Maurice (Latin: Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus; Greek: F????? ?a??????? ????? ?? ?????st??

) (539 27 November 602) was Byzantine Emperor from 582 to 602. A prominent general in his youth, Maurice fought with success against the Sassan id Persians. Once he became Emperor, he brought the war with Persia to a victori ous conclusion: the Empire's eastern border in the Caucasus was vastly expanded, the Persian king Khosrau II married the Emperor's daughter, and for the first t ime in nearly two centuries the Romans were no longer obliged to pay the Persian s thousands of pounds of gold annually for peace. Maurice campaigned extensively in the Balkans against the Avars pushing them bac k across the Danube by 599. He also conducted campaigns across the Danube, the f irst Emperor to do so in over two hundred years. In the West, he established two large semi-autonomous provinces called exarchates, ruled by exarchs, or viceroy s, of the emperor. In Italy, Maurice established the Exarchate of Ravenna in 584, the first real ef fort by the Empire to halt the advance of the Lombards. With the creation of the Exarchate of Africa in 590, he further solidified the empire's hold on the west ern Mediterranean. His reign was troubled by financial difficulties and almost constant warfare. In 602, a dissatisfied general named Phocas usurped the throne, having Maurice and his six sons executed. This event would prove cataclysmic for the Empire, spark ing a devastating war with Persia that would leave both empires weakened prior t o the Muslim invasions. His reign is a relatively accurately documented era of Late Antiquity, in partic ular by the historian Theophylact Simocatta. Maurice also authored the Strategik on, a manual of war which influenced European militaries for nearly a millennium . He stands out as one of the last Emperors whose Empire still bore a strong res emblance to the Roman Empire of previous centuries. His reign is often considere d the end of Classical antiquity.[1] Contents Maurice (Latin: Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus; Greek: F????? ?a??????? ????? ?? ?????st??) (539 27 November 602) was Byzantine Emperor from 582 to 602. A prominent general in his youth, Maurice fought with success against the Sassan id Persians. Once he became Emperor, he brought the war with Persia to a victori ous conclusion: the Empire's eastern border in the Caucasus was vastly expanded, the Persian king Khosrau II married the Emperor's daughter, and for the first t ime in nearly two centuries the Romans were no longer obliged to pay the Persian s thousands of pounds of gold annually for peace. Maurice campaigned extensively in the Balkans against the Avars pushing them bac k across the Danube by 599. He also conducted campaigns across the Danube, the f irst Emperor to do so in over two hundred years. In the West, he established two large semi-autonomous provinces called exarchates, ruled by exarchs, or viceroy s, of the emperor. In Italy, Maurice established the Exarchate of Ravenna in 584, the first real ef fort by the Empire to halt the advance of the Lombards. With the creation of the Exarchate of Africa in 590, he further solidified the empire's hold on the west ern Mediterranean. His reign was troubled by financial difficulties and almost constant warfare. In 602, a dissatisfied general named Phocas usurped the throne, having Maurice and his six sons executed. This event would prove cataclysmic for the Empire, spark ing a devastating war with Persia that would leave both empires weakened prior t o the Muslim invasions.

His reign is a relatively accurately documented era of Late Antiquity, in partic ular by the historian Theophylact Simocatta. Maurice also authored the Strategik on, a manual of war which influenced European militaries for nearly a millennium . He stands out as one of the last Emperors whose Empire still bore a strong res emblance to the Roman Empire of previous centuries. His reign is often considere d the end of Classical antiquity.[1] Contents Biography Origins and early life Maurice was born in Arabissus in Cappadocia in 539, the son of a certain Paul. H e had one brother, Peter, and two sisters, Theoctista and Gordia, later the wife of the general Philippicus.[2] According to a legend, he was of Armenian origin , but the issue cannot be determined in any way.[3] The historian Evagrius Schol asticus records a (likely invented) descent from old Rome.[2] Maurice first came to Constantinople as a notarius, and came to serve as a secre tary to the comes excubitorum (commander of the Excubitors, the imperial bodygua rd) Tiberius, the future Tiberius II (r. 578 582). When Tiberius was named Caesar in 574, Maurice was appointed to succeed him as comes excubitorum. Origins and early life Maurice was born in Arabissus in Cappadocia in 539, the son of a certain Paul. H e had one brother, Peter, and two sisters, Theoctista and Gordia, later the wife of the general Philippicus.[2] According to a legend, he was of Armenian origin , but the issue cannot be determined in any way.[3] The historian Evagrius Schol asticus records a (likely invented) descent from old Rome.[2] Maurice first came to Constantinople as a notarius, and came to serve as a secre tary to the comes excubitorum (commander of the Excubitors, the imperial bodygua rd) Tiberius, the future Tiberius II (r. 578 582). When Tiberius was named Caesar in 574, Maurice was appointed to succeed him as comes excubitorum.