[70], Most scholarly historians view such traditions as "profoundly kerygmatic" and that "enormous difficulties" exist in using these sources for actual history. After violent spasms, he died in February 641, bequeathing the empire to his two elder sons, the consumptive Constantine III of his first marriage and Heracleonas, his son by Martina. His attempts at religious harmony failed, but he succeeded in returning the True Cross, one of the holiest Christian relics, to Jerusalem. Edward Gibbon, in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, wrote: Of the characters conspicuous in history, that of Heraclius is one of the most extraordinary and inconsistent. For this reason, Heraclius was viewed as a heretic and bad ruler by some later religious writers. This way peaceful relations were restored to the two deeply strained empires. [9] Khosrow II (Chosroes) of the Sasanian Empire had been restored to his throne by Maurice, and they had remained allies until the latter's death. 1060),[59] and then it became popular, especially in France, the Italian Peninsula, and the Holy Roman Empire. The reason Heraclius chose this title over previous Roman terms such as Augustus has been attributed by some scholars to his Armenian origins. As Heraclius approached the Persian capital during the final stages of the war, Khosrow fled from his favourite residence, Dastagird near Baghdad, without offering resistance. Looking back at the reign of Heraclius, scholars have credited him with many accomplishments. He had two children with Fabia (Eudoxia Epiphania and Emperor Constantine III) and at least nine with Martina, most of whom were sickly children. He had encamped on the west bank of the Sarus River when the Persian forces appeared on the opposite bank. [4], In 608, Heraclius the Elder renounced his loyalty to the Emperor Phocas, who had overthrown Maurice six years earlier. [65] The 14th-century scholar Ibn Kathir (d. 1373) went even further, stating that "Heraclius was one of the wisest men and among the most resolute, shrewd, deep and opinionated of kings. Heraclius drove the Persians out of Asia Minor and pushed deep into their territory, defeating them decisively in 627 at the Battle of Nineveh. After the Monophysite provinces were finally lost to the Muslims, Monotheletism rather lost its raison d'être and was eventually abandoned. The word "heraclius" appear 59 time(s) in 11 hadith(s) in Sahih Al-Bukhari صحيح البخاري translation. His soldiers closed rank behind him and beat back the foe. Within a few years both empires were overwhelmed by the onslaught of the Arabs, who had become newly united by Islam,[40] ultimately leading to the Muslim conquest of Persia and the fall of the Sasanian dynasty in 651. Many of his men rushed impetuously across the bridge and were ambushed and annihilated by the enemy. Although Heraclius possessed a deep Christian faith and attributed his successes to God, the once widely accepted view of him as an inspired visionary, who was capable of supreme but spasmodic efforts and wondrous achievements when acting under divine promptings, would appear to be false. Soon after, he initiated reforms to rebuild and strengthen the military. Since the 4th century, when Roman emperors adopted Christianity, they had endeavoured to preserve uniform theological belief and, notably in Egypt, Syria, and Armenia, had persecuted those with differing Christological views. In October 610 CE the future emperor was elected by his father to respond to a plea from the Senate in Constantinopleto come and relieve them from the bloody tyrant Phokas (r. 602-610 CE). Ardashir III, Heraclius's ally Shahrbaraz, and Khosrow's daughters Boran and Azarmidokht all succeeded to the throne within months of each other. In 613, the Persian army took Damascus with the help of the Jews, seized Jerusalem in 614, damaging the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and capturing the True Cross, and afterwards capturing Egypt in 617 or 618. [A 1] He was responsible for introducing Greek as the Eastern Roman Empire's official language. Meanwhile, the younger Heraclius sailed eastward with another force via Sicily and Cyprus. But the Romans sank the primitive Avar fleet that was to transport Persian units across the Bosporus and repelled the unsupported Avar assault. The Turkic Avars, who ruled over the Slavic and other tribes that occupied the region between the Don and the Alps, exacted tribute. Heraclius's reign was marked by several military campaigns. In 634 the Muslims marched into Roman Syria, defeating Heraclius's brother Theodore. Heraclius's reign was marked by several military campaigns. [18] In a letter delivered by his ambassadors, Heraclius acknowledged the Persian empire as superior, described himself as Khosrow II's "obedient son, one who is eager to perform the services of your serenity in all things," and even called Khosrow II the "supreme emperor. The illegitimate son is recorded by a number of different spellings including: Atalarichos, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, De Administrando Imperio, ch. Heraclius' younger cousin Nicetas launched an ove… At first, when he was on horseback (shown above), the burden was too heavy, but after he dismounted and removed his crown it became miraculously light, and the barred city gate opened of its own accord. But he was also a cautious and calculating strategist who did not hesitate to employ religion to serve his military ends. [81] Theodorus had the same treatment but was sent to Gaudomelete (possibly modern-day Gozo Island) with additional instructions to cut off one leg. When Heraclius died, he devised the empire to both Heraclius Constantine and Heraklonas to rule jointly with Martina as Empress. They sought to capture him, and he rode madly back to Constantinople, hotly pursued. 