Phocas
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| Phocas | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 7th century bronze steelyard-weight housed at the British Museum, probably representing Emperor Phocas | |||||||||
| Byzantine emperor | |||||||||
| Reign | 23 November 602 – 5 October 610 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Maurice and Theodosius | ||||||||
| Successor | Heraclius | ||||||||
| Born | 547 Thracia or Cappadocia | ||||||||
| Died | 5 October 610 (aged 62–63) Constantinople | ||||||||
| Spouse | Leontia | ||||||||
| Issue | Domentzia | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Mother | Domentzia | ||||||||
| Religion | Chalcedonian Christianity | ||||||||
Phocas (
Phocas deeply mistrusted the uncooperative elite of Constantinople to whom he was a usurper and a provincial boor. He, therefore, attempted to base his regime on relatives whom he installed in high military and administrative positions. He immediately faced multiple challenges in domestic and foreign affairs to which he responded with little success. He dealt with domestic opposition with increasing ruthlessness which alienated even wider circles, including some members of his own household. At the same time, the Empire was threatened on multiple frontiers.
Surviving sources are universally extremely hostile to Phocas. He is described as an incompetent tyrant and usurper who brutally purged any real or perceived opposition and left the Empire wide open to foreign aggression. The veracity of these sources is difficult to ascertain since emperors of the
Life
Early life
Phocas was probably born in 547, as he was said to be aged 55 when he became emperor..
Usurpation
In 602, the Byzantine army rebelled against
Maurice fled the city with his sons, Theodosius and Tiberius, but they were soon after captured and executed. Maurice's wife and daughters were put in the monastery of Nea Metanoia and later killed.[9]
Foreign conflict
Despite the executions of the previous emperor and his dynastic successors, Phocas remained in a precarious position, which led him to devote his energy to purging enemies and destroying conspiracies. Because of this focus, and the local resistance he faced all throughout the Byzantine Empire, he was unable to confront foreign attacks on the empire's frontiers. The
The Avars were able to take all land in the Balkans north of Thessalonica. The populations of Christian cities were slaughtered or captured. The Byzantines transferred most of their forces to the eastern front due to the threat from the Persians.
The Sassanid Persians had formerly been at peace with Maurice as a result of a treaty they made with him in 591. After Phocas usurped and killed Maurice, the Persians invaded the empire in 603.
By the time his reign ended in 610, the Persians had already crossed the Euphrates and taken Zenobia. Contemporary accounts describe the Persians as being very brutal to the occupied population. The 'miracle of St Demetrios' described the carnage:
[T]he devil raised the whirlwind of hatred in all the East, Cilicia, Asia, Palestine and all the lands from there to Constantinople: the factions, no longer content simply to spill blood in public places, attacked homes, slaughtered women, children, the aged, and the young who were sick; those whose youth and frailty impeded their escape from the massacre, [saw] their friends, acquaintances, and parents pillaged, and after all that, even set on fire so that the most wretched inhabitant was not able to escape.[9]
Administration
Phocas was unable to control either the state or the army effectively.
Italian policy
When Phocas was emperor, Byzantine Italy was under continual attack from Lombards, but the Byzantine government spent few resources to aid Italy due to troubles elsewhere. In the entirety of Phocas' reign, the only public structure built with taxes in the city of Rome was a statue of Phocas completed in 608.[9]
When Phocas usurped Maurice,
Imperial approval was needed at that time to appoint a new pope, but the approval was delayed by a year upon the death of Pope Sabinian in 606, as Phocas was occupied with killing internal enemies that threatened his rule.
Downfall
Despite being appointed as Comes excubitorum, Priscus was not loyal to Phocas, and in 608 he appealed to
Legacy
Phocas is generally depicted as a villain by Byzantines and modern historians alike, but some of the earliest sources available about Phocas' reign were written during the reign of Heraclius. The writings that survive are not reliably neutral and the writers would have good reason to demonize him in order to strengthen the rule of Heraclius.[15]
In the cultural sphere, the reign of Phocas is marked by the change of Imperial fashion set by
On 19 February 607, Emperor Phocas appointed Boniface III as the new bishop of Rome, then Phocas issued an imperial decree by the Roman government, recognizing Boniface III as the "Head of all Churches" and "Universal Bishop". Phocas transferred the title of "Universal Bishop" from the
In calling the Pope the "head of all churches", Phocas' decree has been important in discussions about
References
- ISBN 9788418435485.
- ^ William of Tyre (1893). Colvin, Mary Noyes (ed.). Godeffroy of Boloyne; or, The siege and conqueste of Jerusalem. Early English Text Society (originally from the University of Michigan). p. 335.
Nicephorus Phocas, Emperor of the East from 602–610.
- ^ PLRE 3B p. 1030
- ^ Bury, John Bagnell (1889). A History of the Later Roman Empire: From Arcadius to Irene (395 A.D. to 800 A.D.). Vol. 2. London: Macmillan and Co. p. 197.
The reign of Phocas the Thracian, which lasted for eight years, was the realisation of that dreaded something whose approach had long been felt.
- ISBN 978-0-902089-25-9.
The name Phocas appears as early as the fifth century; it is also attested for the sixth century; and there is of course, the Emperor Phocas, apparently of Cappadocian origin, who overthrew Maurice and was in turn overthrown by Heraclius early in the seventh century.
- ^ a b Kleinhenz 2017, p. 890.
- ^ Carr 2015, p. 79.
- ^ Chronicon Paschale 602.
- ^ a b c d e f Ekonomou, Andrew. Byzantine Rome and the Greek Popes. Lexington books, 2007
- ^ Carr 2015, p. 80.
- ^ Parnell 2016, p. 6.
- ^ Parnell 2016, p. 136.
- ^ a b Parnell 2016, p. 137.
- ^ Chronicon Paschale 610. Heraclius arrived on 3 October, "a Saturday" (correct). However, the chronicle later states that he entered the city on 6 October, "a Monday". The 5th is clearly intended.
- ^ Kevin, Crow (2002). "Phocas". De Imperatoribus Romanis. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ "Byzantine first & last times". Byzantium.xronikon.com. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- ^ "Apostate church organization: 588 - 606 AD: The final dog fight for control of the world!". www.bible.ca. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- ISBN 9781611645392. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
Notes
- ^ His name is sometimes given as Flavius Niceforus Focas.[1][2] However, this is not corroborated by other sources and may be out of confusion with the later Nikephoros II Phokas.
Bibliography
- Carr, John (2015). Fighting Emperors of Byzantium. Pen and Sword. ISBN 9781473856400.
- Crawford, Peter (2013). The War of the Three Gods: Romans, Persians and the Rise of Islam. Pen and Sword. ISBN 9781473829510.
- Kleinhenz, Christopher (2017). Routledge Revivals: Medieval Italy (2004): An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781351664431.
- Parnell, David Alan (2016). Justinian's Men: Careers and Relationships of Byzantine Army Officers, 518-610. Springer. ISBN 9781137562043.
External links
Media related to Phocas at Wikimedia Commons
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