Mundus (general)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mundus (died 536) was a Byzantine general during the reign of Justinian I.

Nothing is known of his early life, except that he was originally a Hunnic mercenary. He was appointed magister militum of the troops in Illyria and the Danube frontier in 530, and was responsible for repelling an invasion of the Balkans by the Slavs and Bulgars. In 531 he accompanied Belisarius to the eastern frontier to fight the Sassanids, and briefly took command when Belisarius fought the Persians to a draw at the Battle of Callinicum.

In 532 he had been called back to Constantinople for unknown reasons, and happened to be in the city with a force of Heruli mercenaries during the Nika riots. He remained loyal to Justinian and, along with Belisarius, was responsible for the massacre of the supporters of Hypatius in the Hippodrome.

In 535 he led his troops from Illyria into Dalmatia to fight the Ostrogoths while Belisarius invaded Ostrogothic Italy by sea. He captured Salona but was killed in battle in 536.