Ardagast
Encyclopedia
Ardagast or Radogost was a 6th-century South Slavic chieftain under King Musokios
.
Menander Protector
writes about Ardagast in his works, and he is mentioned in the Strategicon of Maurice.
The Slavs who plundered Greece in 577 may have been under Ardagast leadership.
After a treaty was concluded in 584 between Bayan I and Emperor Maurice
, Ardagast raided Thrace
penetrating as far as the Long Wall
, the Slavs suffered defeats only twice, at Erginia river and Ansinon neighbourhood of Hadrianople by Comentiolus
. The Slavs were later driven out of Astica region.
The raid in Thrace in 585 prompted Emperor Maurice to deal with the Slavs - sending an army with commander-in-chief Priscus
and infantry commander Gentzon to cross the Danube
at Dorostolon (present-day Silistra) and surprise attack the Slavs in their own territory (as the Slavs had long been pillaging the Byzantine Empire
). The Army arrived at the Slavic camp at midnight, surprising the Slavs who fled in confusion, Ardagast fell on a tree stump and was almost captured, but luckily he was near a river and eluded the attackers.
Priscus sent lieutenant Alexander
across the Helibakion (Ialomiţa River
) to find Slavs who were hiding in the woods and swamps, they failed to burn out the people hiding, but a Gepid
Christian who was associated with the Slavs deserted and showed a secret passage after which the army easily captured the Slavs, who according to the Gepid, were spies sent by King Musokios
that just heard about the attack on Ardagast.
Musokios
Musokios or Mužok was a 6th-century Slavic monarch that ruled around 592, during Maurice's Balkan campaigns.Menander Protector writes about Musokios in his works.-Raid on Ardagast:...
.
Menander Protector
Menander Protector
Menander Protector , Byzantine historian, was born in Constantinople in the middle of the 6th century AD. The little that is known of his life is contained in the account of himself quoted by Suidas. He at first took up the study of law, but abandoned it for a life of pleasure...
writes about Ardagast in his works, and he is mentioned in the Strategicon of Maurice.
The Slavs who plundered Greece in 577 may have been under Ardagast leadership.
After a treaty was concluded in 584 between Bayan I and Emperor Maurice
Maurice (emperor)
Maurice was Byzantine Emperor from 582 to 602.A prominent general in his youth, Maurice fought with success against the Sassanid Persians...
, Ardagast raided Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
penetrating as far as the Long Wall
Long Wall
Long Wall may refer to:*The historical Long Walls linked ancient Athens to its port, Piraeus.*The Long Wall of hills in J. R. R. Tolkien's stories of Middle-earth*Longwall mining, a form of underground coal mining...
, the Slavs suffered defeats only twice, at Erginia river and Ansinon neighbourhood of Hadrianople by Comentiolus
Comentiolus
Comentiolus was a prominent Eastern Roman general at the close of the 6th century, during the reign of Emperor Maurice . He played a major role in Maurice's Balkan campaigns, and fought also in the East against the Persians.- Life :...
. The Slavs were later driven out of Astica region.
The raid in Thrace in 585 prompted Emperor Maurice to deal with the Slavs - sending an army with commander-in-chief Priscus
Priscus
Priscus of Panium was a late Roman diplomat, sophist and historian from Rumelifeneri living in the Roman Empire during the 5th century. He accompanied Maximinus, the ambassador of Theodosius II, to the court of Attila in 448...
and infantry commander Gentzon to cross the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
at Dorostolon (present-day Silistra) and surprise attack the Slavs in their own territory (as the Slavs had long been pillaging the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
). The Army arrived at the Slavic camp at midnight, surprising the Slavs who fled in confusion, Ardagast fell on a tree stump and was almost captured, but luckily he was near a river and eluded the attackers.
Priscus sent lieutenant Alexander
Alexander (taxiarch)
Alexander was a Byzantine military officer, active in the reign of Maurice. He is styled a taxiarch in the accounts of Theophylact Simocatta. He is known for his part in campaigns against the South Slavs.- Biography :...
across the Helibakion (Ialomiţa River
Ialomita River
The Ialomiţa is a river of Southern Romania that rises from the Bucegi Mountains in the Carpathians and flows into the Danube.The upper reach of the river is sometimes known as Valea Obârşiei or Obârşia Ialomiţei.-Localities:...
) to find Slavs who were hiding in the woods and swamps, they failed to burn out the people hiding, but a Gepid
Gepid
The Gepids were an East Germanic tribe who were closely related to the Goths. The Gepids were recorded in the area along the southern Baltic coast in the 1st century AD, having migrated there from southern Sweden some years earlier...
Christian who was associated with the Slavs deserted and showed a secret passage after which the army easily captured the Slavs, who according to the Gepid, were spies sent by King Musokios
Musokios
Musokios or Mužok was a 6th-century Slavic monarch that ruled around 592, during Maurice's Balkan campaigns.Menander Protector writes about Musokios in his works.-Raid on Ardagast:...
that just heard about the attack on Ardagast.