ChilbudiusMartindale, Jones & Morris (1992), p. 286-287 or ChilbuldiusCameron, Ward-Perkins, Whitby (2000), p. 474 ( el, Χιλβούδιος, ''Khilboudios'') was a Byzantine general, holding the rank of magister militum per Thracias in the early 530s. He was apparently killed in battle c. 533, but an impostor claimed his identity c. 545–546. The only source for both men is Procopius.

Origin

According to some scholars Chilbudius was probably a Slav, although Florin Curta argues this view was misled by the story of the Antian namesake who claimed his identity.Curta (2001), p. 76 The name has also been considered to be Germanic origin. Bohdan Strumins'kyj suggested a

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

name, *''Hil(i)baudeis'' / *''Hil(i)būdeis'', a name attested in Old High German as ''Hillibodo'', rather than the traditional Slavic etymology of *''xvalibud'' ("awakener of glory"). This demonstrates the difficulty in etymologizing proper names.Alexander Schenker. ''The Dawn of Slavic''. Pg 5 "whilst the etymology of a common noun can be attested at the semantic level, most proper names do not lend themselves to such verification.

Biography

Chilbudius served as a member of the household of emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565). Procopius introduces him as a vigorous soldier and commends him for his lack of avarice. He claims that Chilbudius was not seeking to amass wealth for himself. Chilbudius was appointed magister militum per Thracias "in the fourth year" of Justinian' reign (530/531). He was the direct successor of

Germanus Germanus or Germanos ( Greek) may refer to: People *Lucius Trebius Germanus, governor of Roman Britain around 126 *Germanus (died c. 290), possibly apocryphal martyr-saint tortured at the Pula Arena *Germanus (4th century), Spanish martyr-saint ...

in that post. He was tasked with defending the Danube limes against

barbarian A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either Civilization, uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by som ...

incursions. He served for three years (c. 533/534), eventually moving his forces to the north of the Danube. In this manner, Chilbudius prevented invasions in Byzantine territories while taking the battle to hostile territory. He was reportedly killed in battle with Slavs ( South Slavs) at the end of this period. In 545/546, one of the Antae, held captive by the Sclaveni, claimed to be Chilbudius. With the Antae and the Sclaveni temporarily at peace with each other, the Chilbudius impostor passed to the hands of another member of the Antae. A Byzantine captive held by the same man persuaded their master that his fellow slave was the real Chilbudius. He also tried to convince said master to return the captive to Justinian, which would require a journey through Byzantine areas. When among the other Antae, the impostor revealed his actual identity and tried to claim the status of a freedman. His tribesmen found him more useful as Chilbudius than as one of them. He was pressured to continue the pretense.Curta (2001), p. 79-81 At about this time, Justinian started negotiations with the Antae. He offered to them the ancient city of Turris, "to the north of the river Ister" (the Danube), and its vicinity. The city had been reportedly built by Trajan (r. 98–117) but lay deserted at the time. The Antae would be allowed to settle in this area and receive payment for guarding the Byzantine borders against the Huns, effectively gaining

foederati ''Foederati'' (, singular: ''foederatus'' ) were peoples and cities bound by a treaty, known as ''foedus'', with Rome. During the Roman Republic, the term identified the ''socii'', but during the Roman Empire, it was used to describe foreign stat ...

status. The Antae accepted, but on the condition that "Chilbudius" would be restored to office, attempting to raise their man to the rank of magister militum. The plot was reportedly unveiled by Narses, who captured the Chilbudius impostor and transported him to Constantinople. His subsequent fate is unknown. Whatever his real identity, the impostor reportedly spoke Latin fluently.

Interpretation

The relevant narrative of Procopius has been compared to the typical plots of the Ancient Greek comedy (New Comedy in particular) and/or Plautus. Florin Curta argues that Procopius' tale should not be taken at face value. The story probably has a historic basis, but Procopius "surely reworked the account and arranged it according to comic narrative patterns". Curta suggests that the Antae might have understood "Chilbudius" as a title, rather than a name, and thus named a Chilbudius of their own. The activities of Narses do not seem to have disrupted the alliance. A number of Antae seem to have joined the Byzantines in the ongoing

Gothic War Gothic War may refer to: *Gothic War (248–253), battles and plundering carried out by the Goths and their allies in the Roman Empire. *Gothic War (367–369), a war of Thervingi against the Eastern Roman Empire in which the Goths retreated to Mont ...

(535-554), and are recorded fighting against the Ostrogoths in Lucania.

References

Sources

* * * * * {{cite journal, first=Bohdan, last=Strumins'kyj, title=Were the Antes Eastern Slavs?, journal=Harvard Ukrainian Studies, volume=3-4, year=1979–1980, pages=786–796 533 deaths 6th-century Byzantine people Magistri militum Generals of Justinian I Byzantines killed in battle Year of birth unknown