Flaviy Mavrikiy Byzantine emperor in 582-602. Country: Greece

1. Biography of Flavius Maurice
2. War Victories and Leadership
3. Language Reform

Biography of Flavius Maurice

Flavius Maurice, a Byzantine Emperor from 582 to 602, was born in the Cappadocian city of Aravis. Leaving his hometown, he arrived in Constantinople where he began his service as a simple notary in the capital. Under Justin II, he was appointed as the Count of the Escutcheons and the Count of the Federates, and in 577, he was proclaimed the Magister Militum of the East, leading a crucial war against the Persians (Dashkov, "Maurice"). According to Evagrius, he was a noble and prudent man, meticulous and consistent in everything he did. He was firm and discerning in his lifestyle and character, avoiding indulgence and gluttony (Evagrius, 5; 19). Menander adds that he combined the qualities of a noble spirit with gentleness, and was neither proud nor arrogant (Menander, 58).

War Victories and Leadership

In 578, Maurice ventured deep into Persia and, despite a severe fever, continued to endure all the hardships of war. After invading Arzanene and finding no enemy, the Romans occupied Afumon, one of the strongest fortifications, and destroyed other fortresses, killing a significant number of people in the Persian state. From Arzanene, Maurice advanced to the banks of the Tigris and subjugated the fortress of Singara. The following year, he once again entered Persian territories and devastated both banks of the Tigris. This time, the Romans ravaged all the fertile and flourishing regions of Persia, killing people and destroying crops. In the summer of 580, Maurice penetrated Persian territories again through the deserts of Arabia. However, when he reached the banks of the Euphrates, news came that the Persian army was ravaging Roman provinces near Callinicum. Maurice quickly led his legions to confront the enemy and inflicted a defeat upon them. In June 581, the Persian commander Tamkhusro, with a large army, approached Constantinople, leading to a major battle between the Persians and the Romans. Maurice emerged victorious (Simocatta, 3; 15-17). Emperor Tiberius II rewarded Maurice with honors, gave him his daughter Constantia in marriage, and, before his death in August 582, bequeathed him the imperial power (Simocatta, 1; 1).

Throughout his reign, Maurice had to engage in persistent wars with external enemies. In addition to the successful conclusion of the Persian war in 591 (Simocatta, 5; 2-3), he faced a challenging conflict with the Avars and Slavs. In 584, the Slavs advanced towards Constantinople, even breaching the "Long Walls" and carrying out a terrible massacre in the suburbs. It was with great difficulty that the commander Comentiolus managed to repel them and defeat the Slavs (Simocatta, 1; 7). The fierce war continued in the following years with varying success. In 599, the Avars, after defeating Comentiolus, approached Constantinople but were halted by an epidemic that broke out in their army. In one day, seven sons of the khan died. The Senate requested the emperor to send an embassy to the barbarian in Drizipera to soften him with kind words. Reluctantly, the khan accepted the gifts, but agreed to peace. Talks of ransoming prisoners (12,000 in total) began. The Avars asked for a gold coin per person, but Maurice refused to pay such an amount. The khan then requested half a coin per person, which the emperor also declined. Maurice did not even want to ransom them for four carats. Enraged, the khan killed all the prisoners and returned to his territories. This incident led to great hatred towards Maurice. The emperor sent delegates to the army accusing Comentiolus of direct treason, claiming that he led soldiers who were unprepared for battle and did not even inform them that they were heading into battle. However, Maurice did not accept the accusations against the commander and dismissed the delegates without success. Among the soldiers, a persistent rumor spread that the emperor had ordered Comentiolus to betray them to the enemy as punishment for their disobedience. According to Theophanes, this rumor caused a conspiracy against Maurice within the army. Dangerous signs of discontent grew with each passing day. Due to drought in the capital, there were shortages of bread, and even famine began. When Maurice performed a prayer together with the people and walked barefoot to Carpias in the autumn of 601, some of the commoners suddenly became rebellious and began to throw stones at him, barely escaping with his son Theodosius, Maurice completed the prayer in Vlaherna. The following year, the Thracian legions rebelled. Despite the freezing cold, Maurice ordered his troops to cross the Danube and spend the winter in Slavic lands, providing themselves with provisions there so that he would not have to send them public rations. When Peter, the brother of the emperor, summoned the military commanders and informed them of Maurice's decree, they said that the army would not accept it, and indeed, upon learning about the emperor's will, they immediately revolted. The rebellious crowds gathered and proclaimed the centurion Phocas as their commander-in-chief. At the same time, the citizens sent requests to Theodosius, son of Maurice, asking him to rule over them or to elevate his father-in-law Germanus to the throne. Maurice, upon learning of this, had Theodosius whipped and wanted to capture and execute Germanus, but the people prevented the execution of his will. The capital city erupted in rebellion. In the dead of night, Maurice discarded his imperial robes, dressed in simple attire, and boarded a light ship with his wife and children. Meanwhile, the commoners spent the entire night hurling shameful insults at the emperor. A great storm arose at sea. Maurice, completely debilitated by gout, was detained in Chalcedon, on the other side of the strait. In the meantime, Phocas took control of the capital and seized imperial power. A few days later, he ordered the execution of his predecessor along with all his sons. The imperial family's name was erased on the wall of Eutropia in Chalcedon. First, the heads of Maurice's five sons were severed in front of him to torment his heart. But Maurice looked upon their misfortune with philosophical indifference and often proclaimed, "You are just, O Lord, and your judgment is just!" The nurse stole Maurice's youngest son, who was still an infant, and replaced him with her own child, but Maurice exposed her deception (Theophanes, 592-594), declaring that it was unjust to insult the sanctity of death by concealing this son. He himself was then beheaded. Their bodies were thrown into the sea (Simocatta, 8; II), and their heads were displayed in the Tribunal Square until they rotted away. Peter, the emperor's brother, and many others were also killed. Only rumors circulated about the eldest son of Maurice, Theodosius, who was said to have escaped and found refuge in Persia (Theophanes, 595).

Language Reform

An important innovation by Maurice was declaring the Greek language as the official language of the empire, replacing Latin, which had been considered as such before (Dashkov, "Maurice").