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Emperor in the West, Part 4
Justinian said that his nephew, Justin, would likely inherit the throne in the East since his own children were illegitimate. Therefore, he wanted Belisarius to agree to “adopt” his daughter and make sure that she was allowed to take control in the West after his death. This would show that Belisarius was still loyal to the Emperor and was acting in the best interest of Rome.
Belisarius said that although he didn’t have children of his own, he doubted that the citizen of Rome would agree to this proposal. Also, the Ostrogoth would likely want their own ruler on the throne of the West. Despite this, Justinian insisted, and Belisarius agreed, saying that his goal was only to stabilize Rome, not to overthrow it.
There were 3 people that decided they must act when they heard this news: the son of the Ostrogoth king, Belisarius’ former wife, and some relatives of a former Emperor. These would all become important later, but for now, a fragile peace was restored. However, from this day on, many would doubt that Justinian was a truly legitimate ruler, as he had been captured and forced to agree to a mere general’s demands.
Belisarius merged his army with two others that were in Greece at the time, and decided that the time was ripe to strike Persia. This would be a war that would have major consequences.