. Procopius wrote glowing official histories of the reign of Justinian, but his long lost secret history depicted Justinian as a literal headless demon and Theodora as a debauched monster.
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Part 6 - • Byzantine Empire: Just...
Part 7 - • Justinian & Theodora -...
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Part 9 - • Justinian & Theodora -...
Part 10 - • Theodora - This is My ...
Part 11 - • Justinian & Theodora -...
Part 12 - • Justinian - Caesar I w...
Series Wrap-up & Lies Episode Part 1 - • Byzantine Empire: Just...
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[@Titan360]

"And I don't mean a figurative monster, I mean a demonic creature that could pop off its head and wonder the palace headless late at night." ...that describes every single character your art team draws for Extra Credits/History.

[@0th_Law]

@@hahaveryfunnyindeed2543 Not to your _knowledge._

[@KennyHazy97]

I want HBO to make a series based on this. A cast of colourful, unlikely characters working together to keep an old mighty beast of an empire alive and kicking.

[@AVeryDandyLad]

There was 2 seasons of Rome.

[@MM-vs2et]

That Rome was centered around Imperial Rome 50 BC - 10 BC. This Rome, or, Byzantine, are way past that era

[@abhimanyukarnawat7441]

I'd watch that

[@cindchan]

I would certainly watch it!

[@silvussol8966]

A Byzantine era series could maybe even give a nod to some of my ancestors, the Varangians.

[@ameliaelaine1813]

"Torturing rich people until they paid their taxes." Hey Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today

[@AlechiaTheWitch]

NOOOO!

[@AlechiaTheWitch]

@Zeeahan Tayyab break your knee caps

[@talos2384]

You can make a religion out of this!

[@nikolasmtr]

@@talos2384 *No, don't.*

[@LouforYous]

👏👏👏

[@viettrungtran4500]

What i learn from this story is "A good king is not the one who wipe out all the corruption within his kingdom. But to bring out the best from the worst people and use it for the greater good."

[@rob6927]

Where is that quote from?

[@viettrungtran4500]

Not quote. Just something you learn from this video.

[@rob6927]

@@viettrungtran4500 Oh, ok. So it's your own quote then 👍🏼

[@marshalsoult3860]

@@viettrungtran4500 6 years ago hehe

[@Kth77]

This may be the most interesting story in history. A nation crumbling, enemies at the gate. Then, a peasant rises to emperor and gathers a team of quirky (to put it as friendly as possible) but talented individuals to save the empire, but the vestiges of the old world won't let go without a fight!

[@YossarianVanDriver]

Kth77 Man, yeah, this'd be a great movie or novel.

[@jadeforest7924]

Kth77 I wish that Hollywood would produce movies with this high quality of plot, but alas, that will never happen.

[@MichaelBirks]

YossarianVanDriver It might run afoul of the same problem that plagues all the movies about Alexander the Great. (It's not Colin Firth's fault, honest!). There's just so much going on here that to crank it down into a two hour movie would mean you have to gloss over so much that it would be bland. I could see several movies aiming at individual elements of the story: Belasarius I: The Battle of Dara Belasarious II: The Nika Rebellion (Belasarius III: The time travelling talking crystal from the future - with apologies to David Drake and Eric Flint)

[@RubberyCat]

Michael Birks Why not follow an Avengers-like crossover concept? ............. * Justinian * The Cappadocian * Lawman Tribonian * Belasarius - The Battle of Dara ....... And so on.

[@MichaelBirks]

RubberyCat You've got a point. I would submit, however, that while "The Cappadocian" could be an epic of sex and debauchery, "Law-writer Tribonian" might possibly be a little too dry. Although, if they were to crank in "the Secret history" as well, it could be more interesting. Have to find the right person to play Theodora, though.

[@runetitan-lx4ih]

so many of these extra history videos make me want to play a total war game.

[@wschippr1]

rune titan Yep, Tots understand that.

[@Mr.Korzack]

rune titan Oh, same - Also, I found it weirdly good timing that days after this series started, a DLC campaign for Atilla that covers the precise period they're talking about came out. I know if CA has underwritten the series like they did Punic wars it would've been disclosed, but still, awesome timing!

[@Marylandbrony]

rune titan Also this show's very existence come from when the studio which makes the game used some left over marking funds for Rome 2 to get extra credits to make a series on the Carthaginian wars to promote the game and people liked it and wanted it full time the rest is history.

