Domnentiolus
Encyclopedia
Domnentiolus was a Byzantine military officer, active in the reign of Justinian I
(r. 527–565). He is better known for his service in Sicily
during the Gothic War.
. Menander Protector
names him "Domenentiolus" . John Malalas
reports him as "Dometiolus", Theophanes the Confessor
as "Domentziolus". Zacharias Rhetor
names him "Domitziolus". A fragment of Theophanes of Byzantium
, preserved by Patriarch Photios, calls him "Comentiolus
".
. The relation is reported by both Zacharias Rhetor and Procopius. His other maternal uncles included Coutzes
and Venilus. His maternal grandfather was probably the general and rebel Vitalian
.
Domnentiolus is first mentioned in April, 531, at about the time of the Battle of Callinicum
. The Iberian War
was still ongoing. His uncle Bouzes was stationed at Amida
, an illness preventing him from campaigning. He tasked Domnentiolus with leading an army to Abhgarsat. This location is only mentioned once by Zacharias. The Byzantine forces faced the Sassanid army
and were defeated. Domnentiolus himself was captured by his enemies and transported to the interior of the Sassanid Empire
. In 532, the Eternal Peace
was concluded between the two powers. Domnentiolus was released "in an exchange of prisoners".
He resurfaces in 543 as one of the commanders of the Byzantine army
in Lazic War
. Domnentiolus, Justus , Peranius
, John, son of Nicetas and John the Glutton led their combined forces to Phison, near Martyropolis
, and from there to the Persian border. Procopius reports: "And Justus, the emperor's nephew, and Peranius and John, the son of Nicetas, together with Domentiolus and John, who was called the Glutton, made camp near the place called Phison, which is close by the boundaries of Martyropolis. Thus then were encamped the Roman commanders with their troops; and the whole army amounted to thirty thousand men. Now all these troops were neither gathered into one place, nor indeed was there any general meeting for conference. But the generals sent to each other some of their followers and began to make enquiries concerning the invasion."
Other Byzantine generals led an invasion into the Sassanid Empire from another location. Procopius continues: "Suddenly, however, Peter, without communicating with anyone, and without any careful consideration, invaded the hostile land with his troops. And when on the following day this was found out by Philemouth and Beros, the leaders of the Eruli
, they straightway followed. And when this in turn came to the knowledge of Martinus and Valerianus and their men, they quickly joined in the invasion."
However, Justus decided against joining the others. Procopius reports on the movements of Justus, Domnentiolus and the others "And all of them a little later united with each other in the enemy's territory, with the exception of Justus and his men, who, as I have said, had encamped far away from the rest of the army, and learned later of their invasion; then, indeed, they also invaded the territory of the enemy as quickly as possible at the point where they were, but failed altogether to unite with the other commanders. As for the others, they proceeded in a body straight for Doubios, neither plundering nor damaging in any other way the land of the Persians."
Justus, Domnentiolus and the others led their forces to Taraunitis (Taron
). They raided the area and then retreated. Procopius reports: "As for the forces of Justus and Peranius, they invaded the country about Taraunon, and after gathering some little plunder, immediately returned."
Domnentiolus is next mentioned in 550, during the Gothic War. He was at the time the military commander of Messana in Sicily
. When Totila
led the Ostrogoths in an invasion of Sicily, Messana came under attack. Domnentiolus led his forces in meeting the enemy outside the walls of the city. He defeated them on the battlefield and stopped their advance. But then retreated within the walls of Messana and concentrated on the defense of the city. Procopius notes that the countryside was left unprotected. This is the last chronological mention of Domnentiolus.
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
(r. 527–565). He is better known for his service in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
during the Gothic War.
Name
Primary sources are inconsistent in the rendering of his name. The spelling "Domnentiolus" derives from ProcopiusProcopius
Procopius of Caesarea was a prominent Byzantine scholar from Palestine. Accompanying the general Belisarius in the wars of the Emperor Justinian I, he became the principal historian of the 6th century, writing the Wars of Justinian, the Buildings of Justinian and the celebrated Secret History...
