Johannes Troglita

John Troglita (also Troglyta ) was a general of the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I .

Flavius ​​Iohannes Troglita came from Macedonia , had served under Belisarius and in 533 participated in the reconquest of Africa . After Belisarius left, Johannes remained in Africa under his successor Solomon and held the rank of dux ( in late antiquity, the regional military commanders were called duces ). He fought against the native Berbers and took part in 536 in the attack of the returned Belisarius against the rebel Stotzas ; In 537 he fought under Germanus , who replaced Belisarius. In the course of the fight, however, he and his men were overwhelmed by Stotzas' troops and lost their standards.

John soon left Africa and served on the Roman eastern border as dux Mesopotamiae , where he fought quite successfully against the Persians . In 546 he was called back to Africa as magister militum per Africam to put down the unrest sparked by Guntarith . In the end he actually succeeded in defeating the Vandal rebels and the Berbers decisively (548 in the fields of Cato ) and in bringing about peace and order in the province. John celebrated the victory with a "triumph" in Carthage and was named patricius for his services . He stayed in Africa and tried in vain in 551 and 552 to take action against the Ostrogoths in Sardinia and Corsica .

Important sources are the histories of the Eastern Roman historian Prokopios of Caesarea and above all the epic John by the African poet Gorippus , which glorified the deeds of John.

literature

• Arnold HM Jones, John R. Martindale, John Morris: The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire . Volume 3: John R. Martindale: AD 527-641. Volume A: Abandanes - 'Iyād ibn Ghanm. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 1992, ISBN 0-521-20160-8 , pp. 643-649.