Maurice Tiberius – Byzantine Emperor: August 13,
582-November 22, 602 A.D.
Bronze Decanummium 15mm (3.42 grams) Catania Mint, circa
582-602 A.D.
Reference: SB 581
D . N . mAVRC . TIb . PP . AVG . Crowned and cuirassed bust facing, holding
globe cross and shield.
Large I between A / N / N / O and numerals representing the regnal year; in
exergue, CAT.
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Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (Greek:
Φλάβιος Μαυρίκιος Τιβέριος Αύγουστος;
Armenian
: Մորիկ, Morik; 539 –
November 27, 602), known in English as Maurice, was a
soldier
and
Byzantine Emperor
who ruled from 582-602. He was one of the most important
rulers of the early ‘Byzantine’ era, whose reign was troubled by almost unending
wars on all frontiers.
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Biography
Origins
Maurice was a son of Paulus.
Persian
War and accession to the throne
For more details on this topic, see
Roman-Persian War of 572–591
.
Maurice originated from
Arabissus
in
Cappadocia
and was a successful
commander-in-chief
. He was adopted by his predecessor
Tiberius II
, and succeeded him after the latter’s death. His reign is an
accurately documented era of the late classical antiquity (most important source
is the historian
Theophylact Simocatta
). During a war with the
Sassanid Empire
, already under way in 572 under
Justin II
,
Maurice was in service as commander-in-chief from 579 on. He scored a crushing
victory against the Persians in 581. A year later, he married
Constantina
, the Emperor’s daughter. On August 13, he succeeded his
father-in-law. At that time, he ruled a bankrupt Empire, paying extremely high
tribute to the
Avars
, its Balkan provinces thoroughly devastated by the
Slavs
and at war with Persia.
Maurice had to continue the war against Persia. In 586, his troops defeated
the Persians at Dara
.
Despite serious mutiny in 588, they managed to stand up to the Persians for two
more years, until Prince
Khosrau II
and Persian commander-in-chief
Bahram Chobin
in 590 overthrew King
Hormizd IV
.
Bahram Chobin pretended to the throne and defeated Khosrau II, who subsequently
fled to the Byzantine court. Although the Senate advised against it with one
voice, Maurice lent an army of 35,000 men for Khosrau II to regain his throne,
and in 591 the combined Roman-Persian army under generals Narses and John
Mystacon defeated Bahram Chobin’s forces near
Ganzak
. Maurice
finally brought the war to a successful conclusion by means of a new accession
of Khosrau II and the defeat of Bahram Chobin. As agreed upon, Khosrau II,
probably adopted by Maurice, married Maurice’s eldest daughter Miriam and had
issue. Khosrau II further rewarded Maurice by ceding north eastern
Mesopotamia
and
Armenia
up to
the capital Dvin
and the Lake
Van
and
Iberia
(eastern Georgia) up to the capital
Tbilisi
.
Maurice’s treaty with his new brother-in-law brought a new status-quo to the
east territorially, enlarged to an extent never before achieved by the empire in
its six century history, and much cheaper to defend during this new perpetual
peace – millions of solidi were saved by the remission of tribute to the
Persians alone. Afterwards, Maurice imposed a Union between the Armenian Church
and the Patriarchate of
Constantinople
.
Balkan
warfare
For more details on this topic, see
Maurice’s Balkan campaigns
.
After his victory on the eastern frontier, Maurice was free to focus on the
Balkans
. The
Slavs, having pillaged the Byzantine Balkan provinces for decades, probably
began settling the land from the 580s on. The Avars took the strategically
important fort of Sirmium
in 582, using it as a base of operations against several poorly
defended forts alongside the Danube. In 584 the Slavs threatened the capital and
in 586 Avars besieged
Thessalonica
, while Slavs went as far as the
Peloponnese
. In 591 Maurice launched several campaigns against Slavs and
Avars – with good prospect of turning the tide.
In 592 his troops retook
Singidunum
from the Avars. His commander-in-chief Priscus defeated Slavs, Avars and
Gepids
south of
the Danube in 593. The same year he crossed the Danube into modern-day
Wallachia
to continue his series of victories. In 594 Maurice replaced Priscus with his
rather inexperienced brother
Peter
, who despite initial failures, nonetheless scored another victory in
Wallachia. Priscus, now in command of another army further upstream, defeated
the Avars again in 595. The latter only dared to attack again peripherally in
Dalmatia
two years later. In 598 a treaty was signed with the Avar leader
Bayan I
, only
to be broken for retaliation campaigns inside Avar homeland. In 599 and 601, the
Byzantine forces wreaked havoc amongst the Avars and Gepids. In 602 the Slavs
suffered a crushing defeat in Wallachia. The Byzantine troops were now able to
hold the Danube line again. Meanwhile, Maurice was making plans for resettling
devastated areas in the Balkans by using Armenian settlers.[
neededcitation]
Measures
of domestic policy
Map of the Roman Empire in 600 AD.
In the west, he organized the threatened Byzantine dominions in
Italy
and
Africa
into exarchates, ruled by military governors or
exarchs
, being
mentioned in 584 and 591 respectively. The exarchs had more or less complete
military and civilian competences. This was remarkable due to the usual
separation of civilian and military competences in that era. By founding the
exarchate of Ravenna, Maurice managed to slow down the Lombard advance in Italy,
if not to halt it. In 597, an ailing Maurice wrote his last will, in which he
described his ideas of governing the Empire. His eldest son, Theodosius, would
be a ruler of the East from
Constantinople
, the second one, Tiberius, of the West with the capital in
Rome. Some
historians believe that two youngest sons were supposed to gain
Illyricum
and
North Africa
. But as he intended to maintain unity of the Empire, this idea
bears a strong similarity with the
Tetrarchy
of Diocletian, given the fact that Maurice also maintained claims on the former
western provinces now ruled by Germanic tribes. Maurice’s violent death thwarted
these plans however.