. 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...
names him "Domenentiolus" . John Malalas
John Malalas
John Malalas or Ioannes Malalas was a Greek chronicler from Antioch. Malalas is probably a Syriac word for "rhetor", "orator"; it is first applied to him by John of Damascus .-Life:Malalas was educated in Antioch, and probably was a jurist there, but moved to...
reports him as "Dometiolus", Theophanes the Confessor
Theophanes the Confessor
Saint Theophanes Confessor was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy, who became a monk and chronicler. He is venerated on March 12 in the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church .-Biography:Theophanes was born in Constantinople of wealthy and noble iconodule parents: Isaac,...
as "Domentziolus". Zacharias Rhetor
Zacharias Rhetor
Zacharias of Mytilene , also known as Zacharias Scholasticus or Zacharias Rhetor, was a bishop and ecclesiastical historian....
names him "Domitziolus". A fragment of Theophanes of Byzantium
Theophanes of Byzantium
Theophanes of Byzantium was a Byzantine historian.He wrote, in ten books, the history of the Eastern Empire during the Persian war under Justin II, beginning from the second year of Justin , in which the truce made by Justinian I with Khosrau I was broken, and going down to last year of the war...
, preserved by Patriarch Photios, calls him "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 :...
".
Biography
Domnentiolus was born to an unnamed sister of BouzesBouzes
Bouzes or Buzes was an East Roman general active in the reign of Justinian I in the wars against the Sassanid Persians.- Family :...
. The relation is reported by both Zacharias Rhetor and Procopius. His other maternal uncles included Coutzes
Coutzes
Coutzes or Cutzes was a general of the Eastern Roman Empire.Coutzes appears in the sources in 528, as joint dux of Phoenice Libanensis together with his brother, Bouzes. The dual command had been instituted the year before by Emperor Justinian I , and Coutzes led the troops stationed at Damascus,...
and Venilus. His maternal grandfather was probably the general and rebel Vitalian
Vitalian (general)
Vitalian was an East Roman general. Rebelling in 513 against Emperor Anastasius I, he won over large parts of the army and people of Thrace. Successive rapprochements with Anastasius failed, and the revolt continued until it was finally defeated in 515. Vitalian then went into hiding until...
.
Domnentiolus is first mentioned in April, 531, at about the time of the Battle of Callinicum
Battle of Callinicum
The Battle of Callinicum took place Easter day, 19 April 531, between the armies of the Eastern Roman Empire under Belisarius and the Sassanid Persians under Azarethes. After a defeat at the Battle of Dara, the Sassanids moved to invade Syria in an attempt to turn the tide of the war...
. The Iberian War
Iberian War
The Iberian War was fought from 526 to 532 between the Eastern Roman Empire and Sassanid Empire over the eastern Georgian kingdom of Iberia.-Origin:After the Anastasian War, a seven-year truce was agreed on, yet it lasted for nearly twenty years...
was still ongoing. His uncle Bouzes was stationed at Amida
Amida (Roman city)
Amida was an ancient city located where modern Diyarbakır, Turkey. The Roman writers Ammianus Marcellinus and Procopius consider it a city of Mesopotamia, but it may be more properly viewed as belonging to Armenia Major....
, an illness preventing him from campaigning. He tasked Domnentiolus with leading an army to Abhgarsat. This location is only mentioned once by Zacharias. The Byzantine forces faced the Sassanid army
Sassanid army
The birth of the Sassanid army dates back to the rise of Ardashir I , the founder of the Sassanid dynasty, to the throne. Ardashir aimed at the revival of the Persian Empire, and to further this aim, he reformed the military by forming a standing army which was under his personal command and whose...
and were defeated. Domnentiolus himself was captured by his enemies and transported to the interior of the Sassanid Empire
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
. In 532, the Eternal Peace
Eternal Peace (532)
The Eternal Peace , signed in 532 between the East Roman Empire and Sassanid Persia, was a peace treaty of indefinite duration, which concluded the Iberian War between the two powers...
was concluded between the two powers. Domnentiolus was released "in an exchange of prisoners".