[@michaelkemel9711]

rune titan "Total War: Byzantium" Fuck yes.

[@InfernGame]

This series makes playing total war games so much more fun actually. Like, for Rome 2 we got the Punic War series, for Shogun 2 we got the Sengoku Jidai series and for Atilla we got the Byzantine series. We're only missing Empire, Napoleon and Medieval. (btw those three games would make a great theme for an extra history series).

[@courtneywoodbury5198]

Too bad they couldn't flood that trench and put up a sign that said something like 'enjoy your bath'.

[@2b-coeur]

+Courtney Woodbury Yeah, I was kind of expecting something like that XD

[@mankytoes]

I was expecting them to flood a section of it and through his corpse in at the end, oh well.

[@dagshadowville]

I was expecting him to get some fucked up bath as a captive, like maybe with his soldiers' blood or a bath in boiling oil.

[@TheIbney00]

That's some fucking Spartan wit right there.

[@azelfdaboi5265]

Lol

[@Psychohistorian42]

Byzantium: History's best kept secret. Seriously, even one of my high school history teachers was miffed that they had to blow past an empire that stood for almost 1000 years. I ended up taking a class in college to fill in that massive gap, taught by the guy who literally wrote the book on the Byzantine Empire.

[@r1reis]

taught by procopius???, nice class man

[@jacquelynleblanc7811]

i know!!! the history books have like 10 pages on the roman empire but then this? nope half a page!

[@whatthefuckiswrongwithyou]

bro you were taught by Procopius? how was he?

[@YaakovEzraAmiChi]

Meh. Thanks the Catholic church

[@davidtownsend6092]

@@r1reis dang you stole my joke

[@aaronman4772]

Two things. First, holy cow I want to know more of Belisarius now, because he sounds like a commander that we need to know more about. Second, the Secret History sounds like something that would come after a night of binge drinking (and possibly some acid) after the ruler pissed you off. Depicting a ruler as a literal headless demon, that takes some serious stones and/or disillusionment.

[@seret1628]

aaronman4772 I believe there is a new Total War : Attila DLC which let's you play as Belisarius in his campaigns in the west (if that helps you)

[@aaronman4772]

Seret Actually never been a Total War fan. Just not my cup of tea.

[@craznorse6240]

aaronman4772 After you've read up on him, you should check out the alternative history "belisarius" series by Eric Flint. Time travelers mess with the time period, and Belisarius as the main character have to fix things.

[@redwallzyl]

aaronman4772 theres a really good podcast about his life. its forteen episodes the page is belisariusahistory.com/

[@Halloweensmasher]

aaronman4772 I believe that Belisarius is most famous for his campaign in Italy, but they probably won't get to that for a few episodes.

[@Edward-kh5ub]

Justinian wasn't a monster he was one of our highly intelligent reptilian overlord's.

[@frigiderm5]

The government is reptiles everyone

[@dfadgsadfga1816]

Edward 14 Don't worry TPI is gonna bring them down.

[@kingvan7872]

Edward 14 YOU KNOW TOO MUCH HUMON!! I mean!... Your just one of those crazy conspiracy theories. Reptilians, as if......

[@grfrjiglstan]

Edward 14 Groveling, sniveling, driveling horde To worship scaly overlord

[@Tailikku1]

except for the fact that Icke was off his rocker, and that there were never any reptilians

[@satoshinakamoto5710]

As usual, these stories makes me want to collect the most brilliant minds and do something amazing.

[@vatekehcorlon867]

Ikr. This shit sound soo epic and fun, but tbh I but it took a long time and in on thinkable amount of hard work . Not that I'm lazy but the emperor is on a who other level with his squad lol

[@Sylocat]

***** But as always, beware the Great Man Theory of History.

[@topnotchshinobi]

***** In today's standards, we'd call that a think tank, right?

[@satoshinakamoto5710]

Varekeh Corlon Admittedly, the art, music and just the way Extra History is made is really what is responsible for giving off motivational "Epic" vibe.

[@acebalistic1358]

Then do it

[@mellytempest]

I feel like the Secret History is a very early example of spite fanfiction when he was grumpy about it and wanted to blow some steam.

