Maria (daughter of Maurice)
Encyclopedia
Maria is the name of a supposed daughter of Maurice
, Byzantine Emperor and wife of Khosrau II
. Her existence is recorded in the Chronicle of Michael the Syrian
. "Maurice accorda sa fille Marie en mariage à Khosrov"
examines the sources concerning Maria and her relation to another consort of Khosrau II, Shirin
. The historical setting for a marital alliance between the Justinian Dynasty
and the Sassanids
would be 590. At the time Khosrau was an exiled prince who sought assistance from Maurice to claim the throne against Bahrām Chobin
.
The Shahnameh
by Ferdowsi
reports Khosrau and Shirin to have married prior to his exile. Sebeos
reports Shirin being a native of Khuzestan
, while the Chronicle of Edessa
reports Shirin to be an Aramean
, implying an origin from Suristan
. The Rawżat aṣ-ṣafāʾ by Mīr-Khvānd has Shirin being originally a servant in a house frequented by Khosrau, and introduced to the future monarch there. They are all later accounts and could be influenced by legends.
Maria is notably absent from Byzantine sources. She appears instead in accounts by the Chronicle of Edessa, Dionysius Telmaharensis
(as preserved in the Chronicle of 1234
), Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari
, Patriarch Eutychius of Alexandria
, Ferdowsi
, the Chronicle of Seert
, Michael the Syrian
, Bar-Hebraeus
and Mīr-Khvānd. The Chronicle of Seert and Mari ibn Sulaiman are unique in mentioning that Maria was also called "Shirin" and in equating the two figures. Both also feature her as a daughter of Maurice. However, Theophylact Simocatta
, the most detailed historical resource on Maurice, never mentions her.
Concerning her age, Baum notes the known facts on Maurice's marriage. Maurice and his wife Constantina
were married in August 582. If a legitimate child of Maurice, Maria would be less than eight-years-old in 590. There are nine children of Maurice and Constantina named in primary sources, six sons (Theodosius
, Tiberius
, Peter, Paul, Justin, Justinian) and three daughters (Anastasia, Theoctiste, Cleopatra)
The Shahnameh features a tale of Maria dying poisoned by Shirin. Later tales featuring the two as rival queens occur in later texts. In several cases, their struggle is based on trying to elevate different heirs to the throne. Primary sources indicate that Siroe (Kavadh II
) was the eldest son of Khosrau and not a son of Shirin. Various accounts have Maria as his mother. With Shirin supporting her own son, Merdanshah.
Baum considers Shirin to be a historic figure, Maria being a figure of legend, perhaps originating with a historical Maria from the Byzantine Empire
, one who was a member of Khosrau II' harem
but neither a queen, nor an imperial princess.
Maurice (emperor)
Maurice was Byzantine Emperor from 582 to 602.A prominent general in his youth, Maurice fought with success against the Sassanid Persians...
, Byzantine Emperor and wife of Khosrau II
Khosrau II
250px|thumb|Khosrau II 250px|thumb|Khosrau II 250px|thumb|Khosrau II (Khosrow II, Chosroes II, or Xosrov II in classical sources, sometimes called Parvez, "the Ever Victorious" – (in Persian: خسرو پرویز), was the twenty-second Sassanid King of Persia, reigning from 590 to 628...
. Her existence is recorded in the Chronicle of Michael the Syrian
Michael the Syrian
Michael the Syrian , also known as Michael the Great or Michael Syrus or Michael the Elder, to distinguish him from his nephew, was a patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1166 to 1199. He is best known today as the author of the largest medieval Chronicle, which he composed in Syriac...
. "Maurice accorda sa fille Marie en mariage à Khosrov"
Historicity
Shirin. Christian - Queen - Myth of Love. A woman of late antiquity - Historical reality and literary effect (2004) by Wilhelm BaumWilhelm Baum
Wilhelm Baum, an Austrian historian, theologian, philosopher and publisher. Born in 1948, Düsseldorf, Germany.- Biography :He studied history, German language and theology in Innsbruck, Rome, Mainz and Tübingen . In 1971 he became a doctor of philosophy and in 1999 in Graz a doctor of theology...
examines the sources concerning Maria and her relation to another consort of Khosrau II, Shirin
Shirin
Shirin was a wife of the Sassanid Persian Shahanshah , Khosrau II. In the revolution after the death of Khosrau's father Hormizd IV, the General Bahram Chobin took power over the Persian empire. Shirin fled with Khosrau to Syria where they lived under the protection of Byzantine emperor Maurice...
. The historical setting for a marital alliance between the Justinian Dynasty
Justinian Dynasty
The Justinian Dynasty is a family who ruled over the Byzantine Empire from 518 to 602. It originated with Justin I and ended with Maurice. Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople , whose father was named Justinian, might have been a descendant of the dynasty...
and the Sassanids
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
would be 590. At the time Khosrau was an exiled prince who sought assistance from Maurice to claim the throne against Bahrām Chobin
Bahram Chobin
General Bahrām Chobin was a famous Eran spahbod during the late 6th century in Persia, usurping the Sassanid throne for a year as Bahram VI .- Life :...
.
The Shahnameh
Shahnameh
The Shahnameh or Shah-nama is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c.977 and 1010 AD and is the national epic of Iran and related societies...
by Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi was a highly revered Persian poet. He was the author of the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran and related societies.The Shahnameh was originally composed by Ferdowsi for the princes of the Samanid dynasty, who were responsible for a revival of Persian cultural traditions after the...
reports Khosrau and Shirin to have married prior to his exile. Sebeos
Sebeos
Sebeos was a 7th century Armenian bishop and historian who participated in the first Council of Dvin in 645.The history of Sebeos contains detailed descriptions from the period of Sassanid supremacy in Armenia up to the Islamic conquest in 661...
reports Shirin being a native of Khuzestan
Khuzestan Province
Khuzestan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq's Basra Province and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahwaz and covers an area of 63,238 km²...
