Areobindus (died 546) was an official and military commander of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. He served as a senator in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

and briefly as ''

magister militum (Latin for "master of soldiers"; : ) was a top-level military command used in the late Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine the Great. The term referred to the senior military officer (equivalent to a war theatre commander, the e ...

'' in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

in 545/6. Areobindus was sent to Africa by Emperor

Justinian I Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...

(527–565) following the crisis which had erupted during Sergius's command. Areobindus's retinue included a contingent of Armenian troops led by Artabanes and John, descendants of the royal Armenian Arsacid line. An inexperienced military commander, Areobindus proved unable to deal with the issue. After the

Battle of Thacia The Battle of Thacia took place in the autumn of 545, in Thacia (now Bordj Messaoudi, in Tunisia). The Byzantine loyalists led by John the Armenian confronted the Berber rebel Antalas and his ally Stotzas, a renegade Byzantine. In the clash, the ...

, Justinian recalled Sergius and made Areobindus "overall commander" but the mutiny had already spread through the ranks. In 546, Areobindus was killed in

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

by the rebel

Guntarith Guntarith ( Vandalic: ''Gontharis''; died 546), sometimes referred to as Guntharic, was an Eastern Roman military officer and rebel of Vandalic descent. Life After the conquest of the Vandal Kingdom by Belisarius in 533/534, the Eastern Roman E ...

(Guntharis), the '' dux'' of

Numidia Numidia was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunisia and Libya. The polity was originally divided between ...

. Areobindus was married to

Praejecta Praejecta or Praiecta (Greek: Πραιέκτα) was sister to Byzantine emperor Justin II and a niece to Justinian I (r. 527–565). Biography Praejecta was a daughter of Vigilantia and Dulcidio (or Dulcissimus), respectively the sister and brothe ...

References

Sources

* * {{Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity, title=Areobindus, url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001/acref-9780198662778-e-407?rskey=gANjR2&result=443, first=Andrew, last=Merrills 546 deaths Generals of Justinian I Magistri militum Byzantine North Africa Assassinated Byzantine people 6th-century Byzantine people Byzantine officials Byzantine people of Armenian descent