Early life Phocas was most likely born in 547, as he was said to be aged 55 when he became emperor. He and his family were likely of
Thraco-Roman or
Cappadocian origin. The life of Phocas before his usurpation of the Byzantine Empire's throne is obscure, but he was said to have served as a
centurion in the army in
Thrace under Emperor
Maurice. Late in Maurice's reign, the army sent Phocas to Constantinople as their spokesperson to complain about the conduct of general
Comentiolus. As Phocas presented their case, he argued with the emperor, and as a result, had his beard pulled by an outraged
patrician.
Usurpation In autumn 602, the Thracian army rebelled against Maurice, largely due to exhaustion and outrage over orders to continue campaigning north of the
Danube in winter, as well as previous cuts in wages. The army initially sent a delegation, which included Phocas, to general
Peter and demanded a dismissal within the Roman borders. But when Maurice reiterated his command, the troops made Phocas their leader and started marching to Constantinople. They insisted that Maurice abdicate and offered to proclaim as successors
Theodosius, son and co-emperor of Maurice, or his father-in-law
Germanus. As Maurice tried to arrest Germanus, riots broke out in Constantinople. That night, on 22 November 602, Maurice and his family fled on a warship to
Bithynia, sending Theodosius on a mission to ask for Persian King
Khusrow II's help. According to
Theophylact Simocatta (), Germanus initially made an attempt for the throne, but when rebuffed by the
Greens, he paid homage to Phocas, who had emerged as the heavy favorite. On 23 November 602, Phocas was crowned by the patriarch
Cyriacus in the church of
St John the Baptist at the
Hebdomon. He entered Constantinople in a
ceremonial procession two days later, on 25 November, while being unanimously acclaimed. Maurice and his sons were soon captured and executed. There were, however, stories that Theodosius
managed to escape to Persia. Maurice's wife
Constantina and daughters were put in the monastery of Nea Metanoia. They were executed around 605, when Constantina and Germanus were found conspiring after hearing rumors of Theodosius' survival.
Foreign conflict of Phocas minted 608; on the reverse, it depicts an angel holding the
globus cruciger. 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. The
Sassanian Empire launched
an invasion of the eastern provinces of the empire. During his reign, the Balkan frontier remained stable. He concluded a treaty with the Avars in 604, though warfare flared up again as a consequence of the Heraclian rebellion in 609. 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.
Khosrow II had imprisoned the Byzantine ambassador sent by Phocas to announce Phocas' ascension to the throne and sent an army that managed to defeat the Byzantines and killed Germanus. Phocas proceeded to conclude peace treaties with the Avars and the Lombards, which enabled him to send troops from the Balkans to the east under the command of the palace eunuch Leontius. However, Khosrow II was able to defeat Leontius and his forces near Dara, and in the process captured many prisoners. The following year, the Persians carried out a raid at the border region unopposed, and the Byzantines were unable to stop the Persians. The Sassanids rapidly occupied the eastern provinces, leading the
Magister militum per Orientem,
Narses, to defect to their side. Phocas swiftly dealt with him, by inviting him to Constantinople under the promise of safe conduct, then having him burnt alive when he arrived. Though Dara was lost in connection with the revolt, Phokas was able to fight the Sasanians to a standstill until 606, with no further major strongholds falling. Between 607 and 610, the armies of Khosrow managed to slowly conquer the Mesopotamian fortresses, and by August 610, they had established a bridgehead across the Euphrates. The plague and invasions led to a poor harvest, which was exacerbated by the rebellion of the exarch of Africa Heraclius, who halted shipments of grain to Constantinople. Some historians blame the civil war between Phocas and Heraclius for the collapse of the eastern frontier in the following years. 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.
Administration in Rome|441x441px Phocas frequently filled senior posts with his relatives, due to his isolation from the bulk of Constantinople's elite, with whom he had had no connection before, or because of Constantinople's system of imperial patronage which prioritized loyalty to the emperor. Phocas installed: his brother
Domentziolus as
Magister officiorum in 603; his nephew
Domentziolus as
Magister militum per Orientem in 604, giving him command over the eastern provinces; and his brother
Comentiolus as
Magister militum per Orientem around 610. All three remained loyal to Phocas until they were killed by Heraclius. On the other hand, Phocas appointed
Priscus, a general under Maurice, as the Count of the
Excubitors (
comes excubitorum) in 603. Priscus would later marry Phocas' daughter
Domentzia around 607. During his reign, 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. When Heraclius captured Phocas, he was said to have asked him "Is this how you have ruled, wretch?" Phocas's reply—"And will you rule better?"—so enraged Heraclius that he beheaded Phocas on the spot. According to
John of Nikiu he later had the genitalia removed from the body because Phocas had allegedly raped the wife of Photius, a powerful politician in the city. == Legacy ==