32 [Of the Serbs and of the country they now dwell in. (a town in Syrian and stayed there till he received the reply of his letter from his friend who agreed with him in his opinion about the emergence of … Heraclius was born c. 574 CE, the son of the governor of Carthage, also known as Heraclius. [14], Over the following decade the Persians were able to conquer Palestine and Egypt (by mid-621 the whole province was in their hands)[15] and to devastate Anatolia,[A 3] while the Avars and Slavs took advantage of the situation to overrun the Balkans, bringing the Empire to the brink of destruction. [6] He later had the genitalia removed from the body because Phocas had raped the wife of Photius, a powerful politician in the city. He assembled his forces in Asia Minor, probably in Bithynia, and, after he revived their broken morale, he launched a new counter-offensive, which took on the character of a holy war; an acheiropoietos image of Christ was carried as a military standard.[22][23][24][25]. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, led a revolt against the unpopular usurper Phocas. This offer Khosrow II contemptuously rejected, referring to himself as beloved by the gods and master of the world, to Heraclius as his abject and imbecilic slave, and to Christ as incapable of saving the empire. Yet there is no known record of the inception of the theme system, and it was rather because of his epic struggle against Persia and his recovery of wood believed to be from Christ’s Cross that Heraclius became a hero of medieval legend. Broken in body and spirit by disease, by long years of the cares of state, and by the wounds and emotions of 100 battles, Heraclius did not take personal command of the army, although the sight of him in battle armour would have inspired the troops and silenced the bickering generals. In Islamic and Arab histories Heraclius is the only Roman Emperor who is discussed at any length. The Barletta Colossos revisited. A year later, he had married his niece Martina, thus offending the religious scruples of many of his subjects, who viewed his second marriage as incestuous and Martina as accursed. [42] The first conflict between the Byzantines and Muslims was the Battle of Mu'tah in September 629. He undertook comprehensive reforms of the army and state administration. In his analysis, the hoax was designed to serve the political purposes of both Heraclius and his former foe, the Persian general Shahrbaraz.[58]. As a statesman it is also difficult to think of him as merely a religious fanatic. Overlooking their perfidy, he finally made peace with them and was free to take the offensive against the Persians. [41], By 629, the Islamic Prophet Muhammad had unified all the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula, previously too divided to pose a serious military challenge to the Byzantines or the Persians. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. He commanded a Christian. WikiMatrix. 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With the Persian war effort disintegrating, Heraclius was able to bring the Gokturks of the Western Turkic Khaganate, under Ziebel, who invaded Persian Transcaucasia. The animosities thus created had facilitated the Persian conquest, and Heraclius sought to conciliate the dissenters with the doctrine of Christ’s single will (monothelitism). [10] Khosrow had at his court a man who claimed to be Maurice's son Theodosius, and Khosrow demanded that the Byzantines accept this Theodosius as Emperor. Most scholars now agree that it was Heraclius who initiated the militarization of Anatolia, known as the theme (military district) system, which was further developed and extended by his successors. The Byzantines were defeated in a great battle on the Yarmuk (636). Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership. [22], On April 5, 622, Heraclius left Constantinople, entrusting the city to Sergius and general Bonus as regents of his son. His reforms of the government reduced the corruption which had taken hold in Phocas's reign, and he reorganized the military with great success. Emperor Heraclius synonyms, Emperor Heraclius pronunciation, Emperor Heraclius translation, English dictionary definition of Emperor Heraclius. His mercy contrasted sharply with Khosrow’s acerbity and probably hastened his victory in Persia. In Islamic and Arab histories Heraclius is the only Roman Emperor who is discussed at any length. Rufinus ... (Arabic: جبلة بن الأيهم‎) was the last ruler of the Ghassanid state in Syria and Jordan in the 7th century AD. Fearing water, he remained a year on the Asiatic bank of the Bosporus before summoning the courage to cross to Constantinople on a pontoon bridge with foliage hiding the water. He failed. The Governor equipped an expeditionary force and put his devout son, the blond and gray-eyed Heraclius, in command of it. Heraclius, aged 36, was proclaimed the new empero… [48], One of the most important legacies of Heraclius was changing the official language of the Empire from Latin to Greek in 610. Heraclius then wrote a letter to his friend in Rome who was as good as Heraclius in knowledge. The available information on Heraclius in the Arabic- Although the territorial gains produced by his defeat of the Persians were lost to the advance of the Muslims, Heraclius still ranks among the great Roman Emperors. [56] Kavad, however, was