Battle of Melantias 559
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
About the battle
The Battle of Melantias or Battle of Melanthius (Greek: Μάχη τής Μελαντιάδος), which took place in 559, was fought between the armies of the Kutrigur Huns, commanded by Zabergan, and the Byzantine Empire, under the command of general Belisarius.
In March 559, Zabergan led the Kutrigurs across the frozen Danube River, invading and plundering Thrace and advancing to within 20 mi (32 km) of Constantinople. Justinian recalled Belisarius from retirement, who assembled a small force of soldiers, civilians and farmers. He prepared a defensive position near the capital and sent scouts to report on the Kutrigurs. When 2,000 Kutrigur cavalry attacked, Belisarius ambushed them in a narrow area. At the same time, Belisarius employed stratagems to give the impression of a larger Byzantine army. The Kutrigur cavalry fell into confusion and, after losing four hundred men, retreated.
While Belisarius sought to pursue, Justinian recalled him to Constantinople, where the victory made him popular with the people. The Kutrigurs eventually withdrew across the Danube River. Justinian ransomed the captives from the raids and encouraged the rival Utigurs to attack them.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Melantias (revision 1381093535), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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