[@priyankarkandarpa4414]

Melly B Nah it is actually the most perverted stuff in the world, so sick it can't be fanfic

[@a_channel2545]

@@priyankarkandarpa4414 I think you underestimate how sick the minds of fanfic writers can be 😂

[@Brrrrrrrr]

@@a_channel2545 woosh

[@arvt_]

what if he was just horribly drunk lol

[@anglexfluffy5669]

4:24 Pure brilliance right there. Why isnt this man remembered more dearly, I'll never know...

[@anosandri5122]

You cannot imagine how much I apreciate these episodes about the Byzantine Empire ... I've been taught most of these names and locations in school ,but your way of presenting them is reeeaaally enjoyable !!! Justinianus is a very well known historical figure in my country . Keep up the amazing work EC !!!!!

[@Muffinmurdurer]

We need a ck2 Justinian based DLC with your court being all of these guys.

[@tekkaoz]

Belisarius really needs more credit, he was an incredible general.

[@llSuperSnivyll]

I have a tiny idea about that "secret" book by Procopious. Assuming he lived long enough to see the end of Belisarius's campaign in the west, he would have seen Justinian getting mad at him, and later Theodora removing pretty much all the power he had, that secret book could be pretty much one long rant by Procopious about how they "betrayed" his friend.

[@starilie]

How is this not an Oscar winning HBO show?

[@marvelfannumber1]

+starilie Because Hollywood sucks at adapting history.

[@marvelfannumber1]

John von Shepard Game of Thrones is not based on actual history...I hope you realize this.

[@joinmarch76]

+starilie Never crossed their minds? Personally, I see the guys behind Game of Thrones to work on it.

[@otocan]

+starilie 1. Because TV shows aren't eligible Oscars. 2. Because not everything has to be a movie or a TV show. Pick up a book.

[@thejunks3597]

+starilie HBO tried with a show called Rome and it sucked :P

[@Oddwinters]

I was half expecting belisarius to have the Persian commander captured, then drowned in a bathtub

[@dyer4677]

OddishMaster250 Naw, Belisarius isn’t one for witty or poetic come backs. He gets back by letting his actions speak for him. He’s kinda like those guys that’ll jump into a multiplayer game and curb stomp the whole server and leave without ever saying a word.

[@azelfdaboi5265]

I wouldve

[@combativeThinker]

According to his actions, he's much more akin to Red from Pokémon.

[@LigadOss]

How great would a TV show like GOT but on this stuff be?

[@juliahenriques210]

Ligad Ossadon Amazing, for sure. It would also probably be cancelled at least one season (or two...) short of what was originally intended, like The Borgias.

[@etherwing]

Ligad Ossadon Watch Rome.

[@LigadOss]

edvardian Watched it.

[@gantzisballs]

+Stannis Baratheon It will become GOT when the Byzantines get completely destroyed by semi-nomadic horse warriors from the Sea of Grass (Central Asian Steppe). Dothraki = Turks.

[@stevenchoza6391]

gantzisballs Wrong... the Dothraki are based on the Mongols...

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

"Torturing rich people until they paid their taxes." Sounds like a good idea, actually.

[@VintageLJ]

cheezemonkeyeater Don't hurt me :(

[@svnhddbst8968]

cheezemonkeyeater torture is wrong, but when literally nothing else works.

[@LtKharn]

cheezemonkeyeater Yeah I reckon they could do with a little persuasion.You know just to give them new insights into our cause.

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

***** ... is the physical torture the only one that is prohibited?

[@svnhddbst8968]

pretty sure anything that could be defined as torture by a reasonable person is outlawed.

[@possumGFX]

Belisar was just a badass. One of the great military minds of history.

[@TakoyaKyono]

"THIS. IS. PERSIA!" Quick, someone make a remix!

[@Vellrick]

There's a good book series that's sort of sci-fi/alternate history, that centres on Belisarius. First book is 'An Oblique Approach' (David Drake and Eric Flint)

[@GamerFromJump]

My first thought upon hearing of Belisarius, too.

[@Acularius]

Vellrick "Deadly with a blade is Belisarius".

[@christiandauz3742]

Vellrick Lest Darkness Fall

[@Zeus67]

Vellrick One of my favorite series.

[@tekkaoz]

Vellrick One of the best book series I've ever read. I'm half tempted to break them out again.

[@Marylandbrony]

I laughed when I saw "THIS IS PERSIA!"

[@Heroroar]

Coming back to this series after watching the Khosrau series is absolutely great. Seeing the events from both perspectives is hilarious.

