Germanus ( el, Γερμανός; died 604) was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

general who served under Emperor

Phocas Phocas ( la, Focas; grc-gre, Φωκάς, Phōkás; 5475 October 610) was Eastern Roman emperor from 602 to 610. Initially, a middle-ranking officer in the Eastern Roman army, Phocas rose to prominence as a spokesman for dissatisfied soldie ...

(r. 602–610) in the early stages of the Byzantine-Sassanid War of 602–628.

Biography

Germanus is possibly the same as the '' dux'' of Phoenice, who was chosen by the army as its leader during the mutiny at Monocarton in

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samue ...

588, in place of

Priscus Priscus of Panium (; el, Πρίσκος; 410s AD/420s AD-after 472 AD) was a 5th-century Eastern Roman diplomat and Greek historian and rhetorician (or sophist)...: "For information about Attila, his court and the organization of life genera ...

. Although Germanus restored discipline and led the army to a

victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes ...

against the Persians, he was tried and found guilty by a subsequent tribunal. Sentenced to death, he was quickly pardoned and received rewards from Emperor Maurice (r. 582–602). In 602, shortly before the outbreak of the revolt against Emperor Maurice that brought Phocas to power, Germanus was placed in command of the strategically important fortress of Dara in

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

. In early 603, he received Lilius, the envoy Phocas had sent to announce his accession to the Persian shah Khosrau II (r. 590–628). At this time, Germanus was reportedly attacked and wounded by one of his soldiers, but soon recovered.. In late 603,

Narses , image=Narses.jpg , image_size=250 , caption=Man traditionally identified as Narses, from the mosaic depicting Justinian and his entourage in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna , birth_date=478 or 480 , death_date=566 or 573 (aged 86/95) , allegi ...

, the Byzantine commander-in-chief of the eastern armies, rebelled against Phocas. He failed to secure the support of most of the army, and Germanus was ordered to besiege him at his base at

Edessa Edessa (; grc, Ἔδεσσα, Édessa) was an ancient city (''polis'') in Upper Mesopotamia, founded during the Hellenistic period by King Seleucus I Nicator (), founder of the Seleucid Empire. It later became capital of the Kingdom of Osroe ...

. Narses, however, had sought and obtained the support of Khosrau II, who was eager to regain lost territory and avenge the murder of Emperor Maurice, who had helped him regain his throne in 591. Khosrau therefore sent a Persian army into Mesopotamia. Germanus met the Persians in battle near the city of

Constantina Flavia Valeria Constantina (also sometimes called ''Constantia'' and ''Constantiana''; el, Κωνσταντίνα; b. after 307/before 317 – d. 354), later known as Saint Constance, was the eldest daughter of Roman emperor Constantine the Grea ...

, but was defeated and heavily wounded, dying a few days after in Constantina..

References

Sources

* * {{DISPLAYTITLE:Germanus (''magister militum'' under Phocas) 6th-century births 614 deaths 6th-century Byzantine generals 7th-century Byzantine generals Generals of Maurice Generals of Phocas Magistri militum People of the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628