Tiberius III facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tiberius III |
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| Emperor of the Romans | |||||
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Solidus coin showing Tiberius III
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| Byzantine emperor | |||||
| Reign | 698–705 | ||||
| Predecessor | Leontius | ||||
| Successor | Justinian II | ||||
| Born | Apsimar | ||||
| Died | between August 705 and February 706 Constantinople |
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| Burial | Prote | ||||
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| Period | Twenty Years' Anarchy | ||||
Tiberius III (also known as Apsimar) was a Byzantine emperor who ruled from 698 to 705. Before becoming emperor, he was a mid-level commander in the Byzantine army. In 696, he was part of a group sent to take back the city of Carthage in North Africa from the Umayyads. After losing Carthage again, his army retreated to the island of Crete. Fearing punishment from Emperor Leontius, some officers killed their commander and made Tiberius emperor.
Tiberius quickly gathered a fleet and sailed to Constantinople, the capital city. There, he removed Leontius from power. As emperor, Tiberius did not try to get North Africa back. Instead, he fought against the Umayyads along the eastern border and had some success. In 705, the former emperor Justinian II returned with an army. He secretly entered Constantinople and removed Tiberius from the throne. Tiberius tried to escape but was caught and later executed by Justinian.
Contents
Becoming Emperor
Early Life and Military Career
We do not know much about Tiberius's early life. His birth name was Apsimar. Some historians think his name might have come from Germanic, Slavic, or Turkic languages. He was a droungarios, which means he commanded about a thousand soldiers. He served in the Cibyrrhaeot Theme, a military area in southern Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). Some records suggest he won battles against the Slavs in the Balkans early in his career. This made him quite popular.
How He Took Power
In 696, the Umayyad Caliphate attacked the Byzantine Empire's territory in Africa, taking Carthage in 697. Emperor Leontius sent an army led by John the Patrician to get the city back. John succeeded at first, but Umayyad reinforcements quickly retook Carthage. John's army had to retreat to the island of Crete.
On Crete, some officers were afraid of Leontius's anger because they had failed. They killed John and declared Apsimar their new emperor. Apsimar then took the name Tiberius. Taking a new name when becoming emperor was common back then. Tiberius gathered a fleet of ships and made friends with a powerful group in Constantinople called "the Greens." These were one of the main sports and political groups at the Hippodrome.
Tiberius sailed to Constantinople, which was suffering from the bubonic plague. His troops landed near the city and began to surround it. After several months, members of the Green faction opened the city gates for Tiberius's forces. Tiberius took control of the city and removed Leontius from power. Tiberius sent Leontius to live in a monastery.
His Time as Emperor
After taking Constantinople, Tiberius was crowned emperor by Patriarch Callinicus I of Constantinople. He decided not to try and retake Byzantine Africa from the Umayyads. Instead, he focused on the eastern border of his empire.
Tiberius made his brother, Heraclius, a very important general. Heraclius led an invasion into the Umayyad Caliphate in late 698. He crossed the Taurus Mountains and marched into Cilicia and then northern Syria. Heraclius defeated an Arab army and raided as far as Samosata before returning to Byzantine lands in 699.
Heraclius's successes led to the Arabs attacking back. Umayyad generals conquered what was left of Byzantine territory in Armenia. In 702, the Armenians rebelled against the Umayyads and asked for Byzantine help. In 704, Heraclius attacked an Arab army in Cilicia, defeating them and taking many prisoners. However, he could not stop the Arabs from retaking Armenia.
Tiberius also worked to make the Byzantine military stronger. He reorganized some parts of the army and repaired the sea walls of Constantinople. He also focused on the island of Cyprus. Many people had been moved from Cyprus earlier, so Tiberius made a deal with the Umayyad leader to allow Cypriots to return home. He also sent soldiers to protect the island.
The Return of Justinian II
In 702, the former emperor Justinian II escaped from exile. He gained the support of Busir, the leader of the Khazars. Busir even gave Justinian his sister, Theodora, to marry. Tiberius soon heard that Justinian was trying to get his throne back. Tiberius sent messengers to the Khazars, demanding that Justinian be handed over.
Justinian avoided capture and got help from Tervel, the ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire. In 705, Justinian led an army of Slavs and Bulgars to Constantinople. They surrounded the city for three days. Scouts then found an old, unused tunnel that went under the city walls. Justinian and a small group of soldiers used this tunnel to get inside the city. They quickly took control of the Palace of Blachernae.
Tiberius fled to a city called Sozopolis. He managed to avoid being caught for several months. Eventually, he was captured. Six months later, probably in February 706, Justinian had both Leontius and Tiberius brought to the Hippodrome. They were publicly shamed before being taken away and executed. Their bodies were thrown into the sea, but later they were recovered and buried in a church on the island of Prote.
Tiberius's Legacy
Historians say that even though we don't know much about Tiberius, he seemed to be a good and careful ruler. Some believe he might have been remembered as a great emperor if he had ruled for a longer time. Later Byzantine rulers often blamed Tiberius for the permanent loss of Byzantine Africa. However, by the time he became emperor, it was likely too late for the Byzantines to get that territory back.
His Family
Tiberius had a son named Theodosius. This son became a bishop by 729 and advised later emperors. Some historians think this son might have later become Emperor Theodosius III (who ruled from 715 to 717). However, other historians do not think this is likely. We do not know the name of Tiberius's wife or other details about his family. This is common for this time period, which was very unstable and known as the Twenty Years' Anarchy.
