Chelchal
Chelchal (fl. 467) was a Hun commander serving as lieutenant general under the Byzantine Empire.
History
[edit]He was the deputy commander of Aspar's forces. Once, during a "barbarian" (Hunnic, Gothic and Scythian) invasion of the Roman Empire, Chelchal and three other Roman generals (Basiliscus, Anagast and Ostryis) managed to defeat the "barbarians", pushing them into a valley. Hard pressed by starvation, they sent an embassy to the Romans to treat their surrender, stating that if they surrendered and were allotted lands, they would obey to the Romans.[1]
The Roman generals said they would forward the request to the emperor, and meanwhile would give them food, provided they arrange in as many segments as those formed by Aspar and the Romans (in this way, Chelchal and the other generals could "better care for them").[2] Chelchal then summoned the (Goth) logades to communicate them that the land the emperor would give them would be given to the Huns among them, not the Goths. Though Chelchal was an ethnic Hun and he was proud of his origins, he informed the Goths out of a sense of justice, so that they may know of the injustice dealt on them and act accordingly.[3][4] What Chelchal told them caused indeed a clash between Huns and Goths.[3][5] Apparently, the revolt of the Goths caused Dengizich (who was leading the invasion of the Roman Empire) to retreat.[3][5][6]
As soon as Aspar heard about the ongoing fight between the two people, he and the other commanders summoned their troops and started to kill all the "barbarians" they met.[3] The Scythians "perceived the treachery", gathered together, and turned against the Romans, but Aspar and his commanders anticipated them, killing the Scythian troops allotted to them to the last man.[2][3] The fight was difficult for Chelchal and the other generals, as the "barbarians" are said to have fought bravely, with some of them eventually managing to escape through the Romans' blockade.[2][3]
Ostyrs and Chelchal probably purposefully stirred up the revolt,[2][4] possibly following Aspar's indications, but without informing the other generals, note even Basiliscus, who was the overall commander.[2] This caused the Goths to be more successful against the Romans in this case.[2]
Etymology
[edit]His name recalls that of another Hun, Chalazar. It might be of Turkic origin.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Given, John P. (2015). The Fragmentary History of Priscus: Attila, the Huns and the Roman Empire, AD 430–476. Arx Publishing. pp. 152–153. ISBN 9781935228141.
- ^ a b c d e f Syvänne, Ilkka (2021). Military History of Late Rome 457-518. Pen & Sword Books Limited. p. 75. ISBN 9781473895355. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Maenchen-Helfen, Otto J. (2022). Knight, Max (ed.). The World of the Huns Studies in Their History and Culture. University of California Press. p. 167. ISBN 9780520302617. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
- ^ a b Crawford, Peter (2019). Roman Emperor Zeno The Perils of Power Politics in Fifth-Century Constantinople. Pen & Sword Books Limited. p. 91. ISBN 9781473859272. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
- ^ a b Kim, Hyun Jin (2015). The Huns. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781317340904. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
- ^ Martindale, John R., ed. (1980). The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire: Volume II, AD 395–527. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 283. ISBN 0-521-20159-4.
- ^ Maenchen-Helfen, Otto J. "The World of the Huns. Chapter IX. Language". www.kroraina.com. Retrieved 26 October 2022.