How would Maurice deal with arab invasions

So say Maurice isnt overthrown by Phocas or Phokas revolt is cruushed. Once the arabs invade how would Marius deal with them. Do you think he could do a better job than Hraclius. Also what will the ramifications be too a surviving marius. Could we perhaps see the roman administration not be replaced by Greek. Or was the eastern shift bound to occur at some point in the empires history?

Fredrick II Barbarossa said:

So say Marius isnt overthrown by Phocas or Phokas revolt is cruushed. Once the arabs invade how would Marius deal with them. Do you think he could do a better job than Hraclius. Also what will the ramifications be too a surviving marius. Could we perhaps see the roman administration not be replaced by Greek. Or was the eastern shift bound to occur at some point in the empires history?

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It mostly depends on the fact if there is war against Persia or not. If the war is avoided, maybe Byzantium and Persia can fight the Arabs better.

came in here expecting Gaius Marius meeting a much earlier Arabian Invasion of Roman Africa

Sian said:

came in here expecting Gaius Marius meeting a much earlier Arabian Invasion of Roman Africa

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Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.

war against Perisa is avoided but the instability of the sassanids as in otl remains. To make it even more of a challenge Khosrau dies when the arabs do invade.

Maurice not being overthrown could change everything - it could be a huge POD. Not only for the Romans, but for the Middle East in general. Phokas not being overthrown means the Persians do not attack the Romans at the same time as OTL. By doing so we remove the coincidence of the two Empires being worn out by their war and the Arab invasions.

But let's remember that the Slavs are still pressuring the Romans hard on the Danube - Maurice's hard campaigning there is the reason for his unpopularity with the army. Also, I think I recall that the Arabs were aiming for the Roman Empire first, and kinda went after the Persians because their chaotic civil wars made them the easier targets.

If the Persians are stable, they won't be the easier targets; the Romans, still fighting the Slavs, are. The Arabs could attack the Roman Empire as allies of the Persians and could maybe even manage to conquer together everything on their side of the Bosphorus.

What happens after that depends on the relations between Arabs and Persians. If Zoroastrians are seen as People of the Book and trustworthy allies, they might live side by side peacefully for some time.

Oh. Maurice, not Marius!

I was trying to rack my brains for a Byzantine era Marius, and coming up with nothing whatsoever.

Dathi THorfinnsson said:

Oh. Maurice, not Marius!

I was trying to rack my brains for a Byzantine era Marius, and coming up with nothing whatsoever.

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right.. I mispelled the name. Anyway Porsenna the Persians I doubt will ally with arabs. Remember Khosrau had very good relations with Maurice. In fact if the byzantines are invaded I can see Maurice call Khosrau for aid. But when Khosrau does come for aid lets say the sassanid army is defeated as in otl and Khosrau dies. Could the remaining Persian and rhoman forces still manage to hold off the arabs in such a scenario.

Fredrick II Barbarossa said:

Anyway Porsenna the Persians I doubt will ally with arabs. Remember Khosrau had very good relations with Maurice. In fact if the byzantines are invaded I can see Maurice call Khosrau for aid.

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All true, but Emperors tend to be practical men, and the opportunity to conquer a good part of the Roman Empire could be a big, big temptation... After all, in OTL Khosrau didn't attack with the intention to overthrow Phokas, but to annex Roman territory. And Khosrau would not live forever; his successor might be less grateful.

If Maurice is in power, it's unlikely that the Byzantine-Persian War would break out, although if it (or something like it) did, Maurice was by all accounts a better Emperor on the whole than Phocas was, so it probably wouldn't be as devastating as IOTL.

We might see the Persians allying with the Islamic armies, although TBH I don't see this alliance lasting very long. Traditionally the Arabs had quite clearly been the junior partners in their alliances with Persia and Byzantium, and I doubt the Sassanid monarch would want that to change. The Muslims, on the other hand, believing themselves to be on a divinely-ordained mission to conquer and convert the world, wouldn't accept being second fiddle to a bunch of infidels. Even if the Byzantines get decisively defeated, therefore, we should probably expect to see an Islamic-Sassanid war break out very shortly afterwards.