The impostor False Theodosius and emperor Heraclius: on the problem of the genesis of Byzantine imposture

The author of the article explores the genesis of the appearance of Byzantine impostors. The author connects this historical phenomenon with the policy of Emperor Constantine (306-337), who ordered the fabrication of a false genealogy of his father Constantius Chlorus (293-206) and attributed to this tetrarch the origin of the relatives of Emperor Claudius II Gothicus (268-270) and perhaps from Emperor Gordian II (238). The author explores the development of the phenomenon of Byzantine impostors by the example of the impostor False Theodosius, who proclaimed himself the escaped son of Emperor Mauricius (582-602) and received the support of the Sasanian Shah Khosrow II Parviz (591-628). The author proves that the False Theodosius, described by the Armenian Bishop Sebeos and in the Syrian sources, could not be the true Theodosius. The author explores how the military and political activities of the False Theodosius during the Persian War (603-628) influenced the dynastic policy of Emperor Heraclius (610-641) and comes to the conclusion about the key role of Empress Martina, the second wife and niece of Heraclius, in the political life of the Byzantine Empire after 623. The author proves that the new impostor False Tiberius, who in the 720s posed as the escaped son of Emperor Justinian II Rhinotmetos (685-695; 705-711) and received the help of the Arab Caliph from the Umayyad dynasty Hisham ibn Abdul-Malik (723- 743), was an imitator of the False Theodosius.