Neboulos
Encyclopedia
Neboulos was a South Slavic
or Bulgar
military commander in the service of the Byzantine
emperor Justinian II
(r. 685–695 and 705–711), who defected with many of his men to the Arabs during the crucial Battle of Sebastopolis.
In 688/689, Justinian forcibly transplanted Slavic populations
from the Balkans, settled them in the depopulated Opsician Theme. From them, he recruited a special military corps, allegedly 30,000 strong, which was called in Greek λαός περιούσιος, "the chosen people". In about 690, Neboulos, who already held the rank of skribon and possibly served in the imperial guard, was placed as their commander (archon
). Neboulos' own origin is disputed between scholars, with some suggesting a Bulgar
origin and others a South Slavic
one. According to the account of Patriarch Nikephoros, he was chosen from among the nobility of the Slav settlers.
In 692/693, after the corps' training had been completed, they were employed en masse by Justinian in a major campaign against the Umayyads under the strategos
of the Anatolics Leontios
. The Byzantines engaged the Arabs in the Battle of Sebastopolis and initially had the upper hand, until Neboulos, with the bulk (some 20,000) of his men, deserted the Byzantine lines and went over to the Arabs, allegedly bribed by the Arab commander, Muhammad ibn Marwan
. Some sources report, probably with great exaggeration, how thereafter Justinian took his revenge on the remaining Slavs: he disbanded the corps, and killed or sold into slavery many of its men as well as the families of the deserters. Neboulos and his men on the other hand were settled by the Umayyads in Syria, and were employed in subsequent Arab forays into Byzantine-held Asia Minor
.
South Slavs
The South Slavs are the southern branch of the Slavic peoples and speak South Slavic languages. Geographically, the South Slavs are native to the Balkan peninsula, the southern Pannonian Plain and the eastern Alps...
or Bulgar
Bulgars
The Bulgars were a semi-nomadic who flourished in the Pontic Steppe and the Volga basin in the 7th century.The Bulgars emerge after the collapse of the Hunnic Empire in the 5th century....
military commander in the service of the Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
emperor Justinian II
Justinian II
Justinian II , surnamed the Rhinotmetos or Rhinotmetus , was the last Byzantine Emperor of the Heraclian Dynasty, reigning from 685 to 695 and again from 705 to 711...
(r. 685–695 and 705–711), who defected with many of his men to the Arabs during the crucial Battle of Sebastopolis.
In 688/689, Justinian forcibly transplanted Slavic populations
Asia Minor Slavs
Asia Minor Slavs refers to the historical South Slav communities relocated to Anatolia by the Byzantine Empire, from the Balkans.After Maurice's Balkan campaigns , and subsequent subduing of Slavs in Balkans, large communities were forcefully relocated to Asia Minor as military, fighting the...
from the Balkans, settled them in the depopulated Opsician Theme. From them, he recruited a special military corps, allegedly 30,000 strong, which was called in Greek λαός περιούσιος, "the chosen people". In about 690, Neboulos, who already held the rank of skribon and possibly served in the imperial guard, was placed as their commander (archon
Archon
Archon is a Greek word that means "ruler" or "lord", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem ἀρχ-, meaning "to rule", derived from the same root as monarch, hierarchy, and anarchy.- Ancient Greece :In ancient Greece the...
). Neboulos' own origin is disputed between scholars, with some suggesting a Bulgar
Bulgar
Bulgar may refer to:*Bulgars, an early medieval people of Eastern Europe / Central Asia**their Bulgar language*Bolghar, a capital city of the Volga Bulgaria*Bolgar , a town in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia...
origin and others a South Slavic
South Slavs
The South Slavs are the southern branch of the Slavic peoples and speak South Slavic languages. Geographically, the South Slavs are native to the Balkan peninsula, the southern Pannonian Plain and the eastern Alps...
one. According to the account of Patriarch Nikephoros, he was chosen from among the nobility of the Slav settlers.
In 692/693, after the corps' training had been completed, they were employed en masse by Justinian in a major campaign against the Umayyads under the strategos
Strategos
Strategos, plural strategoi, is used in Greek to mean "general". In the Hellenistic and Byzantine Empires the term was also used to describe a military governor...
of the Anatolics Leontios
Leontios
Leontios was Byzantine emperor from 695 to 698. He came to power by overthrowing the Emperor Justinian II, but was overthrown in his turn by Tiberios III. His actual and official name was Leo , but he is known by the name used for him in Byzantine chronicles.- Early life :Leontios was born in...
. The Byzantines engaged the Arabs in the Battle of Sebastopolis and initially had the upper hand, until Neboulos, with the bulk (some 20,000) of his men, deserted the Byzantine lines and went over to the Arabs, allegedly bribed by the Arab commander, Muhammad ibn Marwan
Muhammad ibn Marwan
Muḥammad ibn Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam was an Umayyad prince and one of the most important generals of the Caliphate in the period 690–710, completing the Arab conquest of Armenia...
. Some sources report, probably with great exaggeration, how thereafter Justinian took his revenge on the remaining Slavs: he disbanded the corps, and killed or sold into slavery many of its men as well as the families of the deserters. Neboulos and his men on the other hand were settled by the Umayyads in Syria, and were employed in subsequent Arab forays into Byzantine-held Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
.