[@christophercruz1513]

I agree

[@u4icdissonance180]

I am really loving this series on Justinian and (what is now known as) the Byzantine Empire. Its a period I'd never really learned about before and it fascinates me. That being said, I often find books on history to be very dry and I get nowhere near the same level of engagement I do from these videos. Would you consider adding a recommended reading list to the end of your "lies we told you" videos for those of us that would like to explore these periods more and would appreciate a place to start?

[@BDeerhead]

1:33 I FUCKING LOVE this idea!

[@kdipi]

5:44 well here's your bath

[@HIPEOPLE1887]

IN BLOOD!!!

[@themanwiththeplan1401]

Secret History of Procopius. It was Walpole

[@robertwalpole360]

I had to hide it somewhere. You'd be surprised what kind of things I had to hide for people.

[@procopius-scribe281]

Yes indeed, Walpole, (Moneys in the back for hiding this)

[@azelfdaboi5265]

I'm not surprised at this point, walpole does everything

[@Monochromicornicopia]

Can you drop a date every once in a while? I'd love to know what year you're talking about.

[@Monochromicornicopia]

Dean Cutler Um, no?

[@Monochromicornicopia]

Dean Cutler That defeats the purpose of asking for the dates to be included in the video.

[@albertm7178]

GDI Well one, As much as it is a good idea for EC to put in dates in their videos, you still probably should look it up yourself History is not exactly a clear cut case. Justinians reign is unique sure, but even conflicting historical sources exist. If you truly want to learn about the times, the history and understanding, it is best for you to look it up on the internet

[@BriarGermanovich]

The dates could be unknown

[@Sea-zu4bj]

It's literally just dates, can they not pop it in

[@MisterGunpowder257]

Well, from what I'm hearing, this Tribonian guy wasn't that bad. No worse than our modern politicians, except he managed to be a major official with an alternative religion.

[@bobjimboob6920]

If Honore, Tribonian's biographer, is anything to go by, he probably didn't even have an 'alternate' (certainly not a Pagan) religion - never quite made my own mind up on that one, reports certainly do conflict...

[@nehemiahjacinto8439]

3:26 Boi that sacreligiousness ain't got nothin' On BEN LEE

[@j.d.norcross9362]

I liked the diagram for the Battle of Dara. It helped me better understand what was going on.

[@DeGreekDollmaker]

You know, not to complain, but you guys havent exactly elaborated on the Rome/Byzantium/Eastern Rome naming thing that some people may not be knowledgeable on. Basically, the Byzantine empire /was/ the Roman Empire, its people continued to identify themselves as romans up until the fall of Constantinople in the 15th century. The Byzantine term was slapped on them afterwards from mostly western Historians, either to seperate it from the proper Roman empire, or to try and legitimize their own claims as being heirs to the one true Roman Empire.

[@typograf62]

Belisarius did reappear, in Asimovs Empire and Foundation-series. There he is called Bel Riose.

[@BlueSugarMaple]

Belisarius was a stand up guy, but you didn't mention that he had the worst unfaithful wife ever, Antonina.

[@ZanraiKid]

You thought John the Cappadocian reformed the taxation practices? It was Walpole. You thought Tribonian organized the legal canon? Walpole. You thought Belisarius united the East Roman Empire? (actually Walpole would never get his hands dirty on the affairs of the military, but...) You thought Belisarius created the tactics necessary to win the East? Starts with W, rhymes with Qualquole.

[@joeandrew8752]

ZanraiKid can you explain the Walpole reference please

[@hsnd2388]

Joe Andrew There was a line in the last episode of the South Seas Bubble series: "...Who knows who took over th- it was Walpole." People thought the line was hilarious. People made jokes about it being Walpole on every video. That's it.

[@thegeneralissimo470]

ZanraiKid Oh no, He's created a meme!

[@lizzygoldburg5442]

ZanraiKid If anyone in Roman history is Walpole, its Caesar Augustus. That guy, like Walpole did with Prime Minister, created the post of Roman Emperor through manipulation to an amazing degree. In fact, I'd say the rise of Augustus and the birth of the Roman Empire/Death of the Roman Republic is an excellent candidate for an Extra History series in the future. Also, "it was Walpole" has now joined "warrior monks" and "British flag problems" as Extra History memes.

