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| Priscus
(–613) Biographical Patricius by 593 Magister utriusque militiae (in Asia?) 611–12 Comes excubitorum c. 603–12 dep. Magister utriusque militiae per orientem 588 Magister utriusque militiae per Thracias 588, 593?, 594? Priscus, a Byzantine general noted for his rigid discipline and distant nature, faced significant challenges throughout his career. In 588, as the Magister utriusque militiae per orientem, he travelled through Antioch and Edessa to Monocarton. However, his aloof behaviour and reluctance to connect with his soldiers led to resentment, especially after unpopular pay cuts were introduced, causing a mutiny. Despite attempts to quell the unrest, Priscus was forced to flee to Constantina, and eventually, the emperor dismissed him in favour of Philippicus. Later that year, Priscus was appointed commander against the Avars, where he initially withdrew to Tzurullum after encountering a larger force near Perinthus and was besieged. The siege ended after the Avar khan, misled by a forged letter from the emperor, agreed to a truce. By autumn 588, he had returned to Constantinople. In 593, he was sent to the Danube to stop the Slavs and commanded the cavalry, securing victories but facing disputes over booty distribution. When Petrus replaced him in autumn 593, Priscus negotiated a truce and returned to Constantinople, where he was criticised for releasing prisoners. In 595, he discovered his army was in poor shape, but despite challenges, he pushed ahead to Novae, defying the khan's protests. After recapturing Singidunum and managing some skirmishes, Priscus continued his efforts on the Danube until the Avars withdrew in 598. By 599, he and Comentiolus led a campaign together, but Priscus took the lead after Comentiolus fell ill, capturing many prisoners, though the emperor later ordered their release. In 602, Priscus was dispatched to Armenia to resettle soldiers, but a revolt led by Phocas forced his return. Aligning himself with Phocas, Priscus’s loyalty shifted, and by 607, after marrying Phocas’s daughter, tensions grew when an incident at the circus led to his opposition to the emperor. In 610, as Phocas’s reign crumbled, Priscus avoided direct involvement but later helped arrange the overthrow. Although offered the throne by Heraclius, he refused, instead being assigned to deal with the Persians in 611. However, his conduct during the siege of Caesarea, particularly his treatment of Heraclius, caused his downfall. In 612, Priscus was removed from office and exiled to the monastery of Chora, where he was forced to take holy orders, and lived out his final days. Place of death: Chora, Constantinople He married Domentiza, daughter of Emperor Phocas, in 607. |
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