Sittas
Encyclopedia
Sittas (died 538) was a Byzantine
military commander during the reign of Justinian. During the Iberian War
against the Sassanid Empire, Sittas was given command of forces in Armenia, similar to the status of Belisarius
in Mesopotamia. He won a victory over the Sassanids at Satala
.
Sittas was the husband of Comito
, the elder sister of the Empress Theodora
, and possible father of the later empress Sophia
.
Sittas' origin is obscure. Byzantinists have suggested his name was Gothic
or Thracian
but his theoretical descent from either the Goths
of the Thracians
is not mentioned in primary sources. He enters history in the reign of Justin I
as a doryphoros ("bodyguard") in the guard of Justinian, then magister militum
per Orientem
.
In 527, Sittas and Belisarius
were given command of an invasion of Persarmenia
. They were successful in looting
the area and capturing a significant number of Armenian
prisoners. They attempted to invade the rest of the Marzpanate of Armenia
later in the year but were defeated by Aratius
and Narses. The latter should not be confused with Narses
, another general under Justinian.
In 528, Sittas was appointed in the new office of magister militum
per Armeniam
. According to both Malalas and Theophanes the Confessor
, Sittas recruited his scriniarii (administrative officials) among the local Armenian populace, as he considered them more familiar with the territory. Procopius records Sittas' victory over the Tzanni, a tribe of the Caucasus
which led occasional raids in neighbouring areas. Sittas successfully converted them from Paganism
to Christianity
and recruited the former brigands
to the Byzantine army
.
In 530, Sittas also received the office of magister militum praesentalis ("Master of soldiers in the Presence [of the Emperor]"). That same year Sittas and Dorotheus defended Theodosiopolis
against an invading force from the Sassanid Empire
, part of the ongoing Iberian War
between Justinian and Kavadh I
. Procopius notes that the Roman forces managed to pillage the enemy camp. Sittas also defended Satala
against the invasion force by attacking the larger army at its rear and forcing them to retreat (Battle of Satala
). The invasion was called off the Sassanids retreated back to Persia following the two defeats.
Following the defeat of Belisarius in the Battle of Callinicum
(19 April 531), Sittas replaced him in the leadership of the Persian campaign. Kavadh however died within the year, and his son and successor Khosrau I
was interested in stabilizing his internal position for the time being and started negotiations for a peace. The Eternal Peace agreement (which eventually lasted ten years) was signed on September 532 on the terms of all Byzantine land lost under Justinian's rule to be returned, and the Byzantines to pay heavy tribute in exchange for peace. The country of Iberia
remained in Sassanid hands.
Sittas received the honorific title of patrician in 535. The same year, Sittas is credited with a victory against the Bulgars
in Moesia
, by the Iatrus (Yantra
). He was named an honorary Consul
in 536. In 538/539, Sittas was sent back to Armenia to face a revolt in protest against heavy taxation. Failing to negotiate peace, Sittas started active fighting. In the battle of Oenochalcon, the nature of the terrain forced both armies to fight in scattered groups rather than unified forces. Procopius records that Sittas was killed by either Artabanes
, a leader of the revolt, or Solomon, an otherwise obscure rebel.
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...
military commander during the reign of Justinian. During the Iberian War
Iberian War
The Iberian War was fought from 526 to 532 between the Eastern Roman Empire and Sassanid Empire over the eastern Georgian kingdom of Iberia.-Origin:After the Anastasian War, a seven-year truce was agreed on, yet it lasted for nearly twenty years...
against the Sassanid Empire, Sittas was given command of forces in Armenia, similar to the status of Belisarius
Belisarius
Flavius Belisarius was a general of the Byzantine Empire. He was instrumental to Emperor Justinian's ambitious project of reconquering much of the Mediterranean territory of the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century previously....
in Mesopotamia. He won a victory over the Sassanids at Satala
Satala
Located in Turkey, the city of Satala , according to the ancient geographers, was situated in a valley surrounded by mountains, a little north of the Euphrates, where the road from Trapezus to Samosata crossed the boundary of the Roman Empire...
