Antonina (wife of Belisarius)

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Antonina (Greek: Ἀντωνίνα, c. 484 or 495 – after 565) was a Byzantine patrician and wife of the general Belisarius. The historian Procopius, who was Belisarius' legal advisor, alleges that her influence over her husband was great and features her as dominating him. 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. 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. 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.

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