Mezezius
| Mezezius | |
|---|---|
| Usurper of the Byzantine Empire | |
 | |
| Reign | 668–669 |
| Predecessor | Constans II |
| Successor | Constantine IV |
| Born | 622 |
| Died | 669 |
Mezezius (/mɨˈziːʒəs/; Greek: Μιζίζιος; Armenian: Մժէժ, Mžēž or Mzhezh) was an Armenian noble who served as a general of Byzantium, later usurping the Byzantine throne in Sicily from 668 to 669.
According to a letter from Pope Gregory II to Emperor Leo III, he was Count of the Opsikion, the Imperial retinue (Latin: obsequium), and a later Syriac chronicle describes him as a patrikios. After the murder of Constans II at the baths of Daphne in 668, he was proclaimed emperor by the army thereafter and reigned in Sicily for a few months; however, when the news of the assassination of Constans reached his son Constantine IV in Constantinople, an expedition was sent to depose and kill him. His court was deported to Constantinople.[1]
References
Bibliography
- De Imperatoribus Romanis: Mezezius, Revolt and Brief Reign
- History of the Longobards from Paulus Diaconus
- death of Mezesius
- Reign of Mezezius