Siege of Carthage (536)

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The Siege of Carthage occurred around Easter of 536, [1] [2] when dissatisfied Byzantine soldiers revolted against Solomon, the ruler of the Praetorian prefecture of Africa, because he refused to share with the soldiers the wealth that had been plundered from the Vandal Kingdom, which had been defeated two years prior in 534. [1] [3] A sizeable number of these soldiers were also Arian Christians, and were disgruntled because Emperor Justinian had banned Arians from practicing their religion. [2] [4] Solomon, as well as his secretary, Procopius, fled to Sicily, where they informed Belisarius, who had just recently conquered the island, about the revolt. [1] [2] [5] Carthage was being besieged by 9,000 rebels, 1,000 of which were Vandals. [1] The rebels were being led by Stotzas, a former soldier in the Byzantine Army. [6] [7] After being made aware of the revolt by Solomon, Belisarius prepared for an invasion of Carthage to crush the revolt. [8] [9] He, along with Solomon, prepared an invasion force of 100 elite troops and around 2,000 regular troops, as well as one warship to blockade the city. [1] [2] By the time Belisarius arrived in c. June – August, the defenders of Carthage were considering surrendering to Stotzas and the rebels. [1] Belisarius was significantly outnumbered, as he had about 2,100 troops compared to Stotzas's 9,000. However, he still presented a significant threat to the rebels, who lifted their siege of Carthage, and subsequently withdrew. [1] Belisarius pursued the withdrawing rebels, and the two sides clashed at the Battle of Membresa, also known as the Battle of the Bagradas River. [1] The battle ended in Stotzas's troops being defeated by those of Belisarius, and the former subsequently retreated, despite having suffered low casualties. [1] [7] Belisarius's troops then looted the abandoned rebel camp, where large amounts of gold and female slaves were found, which the rebels had seized during the siege. [1] Stotzas would continue his to rebel against the Byzantines until his death in 545. [7]

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Year 533 (DXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Iustinianus without colleague. The denomination 533 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gelimer</span> King of the Vandals and Alans (r. 530–534)

Gelimer, King of the Vandals and Alans (530–534), was the last Germanic ruler of the North African Kingdom of the Vandals. He became ruler on 15 June 530 after deposing his first cousin twice removed, Hilderic, who had angered the Vandal nobility by converting to Chalcedonian Christianity, as most of the Vandals at this time were fiercely devoted to Arian Christianity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Ad Decimum</span> Battle of the Vandalic War in 533 AD

The Battle of Ad Decimum took place on September 13, 533 between the armies of the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, and the Byzantine Empire, under the command of General Belisarius. This event and events in the following year are sometimes jointly referred to as the Battle of Carthage, one of several battles to bear that name. The Byzantine victory marked the beginning of the end for the Vandals and began the reconquest of the west under the Emperor Justinian I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vandalic War</span> Byzantine–Vandal war in North Africa (533–534)

The Vandalic War (533–534) was a conflict fought in North Africa between the forces of the Byzantine Empire and the Germanic Vandal Kingdom. It was the first war of Emperor Justinian I's Renovatio imperii Romanorum, wherein the Byzantines attempted to reassert Roman sovereignty over territory formerly controlled by the Western Roman Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Praetorian prefecture of Africa</span> Byzantine administrative division in the Maghreb

The Praetorian Prefecture of Africa was an administrative division of the Byzantine Empire in the Maghreb. With its seat at Carthage, it was established after the reconquest of northwestern Africa from the Vandals in 533–534 by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. It continued to exist until 591, when it was replaced by the Exarchate of Africa.

John Troglita was a 6th-century Byzantine general. He participated in the Vandalic War and served in North Africa as a regional military governor during the years 533–538, before being sent east to the wars with the Sassanid Persians. As dux Mesopotamiae, Troglita distinguished himself in several battles, and was noticed by agents of the Byzantine emperor, Justinian I. In summer 546, Justinian chose John Troglita to assume overall command of Byzantine forces in Africa, where a succession of revolts by the indigenous Moorish tribes and within the imperial army itself had seriously reduced the Byzantine position. Troglita quickly secured an initial victory in the winter of 546/547 against the Moors of Byzacena, but was defeated in summer 547 by the tribes of Tripolitania, and Africa was once again laid open to destructive raids. Troglita reorganized his army and secured the assistance of some tribal leaders, and confronted and decisively defeated the tribal coalition at the Fields of Cato in summer 548. This victory spelled the end of the Moorish revolt and heralded an era of peace for Africa. Troglita was also involved in the Gothic War, twice sending some of his troops to Italy to assist against the Ostrogoths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mauri</span> Latin designation for the Berber population of Mauretania

Mauri was the Latin designation for the Berber population of Mauretania, located in the west side of North Africa on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, Mauretania Tingitana and Mauretania Caesariensis, in present-day Morocco and northwestern Algeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belisarius</span> 6th-century Byzantine general

Belisarius was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Justinian I. Belisarius was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean territory belonging to the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century prior. Belisarius is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history and the greatest of all Byzantine generals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John the Armenian</span> Military leader during the Vandalic War

John the Armenian was a Byzantine official and military leader of Armenian origin. There is no written account of his physical appearance or confirmation of the year he was born. John served as financial manager of the campaign and was a close friend of Belisarius. He was killed during the Vandalic War in 533. John the Armenian was the linchpin general of the Byzantine army during the Vandalic war.

