After her death in 612, he married his niece Martina in 613; this second marriage was considered incestuous and was very unpopular. Heraclius was given command of a fleet which, when it was sighted from Constantinople, caused an immediate rebellion and the overthrow of Phokas right there and then. [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. His mercy contrasted sharply with Khosrowâs acerbity and probably hastened his victory in Persia. The Turkic Avars, who ruled over the Slavic and other tribes that occupied the region between the Don and the Alps, exacted tribute. In his analysis, the hoax was designed to serve the political purposes of both Heraclius and his former foe, the Persian general Shahrbaraz.[58]. The fate of the empire hung in the balance. His attempts at religious harmony failed, but he succeeded in returning the True Cross, one of the holiest Christian relics, to Jerusalem. Italics indicates a junior co-emperor, while underlining indicates a usurper. [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 reason Heraclius chose this title over previous Roman terms such as Augustus has been attributed by some scholars to his Armenian origins. In 634 the Muslims marched into Roman Syria, defeating Heraclius's brother Theodore. It placed the Anatolian provinces under military governors and provided land grants not only for frontier soldiers but also for soldiers and peasants in the interior, on condition of hereditary military service. Acta ad archaeologiam et artium historiam pertinentia. The first battles of the campaign ended in defeat for the Byzantines; the Persian army fought their way to the Bosphorus but Constantinople was protected by impenetrable walls and a strong navy, and Heraclius was able to avoid total defeat. [22], On April 5, 622, Heraclius left Constantinople, entrusting the city to Sergius and general Bonus as regents of his son. 4 in a few years..[62]. WikiMatrix. For this reason, Heraclius was viewed as a heretic and bad ruler by some later religious writers. The contents of the letter were as follows: "In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful (This letter is) from Muhammad the slave of Allah and His Messenger to Heraclius the ruler of Byzantine. [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. Mindful of the propagandistic value of Khosrowâs response, Heraclius made it public. In the first and last years of a long reign, the emperor appears to be the slave of sloth, of pleasure, or of superstition, the careless and impotent spectator of the public calamities. [33] Continuing south along the Tigris he sacked Khosrow's great palace at Dastagird and was only prevented from attacking Ctesiphon by the destruction of the bridges on the Nahrawan Canal. In Islamic and Arab histories Heraclius is the only Roman Emperor who is discussed at any length. Both of these show scenes of Heraclius and Constantine I's mother Saint Helena, traditionally responsible for the excavation of the cross. [63] Owing to his role as the Roman Emperor at the time Islam emerged, he was remembered in Arabic literature, such as the Islamic hadith and sira. He enlarged the Empire, and his reorganization of the government and military were great successes. Moreover, even though he fostered the crusading spirit, he waged war in a less inhumane manner than most of his contemporaries. 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. Abu Sufyan told me that Heraclius said to him, "When I enquired you what he (i.e. Emerging from his tent, Heraclius saw the triumphant Persians crossing the bridge. 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. The scene usually shown is Heraclius carrying the cross; according to the Golden Legend, he insisted on doing this as he entered Jerusalem, against the advice of the Patriarch. Heraclius then asked for the letter addressed by Allah's Apostle which was delivered by Dihya to the Governor of Busra, who forwarded it to Heraclius to read. [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. Certainly he inspired an oppressed and hopeless people with a new spirit of faith, service, and self-sacrifice; but the man who restored a state that was sinking under the blows of internecine strife and foreign invasion and gave it the strength to withstand IslÄmâs assaults for four centuries, perhaps even contributing to its survival until 1453, must have had a strong will, great organizing ability, exceptional conciliatory powers, and deep insight into the needs of both state and subjects. Another envoy was sent to an Arab prince of the Ghassanite tribe, a Christian feudatory of Heraclius. ]: "the emperor brought elders from Rome and baptized them and taught them fairly to perform the works of piety and expounded to them the faith of the Christians.". In Islamic and Arab histories Heraclius is the only Roman Emperor who is discussed at any length. Soon after, he initiated reforms to rebuild and strengthen the military. A small Muslim skirmishing force attacked the province of Arabia in response to the Muslim ambassador's death at the hands of the Ghassanid Roman governor, but were repulsed. Soon, Syria and later Egypt fell to the Arabs. He was, in effect, leading the first crusade. His father was a key general during Emperor Maurice's war with Bahram Chobin, usurper of the Sasanian Empire, during 590. But the Romans sank the primitive Avar fleet that was to transport Persian units across the Bosporus and repelled the unsupported Avar assault. 