Perbundos ( el, Περβοῦνδος, ''Perboundos'') was a 7th-century king of the

Rhynchinoi The Rhynchines or Rhynchinoi ( el, Ῥυγχίνοι) were a South Slavic (Sklavenoi) tribe in the region of southern Macedonia in the 7th century. According to Traian Stoianovich, they were Slavic or Avaro-Slavic, and their name probably derives f ...

, a Slavic group in

Macedonia Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...

. In ca. 675 he was taken prisoner by the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...

due to his hostile intentions towards

Thessalonica Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region ...

, and transported to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

. Perbundos managed to escape, but was recaptured and executed, whereupon the Slavic tribes of

rose up and laid siege to Thessalonica.

Life

Perbundos is attested only in the '' Miracles of Saint Demetrius'', a 7th-century collection of homilies in praise of

Saint Demetrius Saint Demetrius (or Demetrios) of Thessalonica ( el, Ἅγιος Δημήτριος τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης, (); bg, Димитър Солунски (); mk, Свети Димитрија Солунски (); ro, Sfântul Dumitru; sr ...

, the patron saint of

, which provides much unique historical information about the collapse of

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...

imperial authority and the Slavic settlement in the Balkans. In the second book of the ''Miracles'', Perbundos is called the "king of the

" (), an apparently relatively powerful Slavic tribe living near Thessalonica. According to the ''Miracles'', in ca. 675/6 he came to the attention of the Byzantine ''

archon ''Archon'' ( gr, ἄρχων, árchōn, plural: ἄρχοντες, ''árchontes'') is a Greek word that means "ruler", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem αρχ-, mean ...

'' of Thessalonica as being hostile and planning an attack on the city. When informed, Emperor

Constantine IV Constantine IV ( la, Constantinus; grc-gre, Κωνσταντῖνος, Kōnstantînos; 650–685), called the Younger ( la, iunior; grc-gre, ὁ νέος, ho néos) and sometimes incorrectly the Bearded ( la, Pogonatus; grc-gre, Πωγων ...

ordered his arrest, and during a visit to the city, Perbundos was seized, put in irons and sent to the Byzantine capital,

. The Rhynchinoi, along with the other Slavic tribes living in the Strymon valley ( Strymonitai), sent envoys to the emperor seeking his release, and Constantine promised to let him go once the war with the Arabs was over. In the meantime, however, Perbundos found an ally in the person of an imperial translator, who urged him to escape. By passing himself off as a Byzantine (he spoke fluent Greek and was dressed in the Byzantine manner) Perbundos simply walked out of the city through the

Blachernae Blachernae ( gkm, Βλαχέρναι) was a suburb in the northwestern section of Constantinople, the capital city of the Byzantine Empire. It is the site of a water source and a number of prominent churches were built there, most notably the grea ...

Gate, and found refuge on the translator's estate near Bizye. Enraged, the Emperor launched a manhunt for the escaped prisoner, and notified Thessalonica that the city might soon be attacked. The search ended after forty days, when the translator's wife was discovered as she was bringing food to Perbundos' hideout. The translator and his family were executed, while Perbundos was interrogated. After trying once more to escape again, and as his intention of raising all the Slavic tribes in revolt against the empire became evident, he too was executed. On the news of Perbundos' execution, the Rhynchinoi, the Strymonitai and the Sagoudatai made common cause, rose up and laid siege to Thessalonica for two years.

References

Sources

* * {{Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit , volume=A3 , title = Perbundos (#5901) , pages = 556–557 7th-century Slavs 7th-century rulers in Europe 7th-century executions by the Byzantine Empire Rulers in medieval Macedonia 670s deaths Year of birth unknown South Slavic history