Johannes Mystakon

Johannes Mystakon (* 545 ; † 591 ) was general of the Eastern Roman Empire on the Persian front from 579 to 591 (see also the Roman-Persian Wars ).

origin

According to Christian Settipani , the name of Johannes Mystakon is based on a Roman corruption of his nickname "Moustakon" (mustache), for which he was famous among his contemporaries. According to Settipani, Johannes Mystakon was of Armenian origin and a prince from the originally Parthian royal house of the Arsacids .

His father was probably Prince Artabanes , army master of Armenia, who was betrothed to Praejecta, a sister of Emperor Justin II . His mother's name is not known.

Life

At first he was the deputy of the general Maurikios . When Maurikios ascended the throne in 582, Johannes Mystakon was his successor. Johannes Mystakon fought - apart from a defeat against the Persian general Kardarigan on the Nymphios River in 583 - successfully in the Armenian sector, where the Romans were almost continuously on the offensive and were supported by Armenian partisans . In 584 he was replaced by Philippikos , but at the latest after the end of the revolt of the Roman troops in 589 he again took command of a Roman army and also made history; during the turmoil of the civil war around Bahram Chobin he besieged Dvin and in 590 advanced into the Atropatene (Azerbaijan). This was the deepest advance of a Roman army on Persian territory to date and was only outbid by Herakleios in the battle of Nineveh . In the following year he again led an army into the Atropatene and together with Narses defeated the Persian usurper Bahram Chobin at the river Blarathon (or Blarathos) . He died a short time after the campaign.

Marriage and offspring

Johannes Mystakon was married to Placida (* approx. 560), a daughter of Anastasius (grandson of Empress Theodora I , wife of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (527-565) from their previous marriage) and Juliana. This Juliana was a fifth generation descendant of the Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III through her mother Proba . (Flavius ​​Placidus Valentinianus) (425–455)

Children:

Johannes Mystakon had at least the following children:

• Valentinos (* approx. 590, † 644), general, pretender to the Byzantine crown, received the title of Caesar in 641 and was the de facto regent of the Byzantine Empire in 642/43
• Manuel (* 585, † 651), 651 "Magistros"

Individual evidence

1. ^ Christian Settipani : Continuité des élites à Byzance durant les siècles obscurs. Les princes caucasiens et l'Empire du VIe au IXe siècle. Boccard, Paris 2006, ISBN 2-7018-0226-1 , p. 125, note 3.
2. ^ Christian Settipani: Continuité des élites à Byzance durant les siècles obscurs. Les princes caucasiens et l'Empire du VIe au IXe siècle. Boccard, Paris 2006, ISBN 2-7018-0226-1 , p. 126.

literature

• Michael Whitby : The Emperor Maurice and his Historian. Theophylact Simocatta on Persian and Balkan Warfare. Clarendon Press, Oxford et al. 1988, ISBN 0-19-822945-3 (Oxford, Phil. Dissertation, 1981: The "Historiae" of Theophylact Simocatta. ).
• Michael H. Dodgeon, Samuel NC Lieu: The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars. Part 2: Geoffrey B. Greatrex , Samuel NC Lieu: AD 363-630. A narrative sourcebook. Routledge, London et al. 2002, ISBN 0-415-14687-9 .