Byzantine Africa: The Rise and Fall in the Shadow of Empires

Byzantine Africa, encompassing regions of North Africa including Egypt and parts of present-day Libya, was under the dominion of the Byzantine Empire from the 3rd to the 7th century CE until the emergence of Islam. This territory played a crucial role in the Byzantine Emperor Justinian's grand strategy to reunify the Roman Empire and expel the invading Germanic Vandals who had occupied Africa toward the end of the 4th century.

Though Justinian's personal efforts to conquer the region failed, his general, Belisarius, eventually succeeded. In 533, Belisarius landed in North Africa and swiftly dismantled the Vandal kingdom within a year.

Justinian and his wife, Theodora, significantly contributed to the architectural embellishments of churches in Byzantine Africa and the restoration of Christian orthodoxy. However, after Justinian's demise, records of Byzantine Africa became scarce. Provincial military power surged, and between 585 and 591, a new authority figure, the exarch, was appointed to govern. Constantinople's focus shifted away from Africa due to pressing threats in the eastern and Balkan regions, leaving the exarch to serve as the court's representative in Africa.

In 610, Heraclius, the son of the ruling exarch, rebelled against the unpopular emperor Phocas, taking control the same year. In the early 7th century, Africa retained significance within the empire as the Persian threat loomed large over the eastern territories. However, the rise of Islam altered the geopolitical landscape. Muslim Arab armies conquered Persia and, by 642, had captured Alexandria, removing Egypt from Byzantine control. This marked the decline of the Eastern Roman Empire's influence in Africa, ultimately rendering it a non-factor in the region.