mortally ill and was anxious that Heraclius should protect his infant son Ardeshir. All Free. Muhammad) ordered you, you replied that he ordered you to establish the prayer, to speak the truth, to be chaste, to keep promises and to pay back trusts." Heraclius returned northward, bearing the “holy wood,” once the object of his greatest glory, now the companion of his deepest sorrow. en Teimuraz's children of his marriage to Tamar of Kartli were: Heraclius II (November 7, 1720 – January 11, 1798), the future king of Kakheti and of Kartli and Kakheti. [20], With the Persians at the very gate of Constantinople, Heraclius thought of abandoning the city and moving the capital to Carthage, but the powerful church figure Patriarch Sergius convinced him to stay. A flexible defense developed in depth; a free, militarized peasantry arose; agriculture revived; and the state was relieved of much of the burden of soldiers’ pay. [37], Heraclius's defeat of the Persians ended a war that had been going on intermittently for almost 400 years and led to instability in the Persian Empire. [3] Beyond that, there is little specific information known about his ancestry. Emperor of the Byzantine Empire who captured Syria, Palestine, and Egypt from Persia but lost them all to an army of Muslim Arabs . His father was a key general during Emperor Maurice's war with Bahram Chobin, usurper of the Sasanian Empire, during 590. In October 610 Heraclius dropped anchor off Constantinople, deposed Phocas, and was crowned emperor of a crumbling state, occupied by invaders and wracked with internal dissension. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Two of Heraclius's children would become Emperor: Heraclius Constantine (Constantine III), his son from Eudokia, for four months in 641, and Martina's son Constantine Heraclius (Heraklonas), in 638–641. [44] Even the Strategicon of Maurice, a manual of war praised for the variety of enemies it covers, does not mention warfare against Arabs at any length. Khosrow was overthrown by his son, with whom Heraclius made peace, demanding only the return of the Cross, the captives, and conquered Roman territory. [...] Since the days of Scipio and Hannibal, no bolder enterprise has been attempted than that which Heraclius achieved for the deliverance of the empire. Kavad II died only months after assuming the throne, plunging Persia into several years of dynastic turmoil and civil war. The Persian Sassanid dynasty never recovered from this war; it took years for a strong king to emerge from a series of coups, and soon the Muslim Arab Caliph ate overwhelmed the sinking state. "—so enraged Heraclius that he beheaded Phocas on the spot. [A 1]He was responsible for introducing Greek as the Eastern Empire's official language. [52] He also created the office of sakellarios, a comptroller of the treasury. (see hadith 6 vol 1) [50][51] At his request, Pope John IV (640–642) sent Christian teachers and missionaries to Duke Porga and his Croats, who practiced Slavic paganism. 'Heraclius in Early Islamic Kerygma' Edited by Reinink and Stolte. In 608, Heraclius the Elder renounced his loyalty to the Emperor Phocas, who had overthrown Maurice six years earlier. This is largely because, as Kaegi explains, his reputation has varied considerably, and quite understandably, during the ages for Heraclius is the Emperor who, on the one hand, crushed the Sassanid Empire (although the Arab invasions finished it off) and defeated the Avars and, on the other hand, lost for ever the East - and the Empire's richest provinces at the time - to the Arab onslaught. In 614 the Persians conquered Syria and Palestine, taking Jerusalem and what was believed to be Christ’s Cross, and in 619 occupied Egypt and Libya. In the early years of his reign Avars and Bulgars threatened, attacking even Constantinople, and the Persians conquered Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. A month later, Heraclius entered Dastagird with its stupendous treasure. But by then the Sasanid Empire was severely disorganised, having been weakened by years of war and civil strife over the succession to the throne. Heraclius was the eldest son of Heraclius the Elder and Epiphania, of a family of possible Armenian origin from Cappadocia,[A 1][2] with speculative Arsacid descent. Heraclius then left for Homs. "[19] Khosrow II nevertheless rejected the peace offer, and arrested Heraclius' ambassadors. Heraclius's reign was marked by several military campaigns. Updates? Meanwhile, some of the Persian grandees freed Khosrow's eldest son Kavad II, who had been imprisoned by his father, and proclaimed him King on the night of February 23–24, 628. Heraclius (Greek: Ἡράκλειος, Iraklios; c. 575 – February 11, 641) was the Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641. When he reached the capital, the Excubitors, an elite Imperial Guard unit led by Phocas's son-in-law Priscus, deserted to Heraclius, and he entered the city without serious resistance. [71] Furthermore, they argue that any messengers sent by Muhammad to Heraclius would not have received an imperial audience or recognition. … When Heraclius captured Phocas, he asked him "Is this how you have ruled, wretch?" [64], In Muslim tradition he is seen as a just ruler of great piety, who had direct contact with the emerging Islamic forces. Heraclius (Latin: Flavius Heraclius Augustus, Greek: Φλάβιος Ἡράκλειος ' c. 575 – February 11, 641) was the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, led a revolt against the unpopular usurper Phocas. 10.5617/acta.5832. 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