Resistance to King Yebdas
Iabdas was the king of the Aures Kingdom during the Middle Ages. Epidas descended at the head of 30,000 fighters in the summer of 535 AD, roaming the high Numidian plateaus until he reached the borders of the hill without the Byzantine garrisons being able to repel him. It is reported that he penetrated Numidia and arrested many people. Solomon decided at the end of the year 535 AD to invade the Auras after he allied with the king of the brood, Ortias ( In English: Orthaias), and Masonas, the two Moorish princes who allied with Solomon against Ebdas for the following reasons:
Masonas accused Ebdaas of the murder of his father, Méphanias, despite his marriage to one of his sisters.
Ortias was motivated by revenge against the previous alliance between Ebdas and Masonas for expelling him from the region he ruled (the Kingdom of the Brood).
Solomon failed after more than a week in the Euras, and was then forced to return to Carthage, hoping to repeat the effort the following spring (536 AD). But a coup by the military leader Stutzas caused his deportation and return to Constantinople.
Yebdas is one of the most important heroes of the Amazigh resistance who fought the Byzantine occupation alongside Salbus, Qarqzan, Yerna, and Antalas... Judas the Amazigh is also considered one of the most important fighters of the Moorish tribes who stood against the Byzantine occupation in the sixth century AD. What is meant by the Moorish tribes in ancient historical writings is: "the total population of North Africa settled in the region extending from the Gulf of Sirte in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west, with the exception of the Roman or Romanized elements; this is the meaning to which the term Moor arrived in the fifth and sixth centuries AD. That is, all non-Romanized elements." Whether or not they belong to tribes settled within territories subject to foreign political authorities, the term Roman is used to refer to every element proven by the sources to belong to the Roman civilization. The separation between the Roman elements and the Moors is based primarily on the difference in the lifestyle of each of them, so it is Roman He is that person who is devoted to urban life and all the Roman aspects that spread in North Africa. Mainly the Latin language and the Christian religion
As for the Moor, he is the one who remained loyal to his tribal traditions and preserved his local customs.” This means that the Moor is the pure Amazigh who clung to his local language and his inherited customs and traditions and did not turn away like other Amazighs who were fascinated by the Latin-Roman civilization. There are those who associate the Moor with revolution, rebellion from political authority, and fierce resistance. For any occupation that attempts to humiliate the Amazighs and bring them to their knees, as historian Cambus says, by the fifth century AD, a group of Moorish tribes in the Tripolitan and Numidian states will become independent, which will enable them to influence the events of North Africa and change the course of events drawn up by the Vandal state in these regions in favor of the resistance that led to the outbreak of war. Expelling enemies from Tamazgha and trying to achieve autonomy and form small states Until the Arab-Islamic invasion takes place to merge it into a single Arab national entity.
1-Who is Yebdas?
His origins: Yebdas is Amazigh, and his origins go back to the Ares region, a large area, because the heart of the Aures Mountains is the city of Ares, which represents all the municipalities neighboring it. They are the inhabitants of the highlands.
Yebdas is considered one of the great Moorish Amazigh resistance fighters in North Africa in the fifth and sixth centuries AD. He devoted all his life to serving his country and kingdom and fighting the Vandals and Byzantines who aimed to occupy Numidia, exploit it, and abuse its inhabitants. Judas was born in the Aures Mountains in the Numidia region. He was considered one of the major Eurasian leaders who served the Amazigh cause and defended the freedom of the Eurasian Kingdom, the independence of ancient Algeria, and its liberation from the grip of the Vandals first and the oppression of the Byzantines second.
He fought fierce wars against the Vandal forces that penetrated northern and central Algeria in order to colonize Numidia and harass its local population in order to extend its military influence and exploit the region’s wealth, especially its agricultural resources. Judas later became a prince, leader, or king of the independent Eurasian tribes after the decline of Roman influence in the country of Tamazgha politically, militarily, and economically in the face of the strikes of the Vandals and Byzantines. The evidence for the Moorish rulers assuming these lofty titles is that in the sixth century AD, the nucleus of political institutions was formed by the Moorish tribes. New institutions resulting from the defeat of the Vandal Kingdom, but rather dating back to the beginning of the decline of the Roman Empire from important parts of North Africa. With the fall of the Vandal Kingdom, the independence movement of the Moorish tribes expanded in large areas of the state of Numidia, Byzaquina, Mauritania, and other states. It seems that Corybus, when he referred to the independence of the Moorish tribes, described the leader of the Moors with a Latin title, Princeps, which means the first among his peers and is usually translated as prince. As for Prokop, he used the term archon, which is a Greek term meaning one of the nine rulers in Athens, and is sometimes used to avoid... To use the term king, in the sense that the terms principes and archon are used in meanings ranging from the supreme commander of the war to the king; The Moorish tribes maintained their independence in managing their own affairs, and they would not rally around a supreme leader whose authority exceeded that of the tribal sheikh except in times of war. Therefore, the Moorish kings appear in historical texts as warriors and army leaders.” In any case, the Eurasian prince Judas planned several wars against the Vandals and the Byzantines, achieving victory in some and defeat in others, after which Judas regained the strength to launch fierce raids against the hostile Byzantine forces.
