Maurice
Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire
"Thou art just, O Lord, and just is thy judgement."
Biography
A capable soldier-emperor, Maurice stabilised the eastern frontier and, in a fateful act of statesmanship, intervened in a Persian civil war to restore the young Khosrow II to his throne — winning peace and an ally, and briefly ending the long Roman–Persian wars. He was an able administrator and military reformer, credited with the influential treatise on strategy, the Strategikon. But his attempts to economise on the army provoked a mutiny, and in 602 the soldiers proclaimed the centurion Phocas emperor. Maurice was captured and, with his sons killed before his eyes, brutally executed — reportedly meeting his death with pious resignation. His murder shattered the peace with Persia, for Khosrow declared war to avenge the emperor who had once saved him, unleashing the last great Roman–Persian war.
Did you know?
The military manual known as the Strategikon, traditionally attributed to his reign, is one of the most important surviving treatises on late-Roman and Byzantine warfare.
Key Battles
The Overthrow of Maurice
Sasanian Persian Empire victoryNovember 602 · 100 total casualties
The usurpation of Phocas and the murder of Maurice gave Khosrow the excuse to launch the last and greatest Roman–Persian war. The internal Byzantine chaos under the tyrant Phocas let the Persians make catastrophic early gains.
Life Journey
Timeline
539
🌅 Birth
Born in Cappadocia
582
📍 Posting
Becomes emperor and restores Khosrow II to Persia
November 27, 602
✝️ Death
Overthrown and executed by Phocas