Gregory the Patrician

Gregory was a wealthy Byzantine patrician related to Emperor Heraclius who was appointed Exarch of Africa in the 640s. Opposing the Monothelite religious compromises imposed by Constantinople, Gregory declared total independence from the Byzantine Empire in 646 AD, proclaiming himself Emperor.

Moving his imperial capital inland to the magnificent fortified city of Sufetula (modern Sbeitla), he mobilized an army of over 100,000 Greeks, Latins, and Berber allies. In 647 AD, an Arab expeditionary force commanded by Abdallah ibn Sa'd and Abdallah ibn al-Zubayr reached Sufetula; Gregory was killed during the battle outside the city walls, marking the opening chapter of the Islamic conquest of Ifriqiya.