, while the Chronicle of Edessa
Ignazio Guidi
Ignazio Guidi was an Italian orientalist. He became Professor at the University of Rome. He is known as a Hebraist and for many translations....
reports Shirin to be an Aramean
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
, implying an origin from Suristan
Suristan
Suristan was used as a name in two senses during the Sassanid Persian Empire 226 to 651 AD.It was used to designate the Persian province of Surestan, roughly the same as today's Syria, as opposed to Asuristan, which was a separate province in northern and central Iraq, south east Turkey and north...
. The Rawżat aṣ-ṣafāʾ by Mīr-Khvānd has Shirin being originally a servant in a house frequented by Khosrau, and introduced to the future monarch there. They are all later accounts and could be influenced by legends.
Maria is notably absent from Byzantine sources. She appears instead in accounts by the Chronicle of Edessa, Dionysius Telmaharensis
Dionysius Telmaharensis
Dionysius Telmaharensis was a patriarch or supreme head of the Syrian Orthodox Church . He was born at Tell-Mahre near ar-Raqqa on the Balikh River....
(as preserved in the Chronicle of 1234
Chronicle of 1234
The Chronicle of 1234 is an anonymous West Syriac universal history from Creation until AD 1234. The unknown author was probably from Edessa. The Chronicle only survives in fragments, from which it is known to be divided into two parts: the first on ecclesiastical history, the second on secular...
), Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari
Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari
Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari was a prominent and influential Sunni scholar and exegete of the Qur'an from Persia...
, Patriarch Eutychius of Alexandria
Patriarch Eutychius of Alexandria
Eutychius or Sa'id ibn Batriq or Bitriq was the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria. He is known for being one of the first Christian Egyptian writers to use the Arabic language...
, Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi was a highly revered Persian poet. He was the author of the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran and related societies.The Shahnameh was originally composed by Ferdowsi for the princes of the Samanid dynasty, who were responsible for a revival of Persian cultural traditions after the...
, the Chronicle of Seert
Chronicle of Seert
The Chronicle of Seert is an anonymous historiographic text written in Arabic by the Nestorian Church in Persia and the Middle East, possibly as early as the 9th century AD....
, Michael the Syrian
Michael the Syrian
Michael the Syrian , also known as Michael the Great or Michael Syrus or Michael the Elder, to distinguish him from his nephew, was a patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1166 to 1199. He is best known today as the author of the largest medieval Chronicle, which he composed in Syriac...
, Bar-Hebraeus
Bar-Hebraeus
Gregory Bar Hebraeus was a catholicos of the Syriac Orthodox Church in the 13th century...
and Mīr-Khvānd. The Chronicle of Seert and Mari ibn Sulaiman are unique in mentioning that Maria was also called "Shirin" and in equating the two figures. Both also feature her as a daughter of Maurice. However, Theophylact Simocatta
Theophylact Simocatta
Theophylact Simocatta was an early seventh-century Byzantine historiographer, arguably ranking as the last historian of Late Antiquity, writing in the time of Heraclius about the late Emperor Maurice .-Life:His history of the reign of emperor Maurice is in eight books...
, the most detailed historical resource on Maurice, never mentions her.
Concerning her age, Baum notes the known facts on Maurice's marriage. Maurice and his wife Constantina
Constantina (empress)
Constantina was the Empress consort of Maurice of the Byzantine Empire.-Family:Constantina was a daughter of Tiberius II Constantine and his wife Ino Anastasia. Her parentage was recorded in the chronicles of Theophylact Simocatta, Paul the Deacon and John of Biclaro.The Georgian Chronicle...
were married in August 582. If a legitimate child of Maurice, Maria would be less than eight-years-old in 590. There are nine children of Maurice and Constantina named in primary sources, six sons (Theodosius
Theodosius (son of Maurice)
Theodosius was the eldest son of Byzantine Emperor Maurice and was co-emperor from 590 until his deposition and execution during a military revolt in November 602. Along with his father-in-law Germanus, he was briefly proposed as successor to Maurice by the troops, but the army eventually...
, Tiberius
Tiberius (son of Maurice)
Tiberius was a son of Maurice, Byzantine emperor and his wife Constantina. He was executed by new emperor Phocas. Theophylact Simocatta reports that Tiberius would have played a significant role in the succession of his father. The will of Maurice would have declared him a co-emperor and ruler of...
, Peter, Paul, Justin, Justinian) and three daughters (Anastasia, Theoctiste, Cleopatra)
The Shahnameh features a tale of Maria dying poisoned by Shirin. Later tales featuring the two as rival queens occur in later texts. In several cases, their struggle is based on trying to elevate different heirs to the throne. Primary sources indicate that Siroe (Kavadh II
Kavadh II
Kavadh II , twenty-third Sassanid King of Persia, son of Khosrau II , was raised to the throne in opposition to his father in February 628, after the great victories of the Emperor Heraclius...
) was the eldest son of Khosrau and not a son of Shirin. Various accounts have Maria as his mother. With Shirin supporting her own son, Merdanshah.
Baum considers Shirin to be a historic figure, Maria being a figure of legend, perhaps originating with a historical Maria from the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, one who was a member of Khosrau II' harem
Harem
Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...
but neither a queen, nor an imperial princess.