[@Jordanationalismtion]

Lizzy Goldburg One can also make the point that it was always Livia doing everything, ever. Alexander getting assassinated? It was Livia. Germanicus being discredited and poisoned? Livia. Marcus Aurelius' Germanic campaigns losing their steam after his death? Livia. The JFK assassination? Livia. It was always Livia, and forever will be Livia.

[@hibiscuscat8473]

2:43 Hmm... in Portuguese "Tribunal" means "Court" (in the sense of Law, not a sports court). Could it have anything to do with Tribonian? Like "TRIBuNal" and "TRIBoNian"

[@ImperatorPenguin]

Torture the rich until they pay there taxes eh?... I think this John guy had the right idea!

[@kevinyoung947]

drsdino on your smart phone couldn’t that money have been used to help the poor?

[@Gamingetic]

Kevin Young sorry, I didn't know a 10 dollar used windows phone could help the poor much

[@Matthew-Anthony]

In the U.S. rich people pay more in taxes than the middle class, working class, and lower class COMBINED.

[@PennyDreadful1]

@@Matthew-AnthonyWell ofcourse they do! They have astronomical sums of money compared to everyone else. Whether they are paying the percent of money that they should is another thing.

[@nguyenhuy2163]

@@Matthew-Anthony Sources?

[@Galistarwater]

I remembered writing my research paper for university about this emperor! I believe mine was on the depiction of Emperor Justinian by Procopius as mentioned near the end of this video, especially the secret history part of the king being a demonic man. Awesome series, you guys. Love your Extra History videos!

[@brycevo]

He hated his boss so much he made a secret diary of how much he thought they were demons

[@hsnd2388]

8:17 So the story is, a Vatican Priest finds a hidden book called _"The Secret History"_, written by Procopius talking about how Justinian is a demon, and his wife is cruel. One of two things are going here: Either Justinian and his wife were cruel and everything detailing how they were good was made up, despite the fact Procopius wrote good things about them, or The Church is doesn't like Justinian for whatever he did and his wife for being a escort.

[@HIPEOPLE1887]

Or it could be Precopius had an issue. As far as I know Justinian was held in high opinion in the west during the 1600s seeing as the west uses his legal code.

[@hsnd2388]

HIPEOPLE1887 Who knows, until Episode 3 we wouldn't know.

[@hsnd2388]

***** I would just like to say that if you want to know about a Pagan ruler or something like that, look in the Vatican's library. Then, take anything they say and think the exact opposite of that.

[@chaoswarhound]

gavinrichard ladd Do you really think the Vatican would just make up a book filled with ridiculous and impossible stories to trick people into believing what they want them to? Pfft... thats just crazy talk

[@priyankarkandarpa4414]

The secret history was much worse. It is X rated and if made a movie, the R21 would be an understatement

[@surgeonsergio6839]

4:58 Now I can't stop imagining Xerxes kicking Dilios, screaming " *THIS IS PERSIAAAAAAA!!!!!!* "

[@heavymetla666]

These things are so awesome that they should be thirty minutes long.

[@RexoryByzaboo]

Justinian illustration in this video is VERY CUTE! I would like a Justinian plushie.

[@Eccentrick218]

Make a video on Napoléon Bonaparte!

[@yodog1446]

I just got a promotion at work and I think I might spend some of that on supporting Extra History!

[@wu1ming9shi]

"Torturing the rich until they pay". Just me or does that actually sound like a good idea?

[@asapyvx_9995]

+KasparovBBQ LOOOL!

[@kevinyoung947]

If you want the rich to take their money to another country then yes just lol at America’s corporate tax rate it has the same affect

[@kyledabearsfan]

These videos are so perfectly put together. Great scripting for sure! It is amazing how you guys manage to make these videos digestible for everyone.

[@DDZTDD]

this whole thing is so amazing! After watching Yale course mid age history, I got interested and deadly wanted something some videos like these. Thanks for sharing this with us!

[@steppebro]

"Prepare me a bath, for soon I shall bathe in this fortress" God damn they were savage even back then

[@aaronpaul9188]

Belisarius is not a napoleon or a Alexander. Nor is he a Hannibal. That is not an insult, he is very firmly a tear below those men. He is a Eugene, Prince of Savoy, a Julius Ceaser, Suvorov, or Tourenne, or Conde. Those are some of the greatest generals to ever live. The difference between those men, and a Napoleon, an Alexander, or a Genghis Khan, is that the former were some of the best who lived, the latter changed warfare to the point where they were simply not playing by the same rules as anyone else.