He resurfaces in 543 as one of the commanders of the Byzantine army
Byzantine army
The Byzantine army was the primary military body of the Byzantine armed forces, serving alongside the Byzantine navy. A direct descendant of the Roman army, the Byzantine army maintained a similar level of discipline, strategic prowess and organization...
in Lazic War
Lazic War
The Lazic War or Colchic War, also known as the Great War of Egrisi in Georgian historiography, was fought between the Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Persia for control of the region of Lazica, in what is now western Georgia...
. Domnentiolus, Justus , Peranius
Peranius
Peranius was a Georgian prince from Iberia and a military commander in Roman service. According to Procopius, he was the eldest son of the Iberian king Gurgenes. Gurgenes can be identified with Vakhtang I Gorgasali of the Georgian sources; and Peranius might have been his brother rather than a son...
, John, son of Nicetas and John the Glutton led their combined forces to Phison, near Martyropolis
Martyropolis
Martyropolis was the former name of a city in Turkey, now known in Turkish as Silvan, in Aramaic as Meiafarakin .It is a Catholic titular see....
, and from there to the Persian border. Procopius reports: "And Justus, the emperor's nephew, and Peranius and John, the son of Nicetas, together with Domentiolus and John, who was called the Glutton, made camp near the place called Phison, which is close by the boundaries of Martyropolis. Thus then were encamped the Roman commanders with their troops; and the whole army amounted to thirty thousand men. Now all these troops were neither gathered into one place, nor indeed was there any general meeting for conference. But the generals sent to each other some of their followers and began to make enquiries concerning the invasion."
Other Byzantine generals led an invasion into the Sassanid Empire from another location. Procopius continues: "Suddenly, however, Peter, without communicating with anyone, and without any careful consideration, invaded the hostile land with his troops. And when on the following day this was found out by Philemouth and Beros, the leaders of the Eruli
Heruli
The Heruli were an East Germanic tribe who are famous for their naval exploits. Migrating from Northern Europe to the Black Sea in the third century They were part of the...
, they straightway followed. And when this in turn came to the knowledge of Martinus and Valerianus and their men, they quickly joined in the invasion."
However, Justus decided against joining the others. Procopius reports on the movements of Justus, Domnentiolus and the others "And all of them a little later united with each other in the enemy's territory, with the exception of Justus and his men, who, as I have said, had encamped far away from the rest of the army, and learned later of their invasion; then, indeed, they also invaded the territory of the enemy as quickly as possible at the point where they were, but failed altogether to unite with the other commanders. As for the others, they proceeded in a body straight for Doubios, neither plundering nor damaging in any other way the land of the Persians."
Justus, Domnentiolus and the others led their forces to Taraunitis (Taron
Taron (historic Armenia)
Taron was a canton of the Turuberan province of Greater Armenia, now in the Muş Province, Turkey. It was divided into four districts: Mamikonian, Palauni, , Artokh Taron was a canton of the Turuberan province of Greater Armenia, now in the Muş Province, Turkey. It was divided into four districts:...
). They raided the area and then retreated. Procopius reports: "As for the forces of Justus and Peranius, they invaded the country about Taraunon, and after gathering some little plunder, immediately returned."
Domnentiolus is next mentioned in 550, during the Gothic War. He was at the time the military commander of Messana in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. When Totila
Totila
Totila, original name Baduila was King of the Ostrogoths from 541 to 552 AD. A skilled military and political leader, Totila reversed the tide of Gothic War, recovering by 543 almost all the territories in Italy that the Eastern Roman Empire had captured from his Kingdom in 540.A relative of...
led the Ostrogoths in an invasion of Sicily, Messana came under attack. Domnentiolus led his forces in meeting the enemy outside the walls of the city. He defeated them on the battlefield and stopped their advance. But then retreated within the walls of Messana and concentrated on the defense of the city. Procopius notes that the countryside was left unprotected. This is the last chronological mention of Domnentiolus.