Chanaranges was a Byzantine military officer, active in the late reign of Justinian I

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). His name is occasionally rendered as Charanges . He is only known for his activities in the Gothic War, in particular the Battle of the Volturnus

Battle of the Volturnus (554)

The Battle of the Volturnus, also known as the Battle of Casilinum or Battle of Capua, was fought in 554 between an army of the Eastern Roman Empire and a combined force of Franks and Alemanni...

 (554). The main source about him is Agathias

Agathias

Agathias or Agathias Scholasticus , of Myrina , an Aeolian city in western Asia Minor , was a Greek poet and the principal historian of part of the reign of the Roman emperor Justinian I between 552 and 558....

. The name probably derives from Kanarang

Kanarang

The kanārang was a unique title in the Sassanid army, given to the commander of the Sassanid Empire's northeasternmost frontier province, Abarshahr...

, a military title 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...

. He should probably not be confused with his contemporary, the Chanaranges who took part in the conspiracy of Artabanes

Artabanes (general)

Artabanes was an East Roman general of Armenian origin who served under Justinian I . Initially a rebel against Byzantine authority, he fled to the Sassanid Persians but soon returned to Byzantine allegiance. He served in Africa, where he won great fame by killing the rebel general Guntharic and...

.

Biography

Chanaranges was reportedly a native of Byzantine Armenia

Byzantine Armenia

Byzantine Armenia is the name given to the Armenian part of the Byzantine Empire. The size of the territory varied over time, depending on the degree of control the Byzantines had over Armenia....

. Agathias gives his title in Greek as Taxiarch , describing him as commanding a tagma

Tagma (military)

The tagma is a term for a military unit of battalion or regiment size. The best-known and most technical use of the term however refers to the elite regiments formed by Byzantine emperor Constantine V and comprising the central army of the Byzantine Empire in the 8th–11th centuries.-History and...

. His Latin title was probably comes rei militaris.

He is first mentioned in late 554, serving under Narses

Narses

Narses was, with Belisarius, one of the great generals in the service of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I during the "Reconquest" that took place during Justinian's reign....

. His forces took part in a campaign against the Franks

Franks

The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...

 of Butilinus. Narses set his camp near the river Casilinum

Casilinum

Casilinum , an ancient city of Campania, Italy, 3 m. NW of the ancient Capua. Its position at the point of junction of the Via Appia and Via Latina, and at their crossing of the river Volturnus by a three-arched bridge, which still exists, gave it considerable importance under the Roman republic;...

 (Volturnus

Volturnus

In Roman mythology, Volturnus was a god of the waters, probably derived from a local Samnite cult. His festival, Volturnalia, was held on August 27.The Volturno river in Campania is named in his honour....

, Volturno

Volturno

The Volturno is a river in south-central Italy.-Geography:It rises in the Abruzzese central Apennines of Samnium near Rocchetta a Volturno and flows southeast as far as its junction with the Calore River near Caiazzo and runs south as far as Venafro, and then turns southwest, past Capua, to...

). Chanaranges was stationed in the same camp, at the side nearest to the enemy.

Chanaranges was sent against the forage wagons of the Franks. He easily captured the wagons and killed the drivers. The Franks had built a tower in the area, guarding the bridge that crossed the river. Chanaranges drove one of the captured wagons to the castle. He set the wagon on fire, the flames spreading to the tower and destroying it. The bridge passed under Byzantine control. The events directly led to the Battle of the Volturnus

Battle of the Volturnus (554)

The Battle of the Volturnus, also known as the Battle of Casilinum or Battle of Capua, was fought in 554 between an army of the Eastern Roman Empire and a combined force of Franks and Alemanni...

, a decisive Byzantine victory. Nothing further is known of him after that.

Agathias describes Chanaranges as very brave and ready to take risks, but also as sufficiently cautious to avoid unnecessary dangers.