2-Stages of development of yebdas resistance
The resistance to yebdas started from Algeria, or what was called Numidia. The Kingdom of yebdas or Iudas is geographically located in the Aures region, especially in its rugged mountains, which are difficult to penetrate due to the ruggedness of its roads and the complexity of its outlets. Therefore, yebdas united the Eurasian tribes and formed an independent kingdom known for its strength and ferocity. It inflicted on the Vandal forces a huge material and human loss, aided in this by its mountainous geographical location similar to the Moroccan Atlas Mountains, which the Romans could not penetrate due to its vast areas and difficulty in traversing and storming the centers of the fierce resistance. The Moorish Amazigh army of yebdas was estimated at about thirty thousand, and the Eurasians controlled the fertile plains and plateaus adjacent to the mountain from the east and west, and they were gradually expanding in all directions until they reached the northern hill. Next to these Eurasians were the Moorish tribes affiliated with Kutzina, who in turn were settling in Byzantine, and after their defeat by the Byzantine general Solomon, they were forced to search for a home near Iudas and his followers on the border between Byzantine and Numidia. The resistance of King Judas began to organize a strong military campaign in numbers and equipment that aimed to encircle the Vandals and besiege them militarily after their landing in northern Numidia. The resistance of Judas worked to achieve the independence of the Eurasian tribes from the rule of the Vandals after the death of their king, Henry 484-477 AD. Yebdas also led a violent resistance against the Byzantine presence in the region between the years 539-534 AD. The Eurasians destroyed some cities located in the foothills of the Eurasian Mountains, which posed a threat to the emerging kingdom, such as the city of Timgad, which was close to the Vandal military garrison stationed in the city of Lambez. The Eurasians were not isolated mountain people in their remote strongholds. They saw the collapse of Rome and the retreat of the Vandals as an opportunity to pounce on Roman cities to plunder them indiscriminately. With the economic capabilities their region gave them, they achieved their independence from the Vandal authority and established a kingdom under the leadership of Yebdas. This kingdom enjoyed political independence. It received a large number of rebels against Byzantine authority, such as Commander Kutzina, who resided in an area adjacent to the Aures after fleeing from the Byzantines. Judas also led a violent resistance against the Byzantine presence in the region between the years 539-534 AD. The Eurasians destroyed some cities located in the foothills of the Eurasian Mountains, which posed a threat to the emerging kingdom, such as the city of Timgad, which was close to the Vandal military garrison stationed in the city of Lambez. The Eurasians were not isolated mountain people in their remote strongholds. They saw the collapse of Rome and the retreat of the Vandals as an opportunity to pounce on Roman cities to plunder them indiscriminately. With the economic capabilities their region gave them, they achieved their independence from the Vandal authority and established a kingdom under the leadership of Eudas. This kingdom enjoyed political independence. It received a large number of rebels against Byzantine authority, such as Commander Kutzina, who resided in an area adjacent to the Aures after fleeing from the Byzantines. But despite the appearance that the Eurasian Kingdom was an economically rich and politically independent kingdom, it is difficult to know the true extent of the political power that Iudas enjoyed.” Among the reasons that led to the emergence of the Eurasian resistance led by Iudas was the expulsion of foreign colonizers from Tamazga in general and Numidia in particular. In particular, protecting the independence of the Kingdom of Aures and preserving its political influence, local authority and territorial sovereignty, not to mention the authoritarian policy practiced by the occupiers in dealing with the population of Numidia and their focus on exploiting the country’s wealth and starving the Berbers after controlling their wealth, property and lands and exploiting the Christian religion in this.
Among the reasons that made the Moors victorious over the Byzantines was their use of fortification, especially fortification with camels, their good knowledge of the region, the use of guerrilla warfare, the hit-and-run approach, and luring the Byzantines into rugged areas in order to monitor, encircle and besiege them militarily, or facilitate the process of fleeing from the presence of the occupier. It is possible to talk about two basic stages in the resistance of Judas: the stage of defeat with Solomon of Byzantium and the stage of resistance and victory.