Stotzas, also Stutias, Theophanes writes him Tzotzas (Τζότζας), was an East Roman (Byzantine) soldier and leader of a military rebellion in the Praetorian prefecture of Africa in the 530s. Stotzas attempted to establish Africa as a separate state and had been chosen by the rebelling soldiers as their leader. Nearly succeeding in taking Carthage, Stotzas was defeated at the Battle of the River Bagradas by Belisarius and fled into Numidia, where he regrouped. After another attempt at taking control of Africa, Stotzas was defeated by Germanus in 537 and fled with some of his followers into Mauretania.

Solomon was an East Roman (Byzantine) general from northern Mesopotamia, who distinguished himself as a commander in the Vandalic War and the reconquest of North Africa in 533–534. He spent most of the next decade in Africa as its governor general, combining the military post of magister militum with the civil position of praetorian prefect. Solomon successfully confronted the large-scale rebellion of the native Berbers, but was forced to flee following an army mutiny in spring of 536. His second tenure in Africa began in 539 and it was marked by victories over the Berbers, which led to the consolidation of the Byzantine position. A few years of prosperity followed, but were cut short by the rekindled Berber revolt and Solomon's defeat and death at the Battle of Cillium in 544.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vandal Kingdom</span> Germanic Kingdom in North Africa

The Vandal Kingdom or Kingdom of the Vandals and Alans was a confederation of Vandals and Alans, which was a barbarian kingdom established under Gaiseric, a Vandalic warlord. It ruled parts of North Africa and the Mediterranean for 99 years from 435 to 534 AD.

Antalas was a Berber tribal leader who played a major role in the wars of the Byzantine Empire against the Berber tribes in Africa. Antalas and his tribe, the Frexes initially served the Byzantines as allies, but after 544 switched sides. With the final Byzantine victory in his and his tribe once again became Byzantine subjects. The main sources on his life are the epic poem Iohannis of Flavius Cresconius Corippus and the Histories of the Wars of Procopius of Caesarea.

The Battle of the River Bagradas or Battle of Membresa was an engagement in 536 AD between Byzantine forces under Belisarius and rebel forces under Stotzas. Stotzas had besieged Carthage shortly before with a force of 8,000 rebels, 1,000 Vandal soldiers, and many slaves. Belisarius had only 2,000 men under his command. Upon Belisarius’ arrival the rebels had lifted the siege. Before battle commenced Stotzas wanted to reposition his troops so the high wind would not aid the Byzantines in the fighting. Stotzas neglected to move any troops to cover this movement. Belisarius, seeing that much of the rebel force was disorganised and exposed, decided to charge the rebels, who almost immediately fled in disorder. Rebel casualties remained relatively light as the Byzantine force was too small to safely chase the fleeing rebels. Instead Belisarius allowed his men to plunder the abandoned rebel camp.

The Battle of Thacia took place in the autumn of 545, in Thacia. The Byzantine loyalists led by John the Armenian confronted the Berber rebel Antalas and his ally Stotzas, a renegade Byzantine. In the clash, the outnumbered Byzantines were defeated and John was killed, but not before mortally wounding Stotzas. The Byzantine rout triggers a crisis in Carthage.

The Byzantine–Moorish wars were a series of wars fought between the Byzantine Empire and the various Berber kingdoms which formed after the collapse of Roman North Africa. The war also featured other rebels such as the renegades of Stotzas and the Vandalic rebels of Guntarith. The war ended with the Berbers attempting to push the Romans out of Africa being defeated at the battle of the Fields of Cato, and the Byzantines being too weakened to take over the various newly formed kingdoms such as Altava and the Kingdom of the Aurès.

Iaudas or Iabdas was a Berber leader of the sixth century and king of the Kingdom of the Aurès who held the Byzantines in check for a long time in the Aurès, and played an important role in the Berber revolts following the Byzantine reconquest.

Sergius was a Byzantine military officer who was active in Byzantine Africa during the reign of the emperor Justinian I. The son of a priest named Bacchus, he was the brother of two Byzantine officers and nephew of the famous general Solomon. When appointed governor of Tripolitania, he murdered 80 of the leaders of the Laguatan, which intensified hostilities with the Moorish tribes.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Papathanassiou, Manolis. "Byzantine Battles: Battle of Membresa". ΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΝΟΝ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΟΝ. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Evans, James Allan (2011-10-20). The Power Game in Byzantium: Antonina and the Empress Theodora. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN   978-1-4411-7252-5.
  3. ↑ Jarus, Owen (2022-08-30). "Who were the Vandals, the 'barbarians' who sacked Rome?". livescience.com. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  4. ↑ "The Code of Justinian : Book 1 ( Scott )". droitromain.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  5. ↑ "Byzantine Sicily". www.italiaoutdoors.com. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  6. ↑ "A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, Germa'nus". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  7. 1 2 3 MacDowall, Simon (2016-07-31). The Vandals. Pen and Sword. ISBN   978-1-4738-8022-1.
  8. ↑ Stafford, Nathan. "Battle of Ad Decimum". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  9. ↑ Whitby, Michael (2021-10-31). The Wars of Justinian I. Pen and Sword Military. ISBN   978-1-5267-6089-0.
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