Baduarius (Scythia)
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Baduarius () was a
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
general, active early in the reign of
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 ...
(r. 527–565) in Scythia Minor (modern
Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; or ''Dobrudža''; , or ; ; Dobrujan Tatar: ''Tomrîğa''; Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and ) is a Geography, geographical and historical region in Southeastern Europe that has been divided since the 19th century betw ...
). The historian Patrick Amory considers the name Baduarius to be Germanic in origin. Baduarius is mentioned in the writings of John Malalas, John of Nikiû, Theophanes the Confessor and Georgios Kedrenos. He is recorded in Greek as "'' stratelates'' of
Scythia Scythia (, ) or Scythica (, ) was a geographic region defined in the ancient Graeco-Roman world that encompassed the Pontic steppe. It was inhabited by Scythians, an ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic people. Etymology The names ...
", hence probably a ''
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 528, Baduarius and Godilas led a military expedition from Odessus (modern Varna) against the
Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was par ...
of
Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
. Under their leader Mougel, the Huns had reportedly captured Byzantine areas on the coasts of the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
.Martindale, Jones & Morris (1992), pp. 163–164 Also in 528, Baduarius is mentioned as '' Dux Scythiae''. He and Justin, ''Dux'' of Moesia Secunda, joined their forces in battle against a force of foreign invaders. Malalas reports "the Huns", whom Theophanes identifies as
Bulgars The Bulgars (also Bulghars, Bulgari, Bolgars, Bolghars, Bolgari, Proto-Bulgarians) were Turkic peoples, Turkic Nomad, semi-nomadic warrior tribes that flourished in the Pontic–Caspian steppe and the Volga region between the 5th and 7th centu ...
, invading Scythia and Moesia. Either way, the battle went poorly for the Byzantines. Justin was killed and the invaders next entered
Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...
. Justin was replaced by Constantiolus.Martindale, Jones & Morris (1992), p. 352 While operations against the invaders continued, Baduarius is not mentioned taking part in them. With later battles taking place at some distance from Scythia Minor, he might have nothing to do with them. His eventual fate is unknown. A younger Baduarius turns up in the reign of Justin II (r. 565–578). The ''
Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire ''Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'' (abbreviated as ''PLRE'') is a work of Roman prosopography published in a set of three volumes collectively describing many of the people attested to have lived in the Roman Empire from AD 260, the date ...
'' considers it likely the younger man could be a son or grandson of the ''stratelates'' of Scythia.


See also

* Battarius


References


Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baduarius 6th-century Byzantine people Generals of Justinian I Early Germanic warriors History of Dobruja