Baduarius
Encyclopedia
Baduarius was an East Roman (Byzantine)
aristocrat, the son-in-law of Byzantine emperor Justin II
(r. 565–578). Theophanes the Confessor
erroneously calls him a brother.
active in Scythia Minor
in 528, Baduarius is recorded by the Latin
epic poet Flavius Cresconius Corippus
as having succeeded Justin in his post as curopalates
immediately after the latter's rise to the throne on 14 November 565. At the time he was already a holder of the patrician rank.
In ca 566/567, he was ordered to raise an army in the lower Danube
(Moesia
and Scythia Minor) to assist the Gepids against the Lombards
. The Byzantines won the first battle, but then the Gepid king Cunimund
refused to hand back Sirmium
as he had promised. Left unaided against the Lombards and Avars
, Cunimund was defeated and killed. The post of Baduarius in this campaign is obscure: he may have been a magister militum
per Illyricum, a magister militum without an assigned area, or the quaestor exercitus.
A comes stabuli ("count of the imperial stables") in 573, he was sent to Italy soon after to resist the Lombard conquest of the peninsula. The Lombards however defeated him in battle in 576, and he died soon after.
, with whom he may have had a daughter, Firmina, attested in a single inscription dated to 564. The phrasing is obscure. It contains a Greek word that could be seen as "γενημένη" or "γενόμενη" of Arabia. "γενημένη" means "born of" and would make the phrase read "Firmina, daughter of Arabia", whilst "γενόμενη" means "who became". Cyril Mango
reads the phrase as "Firmina who became the nursemaid
of Arabia".
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
aristocrat, the son-in-law of Byzantine emperor Justin II
Justin II
Justin II was Byzantine Emperor from 565 to 578. He was the husband of Sophia, nephew of Justinian I and the late Empress Theodora, and was therefore a member of the Justinian Dynasty. His reign is marked by war with Persia and the loss of the greater part of Italy...
(r. 565–578). 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,...
erroneously calls him a brother.
Life
Possibly the son or grandson of a similarly named generalBaduarius (Scythia)
Baduarius was a Byzantine general, active early in the reign of Justinian I in Scythia Minor. Patrick Amory considers the name Baduarius to be Germanic in origin....
active in Scythia Minor
Scythia Minor
Scythia Minor, "Lesser Scythia" was in ancient times the region surrounded by the Danube at the north and west and the Black Sea at the east, corresponding to today's Dobruja, with a part in Romania and a part in Bulgaria....
in 528, Baduarius is recorded by the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
epic poet Flavius Cresconius Corippus
Flavius Cresconius Corippus
Flavius Cresconius Corippus was a late Roman epic poet of the 6th century, who flourished under East Roman Emperors Justinian I and Justin II. His major works are the epic poem Johannis and the panegyric In laudem Justini minoris...
as having succeeded Justin in his post as curopalates
Curopalates
Kouropalatēs, Latinized as curopalates or curopalata and Anglicized as curopalate, was a Byzantine court title, one of the highest from the time of Emperor Justinian I to that of the Komnenoi in the 12th century...
immediately after the latter's rise to the throne on 14 November 565. At the time he was already a holder of the patrician rank.
In ca 566/567, he was ordered to raise an army in the lower Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
(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...
and Scythia Minor) to assist the Gepids against the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
. The Byzantines won the first battle, but then the Gepid king Cunimund
Cunimund
Cunimund was a king of the Gepids in the 6th century. Cunimund was the last of the Gepid kings and led them in their defeat by the Lombards in 567.-Background:...
refused to hand back Sirmium
Sirmium
Sirmium was a city in ancient Roman Pannonia. Firstly mentioned in the 4th century BC and originally inhabited by the Illyrians and Celts, it was conquered by the Romans in the 1st century BC and subsequently became the capital of the Roman province of Lower Pannonia. In 294 AD, Sirmium was...
as he had promised. Left unaided against the Lombards and Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
, Cunimund was defeated and killed. The post of Baduarius in this campaign is obscure: he may have been a 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 Illyricum, a magister militum without an assigned area, or the quaestor exercitus.
A comes stabuli ("count of the imperial stables") in 573, he was sent to Italy soon after to resist the Lombard conquest of the peninsula. The Lombards however defeated him in battle in 576, and he died soon after.
Family
He had married Justin's daughter ArabiaArabia (daughter of Justin II)
Arabia was the only recorded daughter of Byzantine emperor Justin II and his empress Sophia.- Name and meaning :While mentioned in several primary sources, her name is only recorded in the Patria of Constantinople...
, with whom he may have had a daughter, Firmina, attested in a single inscription dated to 564. The phrasing is obscure. It contains a Greek word that could be seen as "γενημένη" or "γενόμενη" of Arabia. "γενημένη" means "born of" and would make the phrase read "Firmina, daughter of Arabia", whilst "γενόμενη" means "who became". Cyril Mango
Cyril Mango
Cyril Alexander Mango is a British scholar in the history, art, and architecture of the Byzantine Empire. He is a former King's College London and Oxford professor of Byzantine and Modern Greek Language and Literature. He is the brother of Andrew Mango.One of his major works The Mosaics of St...
reads the phrase as "Firmina who became the nursemaid
Nursemaid
A nursemaid or nursery maid, is mostly a historical term of employment for a female servant in an elite household. In the 21st century, the position is largely defunct, owing to the relatively small number of households who maintain large staffs with the traditional hierarchy.The nursery maid...
of Arabia".