Maurice (Eastern Roman Emperor)

Timeline

1. c. 565–582Constantinople · ThraceMaurice was born in Arabissus in Cappadocia (modern Afsin, Turkey). He entered military service in his youth and rose rapidly under Emperor Tiberius II. From 574 he served as commander-in-chief of the eastern army, directing campaigns against Persia with distinction. In 578 Tiberius II betrothed his daughter Constantina to Maurice, and in August 582, shortly before his death, designated Maurice as co-emperor and heir.
2. 582–594Constantinople · ThraceAfter accession, Maurice continued the war on the eastern front. In 591, the Persian prince Khosrow II lost his throne in a palace coup, fled, and sought Maurice's aid. Maurice supported Khosrow's restoration in exchange for Persia's return of large territories in Armenia and Mesopotamia, ending the eastern war with a major Byzantine victory. At the same time, Maurice reorganized North Africa (Exarchate of Carthage) and Italy (Exarchate of Ravenna) into highly autonomous civil-military units, setting a precedent for Byzantine provincial reform.
3. 594–602Chalcedon · BithyniaMaurice maintained sustained military pressure on the Avars and Slavs along the Danube, but his cost-cutting policies angered the soldiers. In 602, the frontier army mutinied under the centurion Phocas and advanced on Constantinople. Maurice's attempt to flee failed; he was deposed on November 22, 602, and executed at Chalcedon along with his five sons. Phocas immediately declared himself emperor, and his tyranny led to a general decline of the Byzantine Empire. News of Maurice's death prompted Khosrow II of Persia to launch a large-scale war under the pretext of avenging his former benefactor.