.
Sittas was the husband of Comito
Comito
Comito was the daughter of Acacius "the bear-keeper", an elder sister to Theodora and Anastasia. Through Theodora, Comito was a sister-in-law of Justinian I. The Secret History of Procopius is a main source about her...
, the elder sister of the Empress Theodora
Theodora (6th century)
Theodora , was empress of the Roman Empire and the wife of Emperor Justinian I. Like her husband, she is a saint in the Orthodox Church, commemorated on November 14...
, and possible father of the later empress Sophia
Sophia (empress)
Aelia Sophia was the Empress consort of Justin II of the Byzantine Empire from 565 to 578. She was specifically interested in economic matters and was involved in financial matters during Justin's reign...
.
Sittas' origin is obscure. Byzantinists have suggested his name was Gothic
Gothic language
Gothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only East Germanic language with a sizable Text corpus...
or Thracian
Thracian language
The Thracian language was the Indo-European language spoken in ancient times in Southeastern Europe by the Thracians, the northern neighbors of the Ancient Greeks. The Thracian language exhibits satemization: it either belonged to the Satem group of Indo-European languages or it was strongly...
but his theoretical descent from either the Goths
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
of the Thracians
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
is not mentioned in primary sources. He enters history in the reign of Justin I
Justin I
Justin I was Byzantine Emperor from 518 to 527. He rose through the ranks of the army and ultimately became its Emperor, in spite of the fact he was illiterate and almost 70 years old at the time of accession...
as a doryphoros ("bodyguard") in the guard of Justinian, then magister militum
Magister militum
Magister militum was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. Used alone, the term referred to the senior military officer of the Empire...
per Orientem
Praetorian prefecture of the East
The praetorian prefecture of the East or of Oriens was one of four large praetorian prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided...
.
In 527, Sittas and Belisarius
Belisarius
Flavius Belisarius was a general of the Byzantine Empire. He was instrumental to Emperor Justinian's ambitious project of reconquering much of the Mediterranean territory of the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century previously....
were given command of an invasion of Persarmenia
Persarmenia
Nor-Shirakan or Persarmenia , also known as Adiabene, was part of Greater Armenia, but now situated on the western shore of Lake Urmia in northern Iran. Following the partition of Greater Armenia between the Roman Empire and Sassanid Empire in 387, the territory under Sassanid influence became to...
. They were successful in looting
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
the area and capturing a significant number of Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
prisoners. They attempted to invade the rest of the Marzpanate of Armenia
Marzpanate Period
Marzpanate period refers to the period in Armenian history after the fall of the Arshakuni Dynasty of Armenia in 428, when Marzpans , nominated by the Sassanid Persian King, governed the eastern part of Armenia...
later in the year but were defeated by Aratius
Aratius
Aratius was an Armenian military commander of the 6th-century. He served at first the Sassanid Empire, then defected to the Byzantine Empire. He is primarily known for his activities in the Iberian War, and the Gothic War. He was eventually killed in an ambush. Primary sources about him include...
and Narses. The latter should not be confused with 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....
, another general under Justinian.
In 528, Sittas was appointed in the new office of magister militum
Magister militum
Magister militum was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. Used alone, the term referred to the senior military officer of the Empire...
per Armeniam
Roman Armenia
From the end of the 1st century BC onwards, Armenia was, in part or whole, subject to the Roman Empire and its successor, the East Roman or Byzantine Empire...
. According to both Malalas and Theophanes the Confessor
Theophanes the Confessor
Saint Theophanes Confessor was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy, who became a monk and chronicler. He is venerated on March 12 in the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church .-Biography:Theophanes was born in Constantinople of wealthy and noble iconodule parents: Isaac,...
, Sittas recruited his scriniarii (administrative officials) among the local Armenian populace, as he considered them more familiar with the territory. Procopius records Sittas' victory over the Tzanni, a tribe of the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
which led occasional raids in neighbouring areas. Sittas successfully converted them from Paganism
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and recruited the former brigands
Brigandage
Brigandage refers to the life and practice of brigands: highway robbery and plunder, and a brigand is a person who usually lives in a gang and lives by pillage and robbery....
to the Byzantine army
Byzantine army
The Byzantine army was the primary military body of the Byzantine armed forces, serving alongside the Byzantine navy. A direct descendant of the Roman army, the Byzantine army maintained a similar level of discipline, strategic prowess and organization...