[@aaronpaul9188]

Dean Cutler I mentioned how, a napoleon, Alexander or others changed how battles and wars were fought. Those men changed the understandings of war. Julius Ceaser just did amazing things with the playbook that had existed.

[@aaronpaul9188]

Dean Cutler The battle of Alesia was very very good engineering and excellent command staff, right down to army NCOs. He won due to superior engineering and army structure that enabled him to maneuver his army to counter treats rapidly, engaging larger percentages of this troops than his adversary. Thats impressive, but as much a victory of Marius as Ceaser. Alexander all but invented the cavalry charge, a tactic that would dominate western military tradition until machine guns. True Phillip II reformed the Phalanx compared to the greek one, but it was alexander brought tactics and innovation to levels never before seen. Hannibal managed a double envelopment of a numerically superior force. That probably should not be possible. Napoleon changed pretty much everything about how was were fought, and gave birth to modern military organization.

[@sophiejones7727]

nah, actually the reason why the comparison is stupid is that Alexander, Hannibal, Genghis Khan and Napoleon were all active political leaders at the same time that they were generals. The comparison with Alexander comes to mind, because their attitudes are similar. Belisarius is asking himself "how do I break this army?" not "how do I kill the enemy?" In this he is very like Alexander: but in this he was also like every general at his time. The other way in which he is behaving like Alexander is in his willingness to change the terrain of the battlefield to his advantage. But the way he does it is completely different, because in one way his attitude is different from Alexander's. Alexander viewed his army as a hammer and an anvil. Belisarius however views his army as a net and trident. Instead of trying to crush the opposing army between the parts of his army: Belisarius is laying a clever trap for his opponent, and then when he's got them entangled he goes for the kill. Remember that Alexander's hammer-and-anvil attitude, is the playbook at the time of Belisarius. Belisarius is actually rewriting the playbook of his time in this battle.

[@azelfdaboi5265]

@@worsethanjoerogan8061 He doesnt mean about changing strategies, he means about how good they were on the field on the field, he was easily a rival of any of the great generals who are so famous

[@JP-rf8rr]

@@aaronpaul9188 Julius Caesar did things completely out of the play book, things never done before. Who else built a fort around his enemy's fort?

[@peetertarvas]

Sheet this is like Game of Thrones

[@Dalpima]

Always never eat candy on Sundays.... Maybe.

[@anoinks6511]

I love how perspective changes EVERYTHING here

[@croikar]

Talking about Belisarius right after The Last Roman campaign came out? Coincidence, I think not!

[@julianogodoy964]

croikar Extra History DID start sponsored by Total War:Rome

[@selenabaozi]

Your portrayal of Justinian is so spot on it, it makes it easier for me to understand lol

[@FatrickAteman]

"The rich didn't pay their taxes and the poor couldn't" hmmm sounds awfully familiar

[@RexGalilae]

Belisarius was surely one of the greatest military commanders but I feel Napoleon is still a cut above everyone else

[@Caspar67]

I love this series, I show it to my friends who love history too

[@HumanRights4Everyone]

HBO should make a series about Justinian & Theodora

[@samramdebest]

4:27 yes really brilliant

[@AntimatterPower]

I love how you just referenced Dune so perfectly! I love your channel even more than before!

[@gamecaesar6743]

Can you Guys PLEASE make an extra history series about THE napoleonic empire

[@sether255]

God that battle of Dara was painful to watch! What was he doing!? Not using most of his army! What cause of a ditch!

[@CommissarWallace]

Belisarius is the Walpole of Byzantium.

[@hsnd2388]

CommissarWallace He _is_ Walpole.

[@priyankarkandarpa4414]

CommissarWallace Belisarius is, as portrayed in the Secret History, a weak-minded and loyal guy who wasn't your power-hungry leader. Theodora is Walpole

[@CommissarWallace]

Priyankar Kandarpa The Secret History is a very spurious document, which some have dated to after Procopius's death. Also, weak-minded is not something one can apply to Belisarius. He was poised to become a new Western Emperor after his Italian campaigns, and is aptly called 'the last roman' for his great loyalty in not betraying Justinian.

