Comentiolus

Comentiolus
Allegiance	East Roman Empire
Rank	magister militum praesentalis
Battles/wars	Maurice's Balkan campaigns, Byzantine–Sassanid War of 572–591

Comentiolus (Greek: Κομεντίολος, Komentiolos; died 602) was a prominent Eastern Roman (Byzantine) general at the close of the 6th century during the reign of Emperor Maurice (r. 582–602). He played a major role in Maurice's Balkan campaigns, and fought also in the East against the Sassanid Persians. Comentiolus was ultimately executed in 602 after the Byzantine army rebelled against Maurice and Emperor Phocas (r. 602–610) usurped the throne.

Nothing is known of Comentiolus's early life, except that he hailed from Thrace. He first appears in 583, as an officer (scribon) in the Excubitores, the imperial bodyguard, when he accompanied a Byzantine embassy to Bayan I (r. 562–602), the khagan of the Avars. According to the historian Theophylact Simocatta, he enraged the khagan with an outspoken statement, and was briefly imprisoned.

It is likely that the close trust he shared with Maurice dates from the latter's time as commander of the Excubitores, before his ascension to the throne. Throughout his career, Comentiolus would be loyal to Maurice, and the Emperor would watch over his protégé's career. The next year, after a truce with the Avars had been arranged, he was appointed in charge of a regiment (taxiarchia) operating against the Slavic tribes that raided Thrace and had penetrated as far as the Long Walls of Anastasius, Constantinople's outer defensive system. Comentiolus defeated them at the river Erginia, near the Long Walls. As a reward for this success, he was appointed magister militum praesentalis in 585.

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