Chalazar (died June 548) was a

Hun A Hun is a member of the Huns, a confederation of nomadic tribes in Western Asia and Europe in late antiquity. Hun or huns may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Hun, a British subcultural stereotype, see Hun subculture * Hun, a charac ...

military commander in the

Byzantine Empire 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 History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

Biography

He served under

Belisarius BelisariusSometimes called Flavia gens#Later use, Flavius Belisarius. The name became a courtesy title by the late 4th century, see (; ; The exact date of his birth is unknown. March 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under ...

. Chalazar was the commander of the Byzantine garrison of

Rossano Rossano is a town and ''frazione'' of Corigliano-Rossano in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, southern Italy. The city is situated on an eminence from the Gulf of Taranto. The town is known for its marble and alabaster quarry, quarries. The to ...

together with the

Thracian The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...

Gudilas. He struck a deal with

Totila Totila, original name Baduila (died 1 July 552), was the penultimate King of the Ostrogoths, reigning from 541 to 552 AD. A skilled military and political leader, Totila reversed the tide of the Gothic War (535–554), Gothic War, recovering b ...

, who was besieging the fortress, whereby, if they were not relieved, he would surrender on a certain day, in exchange of the garrison being allowed to depart safely. They were in desperate need, but expecting help from Belisarius. The latter and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

tried in vain to directly help them, and as they were unsuccessful in this, they attempted to divert Totila's attention to other places. However, Totila continued to besiege the fortress himself and sent just a small cavalry force in response to the diversion attempts. Thus the day they had agreed upon elapsed, and Chalazar failed to keep his promise. They surrendered to Totila, who pardoned all but Chalazar, who was mutilated and put to death.

References

Hun military leaders 548 deaths 6th-century Byzantine military personnel People of the Gothic War (535–554) Byzantine people of Hunnic descent {{Asia-mil-bio-stub