[@priyankarkandarpa4414]

CommissarWallace Kind of. Though *spoiler alert* his actions in Ravenna in 540 (when Justinian told him to return because the Persians were about to sack Antioch) wasn't as diplomatic.

[@priyankarkandarpa4414]

Priyankar Kandarpa Yeah and the S.H. is messed up

[@arcmchair_roboticist]

im gonna be honest, I watched all of these for a paper, and I enjoyed them more that any movie in a while

[@hsnd2388]

So... Basically you're sayng John the Cappadocian is Blunt, and Tribonian is Walpole... makes sense, after all, we here all know Walpole is behind everything.

[@labrynianrebel]

gavinrichard ladd Walpole is secretly immortal

[@topnotchshinobi]

gavinrichard ladd Makes me want to write an Extra Credits fanfic where Walpole builds a time machine to visit all the other Extra Credits episodes, changing their events to his liking behind the scenes.

[@hsnd2388]

Michael Shan Go on ahead. However, you'll have to be very creative to explain why Walpole would want to have Tokugawa Ieyasu be in control of Japan.

[@topnotchshinobi]

gavinrichard ladd When Walpole entered the Sengoku Jidai period, he already knew that Nobunaga would become a major player in the events to come (he "cheated" by stealing a 21st century textbook and reading up on the Sengoku Jidai era beforehand). He started sending anonymous letters with useful bits of advice (and tactics) to Nobunaga, asking for money in return (Walpole was hoping to send the money that he had collected over his various travels to his future self, in hopes it would have accumulated tons of compound interest over the centuries). The arrangement worked out at first, but when Nobunaga started getting greedy (paying Walpole progressively less as time went on), Walpole was furious. It was his bribing (and goading) that motivated Mitsuhide to betray Nobunaga at Honnoji; and when Mitsuhide demanded a bigger payment than was initially promised, Walpole retaliated by secretly sending a messenger to Hideyoshi. Anyway, I still haven't figured out how or why Walpole picks Tokugawa Ieyasu instead of Hideyoshi as his puppet ruler/ally; it's a work in progress.

[@hsnd2388]

Michael Shan You're a natural, that took you only 40 minutes at max to come up with that! Also, try to add on the bits of stuff that would have gotten most people, like the time Tokugawa managed to hold out a castle with only 5 men.

[@VanBurenOfficial]

Its amazing how important early historians were, one person can completely change or massively enhance our view of an entire civilization.

[@Zatiels]

I actually rather watch this then Netflix or Anime =_=

[@ggdynfytugfy6892]

Me to

[@julianlin6467]

Agreed

[@decube9614]

true

[@dylanrodrigues]

I'd rather watch an anime about this on Netflix... much better than their usual stuff.

[@losersinc7973]

I know

[@ianmoore3470]

The great thing about this channel is they can cover both sides of a war and make you root for whoever's side they are talking about

[@Pingthescribe]

I'd like to know how and where the Byzantines recruited the Huns. I thought they disappeared from history after Attila's reign.

[@priyankarkandarpa4414]

Ping For the hundedth time, it was of Byzantine state and society to recruit people from the frontiers. Yes, the Huns were now a virtually non-existent force at the time, but there were smaller groups of them in existence. So its kind of like the Vikings; after 1000 they were non-existent in Europe but William the Conqueror was a Viking because he belonged to a Viking fief in northern France

[@infamousempire8302]

There were some scattered left over tribes that sometimes tried to reclaim attila's legacy (and utterly failed because Attila was a genius and these people weren't)

[@fatmanfalling]

I am so glad Extra History is weekly

[@AnguishedDead]

Who else came back here from episode 2 of Khosrau rehear the Roman side of this war?

[@bkjeong4302]

Mitchell Smith Me

[@sallylee4924]

That battle is incredibly well explained.

[@mutopis]

"torturing rich people to pay taxes" you know, that doesnt sound like a bad idea.

[@bertbaker7067]

I wonder if the Secret History book wasn't just a joke just for the emperor and his immediate friends and family.

[@HoboTango]

If you want to step foot in Belasarius, play Attila : Total war ; The last Roman :)

[@elasolezito]

That Velociraptorius guy was a badass !

[@Sylocat]

1:33 That would not make him less popular with me.

[@JaytleBee]

***** I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but you're not *serious*, right? There's some weird people on the internet...