.
In 530, Sittas also received the office of magister militum praesentalis ("Master of soldiers in the Presence [of the Emperor]"). That same year Sittas and Dorotheus defended Theodosiopolis
Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
against an invading force from 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...
, part of the ongoing Iberian War
Iberian War
The Iberian War was fought from 526 to 532 between the Eastern Roman Empire and Sassanid Empire over the eastern Georgian kingdom of Iberia.-Origin:After the Anastasian War, a seven-year truce was agreed on, yet it lasted for nearly twenty years...
between Justinian and Kavadh I
Kavadh I
Kavad or Kavadh I was the son of Peroz I and the nineteenth Sassanid king of Persia, reigning from 488 to 531...
. Procopius notes that the Roman forces managed to pillage the enemy camp. Sittas also defended Satala
Satala
Located in Turkey, the city of Satala , according to the ancient geographers, was situated in a valley surrounded by mountains, a little north of the Euphrates, where the road from Trapezus to Samosata crossed the boundary of the Roman Empire...
against the invasion force by attacking the larger army at its rear and forcing them to retreat (Battle of Satala
Battle of Satala (530)
The Battle of Satala was fought between the forces of the Eastern Roman Empire and the Sassanid Empire in summer 530, near Satala in Byzantine Armenia. The Persian army approached the city to lay siege, when it was attacked in the rear by a small Byzantine force. The Persians turned back to meet...
). The invasion was called off the Sassanids retreated back to Persia following the two defeats.
Following the defeat of Belisarius in the Battle of Callinicum
Battle of Callinicum
The Battle of Callinicum took place Easter day, 19 April 531, between the armies of the Eastern Roman Empire under Belisarius and the Sassanid Persians under Azarethes. After a defeat at the Battle of Dara, the Sassanids moved to invade Syria in an attempt to turn the tide of the war...
(19 April 531), Sittas replaced him in the leadership of the Persian campaign. Kavadh however died within the year, and his son and successor Khosrau I
Khosrau I
Khosrau I , also known as Anushiravan the Just or Anushirawan the Just Khosrau I (also called Chosroes I in classical sources, most commonly known in Persian as Anushirvan or Anushirwan, Persian: انوشيروان meaning the immortal soul), also known as Anushiravan the Just or Anushirawan the Just...
was interested in stabilizing his internal position for the time being and started negotiations for a peace. The Eternal Peace agreement (which eventually lasted ten years) was signed on September 532 on the terms of all Byzantine land lost under Justinian's rule to be returned, and the Byzantines to pay heavy tribute in exchange for peace. The country of Iberia
Caucasian Iberia
Iberia , also known as Iveria , was a name given by the ancient Greeks and Romans to the ancient Georgian kingdom of Kartli , corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia...
remained in Sassanid hands.
Sittas received the honorific title of patrician in 535. The same year, Sittas is credited with a victory against the Bulgars
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....
in Moesia
Moesia
Moesia was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River. It included territories of modern-day Southern Serbia , Northern Republic of Macedonia, Northern Bulgaria, Romanian Dobrudja, Southern Moldova, and Budjak .-History:In ancient...
, by the Iatrus (Yantra
Yantra River
The Yantra is a river in northern Bulgaria, a right tributary of the Danube. It is 285 km long and has a watershed of 7,862 km²....
). He was named an honorary Consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
in 536. In 538/539, Sittas was sent back to Armenia to face a revolt in protest against heavy taxation. Failing to negotiate peace, Sittas started active fighting. In the battle of Oenochalcon, the nature of the terrain forced both armies to fight in scattered groups rather than unified forces. Procopius records that Sittas was killed by either 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...
, a leader of the revolt, or Solomon, an otherwise obscure rebel.