| Stotzas | |
|---|---|
| Rebel leader in Mauretania | |
| Reign | 541–545 |
| Successor | John |
| Died | 545 Thacia |
Stotzas (Greek: Στότζας), also Stutias, Theophanes writes him Tzotzas (Τζότζας),[1] was an East Roman (Byzantine) soldier and leader of a military rebellion in the Praetorian prefecture of Africa in the 530s. Stotzas attempted to establish Africa as a separate state and had been chosen by the rebelling soldiers as their leader. Nearly succeeding in taking Carthage, Stotzas was defeated at the Battle of the River Bagradas by Belisarius and fled into Numidia, where he regrouped. After another attempt at taking control of Africa, Stotzas was defeated by Germanus in 537 and fled with some of his followers into Mauretania.
In Mauretania, Stotzas would marry the daughter of a local noble and would allegedly be raised to King in 541 AD. He followed the Berber king Antalas in his rebellion against Eastern Roman rule in 544 AD. In the Battle of Thacia in autumn of 545 AD, Stotzas would be mortally wounded by the Eastern Roman general John, dying shortly thereafter.