Phocas
| Phocas | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor of the Romans | |||||||||
 Bust of Phocas | |||||||||
| Byzantine Emperor | |||||||||
| Reign | 23 November 602 - 5 October 610 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Maurice | ||||||||
| Successor | Heraclius | ||||||||
| Born | c. 547 Thracia | ||||||||
| Died | 5 October 610 Constantinople, Eastern Roman Empire | ||||||||
| Spouse | Leontia | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Mother | Domentzia | ||||||||
| Religion | Chalcedonian Christianity | ||||||||
Phocas (Latin: Focas; Greek Φωκάς c. 547 - 5 October 610) Was a Byzantine Emperor from 23 November 602 - 5 October 610. Phocas was a middle ranking officer within the ranks of the East Roman Army. He rose to power when a group of angry soldiers in 602 proclaimed him Emperor after deposing Maurice.
Phocas deeply mistrusted basically everyone especially the elites in Constantinople as he knew he was just a usurper and didn't have any connections with anyone. As soon as he became emperor, Sasanian Emperor Khosrow II used this as an excuse to invade the Eastern Roman Empire which at a time was facing troubles internally and elsewhere which would spark the beggining of a 2 decade long Roman-Persian War which would prove to be a disaster not only to the Persians but Also the Eastern Roman Empire.