Isaac the Armenian

Isaacius (also Isaac, Isaac, Hysacius; * in Armenia ) was an East Roman Patrician and Exarch of Ravenna 625-643 / 644.

Life

The immediate successor of Eleutherius is not known. We know only back of Isaacius who came to Italy in 625. After his grave inscription, which is preserved in the church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Isaacius came from Armenia and had held a military command before his time as Exarch already in the East ( as magister militum orientem? ).

In the words of the chronicler of 641 Isaacius was "in defense of the country of Italy, which the Lombards had not yet occupied " sent. Once you had hoped, you 'll be able to handle the Lombards, like many other nations, they would thereby render harmless, that they took them as soldiers and used against other nations. When the attempt had failed, they wanted to expel the intruders by force from Italy. Only the long truce in the first half of the 7th century paved at a ratio which was that of the Eastern Roman Empire with the recognized Germanic states analogously. Isaacius ' grave inscription says only that he had received the province 's Emperors " undamaged ".

To 634 the Lombard king Arioald to the Exarch Isaacius have adopted a third of the annual tribute, so this murder the rebellious dux Taso of Tuscany.

Inside was Isaacius ' reign is not without disturbances. Between 638 and 640 the Roman army sacked the city Lateran in Rome, in order to get his pay, under the leadership of Chartularius Mauricius, who took the lead for eight days in the Lateran. As Isaacius came to Rome, he seized the Lateran treasure that had been stolen from Mauricius.

In the year 643 Mauricius revolted against Isaacius. Isaacius sent his magister militum Donus who crushed the revolt and Mauricius sent as prisoners to Ravenna, where he was executed. A little later, 643 or 644, died Isaacius. His wife Susanna was a widow.

Swell

• Fredegar: Chronicle IV, 69-70, Monumenta Historica Germaniae: MGH SS rer Merov II