John (), referred to as John the Tyrant and sometimes given the nickname Stotzas the Younger (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Stutias Iunior'') after his predecessor,

Stotzas Stotzas (Greek language, Greek: Στότζας), also Stutias, Theophanes writes him Tzotzas (Τζότζας), was an Byzantine Empire, East Roman (Byzantine) soldier and leader of a military rebellion in the Praetorian prefecture of Africa in the 5 ...

, was a Berber military leader. Given his name, ''Ioannes'', John was probably, like Stotzas, of Eastern Roman descent and only briefly commanded his army against the

Eastern Roman 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 the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

. After the defeat of Stotzas, John was chosen by the combined Berber-Eastern Roman rebel army and he supported the Vandal restoration attempt of ''dux Numidiae''

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 ...

, who seized the province of

Africa proconsularis 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 spring 546 and killed the imperial governor Aerobindus 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 ...

. When Guntarith began to consolidate his regime with purges and mass executions, the ''strategos'' Artabanes managed to have Guntarith assassinated just five weeks after the rebellion began. John, who had taken refuge in a church, was arrested by Artabanes and sent in chains to

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 ...

, where he was said to have been crucified.

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* * {{cite book, url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310597431, title=Justinian and Africa, 533–548, last1=Sarantis, first1=Alexander, date=2016, publisher=The Encyclopedia of Ancient Battles 546 deaths 6th-century Byzantine military personnel Byzantine rebels Monarchs of the Mauro-Roman Kingdom Executed monarchs People executed by crucifixion