5 – Maurice I – 602
When Justinian I died in 565, he left an Empire that had expanded immensely during his reign but if anything, it was overstretched. As impressive as his list of conquests was, Justinian left his successors an enormous problem in terms of dealing with new enemies, an army with a dangerous level of influence, anger from citizens because of high taxation and a treasury that wasn’t exactly full. His immediate successor, Justin II, canceled the annual bribe to the Persian king which led to war in the East.
By the time Maurice became Emperor in 582, the Avars, a group of Turkish nomads, had established themselves as a real threat in the northern Balkan region. Eventually, after suffering several setbacks, Maurice established a delicate balance in the East, and during the Civil War in Persia (591-592), he helped Chosroes II become king. The newly crowned monarch showed his appreciation by signing peace agreements which resulted in the return of territory and fortresses previously lost by the Byzantines.
Unfortunately, Maurice was seen as a ‘penny pincher’ by the army who soon plotted to get rid of him. The Byzantine army in the Danube mutinied and marched on the city of Constantinople. They crowned a centurion named Phocas the Emperor and Maurice, along with his entire family, were executed in 602.
It was a disastrous move by the army because Phocas was a terrible leader. Chosroes was appalled when he heard the news of Maurice’s deposition and death and declared war on Phocas and the Byzantine Empire. The ensuing Byzantine-Sassanid War lasted 26 years and significantly weakened both empires. The Byzantines won, due to the skill of Heraclius, but it spelled disaster in the long term. Soon after the end of the war, a new threat appeared on the horizon. The Arab Islamic Empire made short work of the Sassanids and almost captured Constantinople less than half a century after the end of the Byzantine-Sassanid War.