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). The Roman army proceeded to Armenia, inflicted a defeat on an army led by a Persian-allied Arab chief, and then won a victory over the Persians under Shahrbaraz. [34] In 629 Heraclius restored the True Cross to Jerusalem in a majestic ceremony. Heraclius was born in eastern Anatolia. [38][39] He failed. The iconography of the emperor appeared in the sanctuary at Mont Saint-Michel (ca. [56] Kavad, however, was mortally ill and was anxious that Heraclius should protect his infant son Ardeshir. Thus, when in 623 his victorious soldiers wanted to penetrate deeper into Persia, contrary to his plan to retire, he referred the matter to God. "âso enraged Heraclius that he beheaded Phocas on the spot. (Leuven, Paris: Peeters, 2002), Byzantine Empire under the Heraclian dynasty, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Non-Muslim interactants with Muslims during Muhammad's era, Seleznyov N.N. In Surah 30, the Qur'an refers to the Roman-Sasanian wars as follows: 30:2 The Romans have been defeated 3 In the nearest land. [81], During the last years of Heraclius's life, it became evident that a struggle was taking place between Heraclius Constantine and Martina, who was trying to position her son Heraklonas to assume the throne. (1) Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas: Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed me that heraclius had sent a messenger to him while he had been accompanying a caravan from Quraish. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. … Heraclius, aged 36, was proclaimed the new empero… Heraclius (Greek: ἩÏάκλειοÏ, Iraklios; c. 575 – February 11, 641) was the Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641. [60] The story was included in the Golden Legend, the famous 13th-century compendium of hagiography, and he is sometimes shown in art, as in The History of the True Cross sequence of frescoes painted by Piero della Francesca in Arezzo, and a similar sequence on a small altarpiece by Adam Elsheimer (Städel, Frankfurt). Heracliusâ first wife, Eudocia, had died in 612. Heraclius immediately took charge of the ByzantineâSasanian War of 602â628. [64], In Muslim tradition he is seen as a just ruler of great piety, who had direct contact with the emerging Islamic forces. The rebels issued coins showing both Heraclii dressed as consuls, though neither of them explicitly claimed the imperial title at this time. After his troops had fasted and prayed three days, he opened the Bible in their presence, apparently at random, and read a passage that could be interpreted only as a divine command to withdraw. In an effort to placate the Avars, Heraclius met them at Thracian Heraclea (617 or 619). Now animated by their conversion to Islam, they comprised one of the most powerful states in the region. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Heraclius-Byzantine-emperor, h2g2 - Byzantium: Heraclius and the Persians, Jewish Virtual Library - Biography of Heraclius. Phocas's replyâ"And will you rule better? [55], Heraclius was long remembered favourably by the Western church for his reputed recovery of the True Cross from the Persians. [73] and it is possible that he and his advisors actually viewed the Muslims as some special sect of Jews.[44]. Kavad II died only months after assuming the throne, plunging Persia into several years of dynastic turmoil and civil war. Updates? [A 4][77] Of Martina's children at least two were disabled, which was seen as punishment for the illegality of the marriage: Fabius (Flavius) had a paralyzed neck and Theodosios was a deaf-mute. With a keen sense of reality, he adjusted the empire to the needs of the 7th century, departmentalizing the great state offices and replacing Latin with Greek as the official language. 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 definition: ?575–641 ad , Byzantine emperor , who restored the Holy Cross to Jerusalem (629) | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples 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. The Governor equipped an expeditionary force and put his devout son, the blond and gray-eyed Heraclius, in command of it. [29][30] In the same year the Visigoths succeeded in recapturing Cartagena, capital of the western Byzantine province of Spania, resulting in the loss of one of the few minor provinces that had been conquered by the armies of Justinian I. Many of his men rushed impetuously across the bridge and were ambushed and annihilated by the enemy. Ultimately, the reformed Imperial army halted the Muslims in Asia Minor and held on to Carthage for another 60 years, saving a core from which the empire's strength could be rebuilt. The available information on Heraclius in the Arabic- Owing to his role as the Roman Emperor at the time Islam emerged, he was remembered in Arabic literature , such as the Islamic hadith and sira . He came to power by overthrowing his predecessor Phocas. [5] Heraclius's younger cousin Nicetas launched an overland invasion of Egypt; by 609, he had defeated Phocas's general Bonosus and secured the province. With the Persian war effort disintegrating, Heraclius was able to bring the Gokturks of the Western Turkic Khaganate, under Ziebel, who invaded Persian Transcaucasia. In 608, Heraclius the Elder renounced his loyalty to the Emperor Phocas, who had overthrown Maurice six years earlier. 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. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. [49] The Croats and Serbs of Byzantine Dalmatia initiated diplomatic relations and dependencies with Heraclius. Emperor Heraclius synonyms, Emperor Heraclius pronunciation, Emperor Heraclius translation, English dictionary definition of Emperor Heraclius. 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. Owing to his role as the Roman Emperor at the time Islam emerged, he was remembered in Arabic literature, such as the Islamic hadith and sira. This prince, instead of receiving the envoy with any respect, cruelly murdered him. But the languid mists of the morning and evening are separated by the brightness of the meridian sun; the Arcadius of the palace arose the Caesar of the camp; and the honor of Rome and Heraclius was gloriously retrieved by the exploits and trophies of six adventurous campaigns.
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