In religious matters, he was very tolerant towards
Monophysitism
, although he was a supporter of the
Council of Chalcedon
. He clashed with
Pope Gregory I
over the latter’s defence of
Rome against the
Lombards
.
Summed up, his attempts to consolidate the Empire slowly but steadily met
with success, last but not least thanks to the peace with Persia. His initial
popularity apparently decreased during his reign, mostly because of his fiscal
politics. In 588, his announcement to cut military wages by 25% led to serious
mutiny of troops on the Persian front. He is said to have refused to pay a very
little ransom in 599 or 600 to deliver 12,000 Byzantine soldiers taken prisoners
by the Avars. It is said that the prisoners were killed and a military
delegation, headed by an officer named Phocas was humiliated and rejected in
Constantinople.
Death
In 602, Maurice, always dealing with the lack of money, decreed that the army
should stay for winter beyond the
Danube
, which
would prove to be a serious mistake. The exhausted troops mutinied against the
emperor. Probably misjudging the situation, Maurice repeatedly ordered his
troops to start a new offensive rather than returning to winter quarters. After
a while, his troops gained the impression that Maurice no longer mastered the
situation, they proclaimed
Phocas
their
leader and demanded Maurice to abdicate and proclaim the successor either his
son Theodosius or General Germanus. Both men were accused of treason, but the
riots broke out in Constantinople and the emperor with his family left the city
for Nicomedia
.
Theodosius headed east to Persia, but historians are not sure whether he had
been sent there by his father or if he had fled there. Phocas entered
Constantinople in November, where he was crowned emperor, while his troops
captured Maurice and his family.
Maurice was murdered on November 27 (some say November 23), 602. It is said
that the deposed emperor was forced to watch his six sons executed before his
eyes, before he was beheaded himself. Empress Constantina and her three
daughters were spared and sent to a monastery. The Persian King Chosroes II used
this coup and the murder of his Patron as an excuse for a renewed war against
the Byzantine Empire.
Legacy
Maurice, whose court still used
Latin
in the same
way as the army and administration did, was in total an able emperor and
commander-in-chief, even though Theophylact’s description may be a bit too
glorifying. He possessed insight, public spirit and courage. He proved his
expertise on military and foreign affairs during his campaigns against Persians
and Avars/Slavs in the same way as during peace negotiations with Khosrau II.
His administrative reforms portray him as a statesman with farsightedness, the
more so since they outlasted his death by far and were the basis for the
introduction of the themes as military districts.
He also promoted science and arts; Maurice is also the traditional author of
the military treatise
Strategikon
which is praised in military circles as the only
sophisticated
combined arms
theory until
World
War II
. However, some historians now believe the Strategikon is the
work of his brother or another general in his court.
His greatest weakness was his inability to judge how unpopular his decisions
were. Or to cite the historian Previte-Orton, listing a number of character
flaws in the emperor’s personality:
“ |
His fault was too much faith in his own excellent judgment without
regard to the disagreement and unpopularity which he provoked by
decisions in themselves right and wise. He was a better judge of policy
than of men. |
” |
It was this flaw that cost him throne and life and thwarted most of his
efforts to prevent the disintegration of the great empire of
Justinian
I
. It seems, as if Maurice attempted to have his way on behalf of Imperial
pretension with respect to the old Imperium Romanum, but as his end
shows, he met strong resistance.
His demise is a turning point in history, given the fact that the new war
against Persia weakened both empires in a way enabling the Slavs to permanently
settle the Balkans and paving the way for Arab/Muslim expansion. The English
historian
A.H.M. Jones
concludes the final era of classical antiquity with Maurice’s
death, as the turmoil which shattered the Byzantine Empire in the next four
decades permanently and thoroughly changed society and politics.
Family
relations
Maurice’s marriage was fertile and produced ten known children:
- Miriam/Maria (b. ca 582), married to
Khosrau
II
and had issue.
- Theodosius (4 August 583 – 27 November 602). According to John of
Ephesus, he was the first heir born to a reigning emperor since the reign of
Theodosius II
(408 – 450).
He was appointed Caesar in 587 and co-emperor on 26 March 590.
- Tiberius (d. 27 November 602).
- Petrus (d. 27 November 602).
- Paulus (d. 27 November 602).
- Justin (d. 27 November 602).
- Justinian (d. 27 November 602).
- Anastasia (d. circa 605).
- Theoctista (d. circa 605).
- Cleopatra (d. circa 605).
His brother
Petrus Augustus
(ca 550 – 602) became the
Curopalates
and was killed at the same time of his brother. He married
Anastasia Aerobinda (b. ca 570), daughter of Areobindus (b. ca 550) and wife,
and had female issue.
His sister Theoktista (ca 540 – aft. 582) married a husband who died before
582 and had a daughter Gordia (ca 560 – aft. 597), who married Marinos (ca 555 –
aft. 597), son of Nerses (ca 530 – aft. 595) and wife Hesychia (b. ca 535), by
whom she had a daughter Theoktista (ca 575/ca 580 – aft. 597), married to
Christodoros (b. ca 570) and had issue.
His sister Gordia (ca 550 – aft. 602) married Philippikos (ca 550 –
Chrysopolis
, 614),
General
,
Comes Excubitorum
and mag. mil. in 582, by whom she had a daughter,
who married Artabastos Mamikonian (b. ca 565), and had issue.
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