A- The stage of resistance and defeat before Solomon’s forces
In the year 535 AD, the Byzantines, led by Solomon, attempted to recover the Euras region and annex it to Byzantine influence, but it failed at first due to the outbreak of Eurasian resistance led by Prince Commander Yebdas, who demonstrated seasoned experience in managing wars and battles against the Byzantines. The rugged roads in the Aures Mountains, the lack of water, and the rebellion of the Byzantine army contributed to Solomon being forced to return defeated to the city of Carthage. However, in the year 539 AD, Solomon would prepare his new military campaign to confront the Auras tribes, but it ended with the victory of Commander Judas, who managed to control the water sources of the Abegas Valley well, as he closed all the river’s courses except for the course heading towards the city of Baghai. That is, towards the Byzantine camp that was flooded with water, which prompted Contares to flee with the army members, heading towards Solom, who left Carthage and camped at the foot of the Auras. Confrontations continued between the victor and the defeated, until one of the Byzantine leaders, named Genzo, was able to climb Mount Auras and approach the camp of the Aurasians, and killed three of the warriors who were followers of Iudas, which helped push the rest of the Byzantine army through this corridor. The only way for the Aurasians to escape was Fleeing, especially after Iudas was injured in his arm, and he in turn fled via the road leading to Mauritania. Thus, Solomon gained control over the Aures region, especially the northern foothills, for a limited period of time.”
B- The stage of victory of the Eurasian resistance over the Byzantine forces
After the defeat of Yebdas in front of the forces of Solomon the Byzantine, the wounded Eurasian leader fled to Mauritania, and did not return to his kingdom in the majestic mountains of the Eurasians until the year 546 AD, after the decline of the Vandals, the weakness of the Byzantine forces in Numidia, and the ignition of the resistance of his ally Antalas between the borders of Tunisia and Algeria, who would militarily and strategically ally with Commander Judas to surround the Byzantine forces and besiege them from all sides with the aim of defeating them and pushing them back. It is known that the Eurasian tribes are considered among the most fierce and resistant of the Moorish-Amazigh tribes. The inhabitants of the Eurasians revolted for seven years from 477 to 484 AD. They stopped the advance of the Vandals and inflicted on them one defeat after another. These facts are what destroyed the reputation of the Vandals and restored hope to the souls of their persecuted Catholic enemies. Also, when the Byzantines defeated the Vandals in 533 AD and thought they were able to regain all of Morocco, they found before them the same opponents and faced the same stubborn resistance Yebdas, Prince of the Eurasians, fought them for four years, then turned to the west to regain his breath before doing the same thing again.” In the years 534-539 AD, Commander Yebdas launched violent military campaigns against Byzantine positions, inflicting heavy losses in lives and equipment. He took control of the strategic centers and burned the cities located on the roads close to the military barracks in which the Byzantines were holed up. The Eurasians were not able to assume power and control until after Judas allied with Commander Antalas, who in turn showed rare courage in resisting the fierce Byzantine presence. In fact, the Byzantine army was not destroyed with all its elements except in the year 534 AD, with four leaders from the rulers of the Moorish- Amazigh tribes: Kotzinas, Isdelas, Iorvotin, and then Medesnissa. Therefore, they will deal the Byzantines with painful blows throughout the history of the Amazigh resistance, especially with Antalas and Yerna. Therefore, the Byzantines’ elimination of the Vandals did not mean their recovery of African jurisdiction. The stage during which Byzantium experienced a military conflict against the Moors was more violent and severe than the first stage, during which the Moorish tribes expressed the extent of their attachment to the land. Perhaps the large number of fortresses that were established in multiple geographical centers may suggest the military turmoil that Africa experienced in the sixth century AD. The military strategy of the sixth century showed the inability of the Byzantine army to fight an organized battle, and called for the necessity of fortifying it behind a wall or fortress during the battles it fought against the Moors. The study of the situation of the Byzantine army showed the extent of its weakness and decline in numbers, as well as the proliferation of its revolts and its lack of discipline. The Byzantines found in these forts a military means to achieve an effective defense of the African province against the Moors.”
Conclusion
The resistance of the Eurasians in the Numidia region was fierce, based on fortification and concentration in the rugged mountains, and the adoption of guerrilla warfare and a hit-and-run policy in order to lure the Byzantine forces to defeat them and torture them in various ways. One of the most important Eurasian leaders who defended the mighty and impregnable mountains of the Eurasians was Prince Judas, who confronted the Byzantine leader Solomon and inflicted successive defeats on him until Judas was defeated and took refuge in the west, specifically to Mauritania, to prepare for the fierce confrontation again in the middle of the sixth century AD, so he set out with his mighty army throughout Numidia to suffer. The Byzantine forces suffered material and human losses, after they allied with a group of other Moorish tribes, especially the Antalas tribe and the Yerna tribe. In addition to other tribes located in other geographical locations, they contributed to weakening the Byzantine army and demolishing its foundations
Source: websites