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

JaytleBee von Miraus think that it was centuries ago when torture wasn't wrong just bad, and, he was torturing those rich men who never paid their taxes

[@VintageLJ]

***** That's because your a horrible person. :)

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

VintageLJ i think that is because he's not rich XD

[@dLzzzgaming]

Right, because right and wrong are dependant on time and if people are doing it commonly or not, right? ... freakin idiots on the internet..

[@sora911204]

The history of the world is something I will never tire of learning.

[@bradford7765]

How do we know that Secret History was really written by Procopius? If he did write it, doesn't it invalidate his other writings?

[@rjfaber1991]

Bradford Makara In an age where the death penalty was excessively common, and being a historian that was actually employed and paid by people in the highest echelons of Byzantine society, I entirely understand why he would not publicly commit lèse-majesté...

[@cathalhughes5996]

What about hannibal? Doesnt he deserve to be up there with alexander and napleon?

[@rjfaber1991]

Nice map at 4:01, Extra Credits, but you have no idea what you're bringing onto yourself by mentioning the Bulgars...

[@k4nc3r]

If only history class was as interesting as these videos.

[@MarquisForneus]

The use of the pentagram is kinda inaccurate, it was originally a Christian symbol and has only been used by Neo-Pagans, not the original ones.

[@Jensaw101]

Marquis Forneus I thought it was a symbol of Venus. I have only heard as much in rumor and hearsay though, so I very well may be wrong.

[@infernocop1009]

Marquis Forneus "original pagans" is a strange term to use, since at the time "pagan" was a catch-all for any non-christians. I'm sure there's SOME group out there that used a pentagram. It isn't a very complicated shape.

[@patrickfilion7950]

They probably used it because most people associate that symbol with paganism. Wait for the lies episode, it's probably going to say it.

[@MarquisForneus]

Inferno Cop No, it was not a catch all term, It was only used to describe polytheistic Religions, very broad I know, but not all catching.

[@DrKhallos]

Patrick Filion Lies episode?

[@finkerrinos3093]

The reference from "Dune" of the count Harkonnen from House Harkonnen was.just.epic.

[@TheZoobZoobs]

is the persian king referred to here the same Khasrow from later episodes?

[@bkjeong4302]

Either him or his father (that family has their own series, where Justinian is a bad guy)

[@Jarod-vg9wq]

“Nobody likes the taxman” and with that is how this channel is more reliable ten others.

[@voldlifilm]

Who else came here from the Khosrau videos to freshen up on Justinian?

[@henrytito73]

History is allways told from the prospective of the winner. Im definitely going to read that secret book.

[@charles4112]

Dara, Like Khosrau Dara?

[@bkjeong4302]

IDrawHorseChamp Yep

[@user-crane]

2:38 Justinian had a plan. Justinian always had a plan

[@MarcieParcie]

Hello commenter. I see you decided to rewatch justinius's story after he appeared in an extra history about the persians

[@waternapkinvondushenhofen8717]

+Extra Credits I utterly admire the efforts and work you put in those magnificent downloads of historical marvel :) The intriguing and adapted manner in which you deliver the material is evidently delightful

[@AlexThompsonMisticatol]

The Neko revolt? Cat girls?

[@watayukikimihyra7132]

Alex Thompson lol...any ways it's Nika not Neko look it up...unless it's was a joke

[@direvus]

The visual illustration of the battle of Dara was really well done, my Total War brain was easily able to understand the way the battle unfolded. Nice!

[@JasonTRogers]

Wow I see history repeating its self.

[@Anergyne]

jason Rogers If that means we get to torture rich people until they pay taxes, I'm in.

[@bobjobs6461]

Lynneiah lol

[@MycomputerXs]

Lynneiah They pay their taxes. They pay using extreme loopholes to pay as little as possible but they still pay.

[@rjfaber1991]

Lynneiah If you own a computer and an internet connection fast enough to watch this video, then globally speaking, you are rich...

[@Anergyne]

Robert Faber I'm unemployed because the rich fucked up our economy and there's barely any jobs, meanwhile my government took away my benefits because they felt that was more important than going after those same rich fucks who earn more per month than I have owned in my entire life but pay absolutely nothing in taxes. The only reason I'm not homeless right now is because my mother is fairly well off and not a monster. But thanks for making assumptions. Good to see the internet is still the internet.

[@dem5571]

We've learned about this at school but these videos help me understand more things that 10 years of school thought me