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Overview:

Emperor Heraclius ruled the Byzantine Empire from 610 to 641 AD.

Biography:

With the Byzantine Empire threaten on all fronts by different enemies (Avars, Slavs, and Persians) and while ruled by the corrupt emperorPhocas, the leading citizens of Constantinople urged the Exarch of Carthage, General Heraclius to come and deliver them from catastrophe. The general and his brother sent their respective sons with a well-equipped force and in the year 610 the general's son, also named Heraclius, triumphantly entered Constantinople with his bride, Eudocia. Phocas was executed and Heraclius crowned emperor. The fortunes of the Empire actually worsen within Heraclius' first five years on the throne. The Persians seized Damascus; Jerusalem (where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was destroyed and most Christian artifacts, including the True Cross taken to the Persian capital, Ctesiphon); and Egypt, the main supplier of corn for Byzantium. Heraclius sat to work by first strengthening the defenses of the Empire. He divided the land into four Themes (military districts), each ruled by a military governor. By giving prospective soldiers land grants, he recruited a considerable number of native fighters. No longer was Byzantium to rely on foreign mercenaries. On the economic front finances were revived in the form of new taxes and fines as well as contributions from the Orthodox Church, even after the Church disapproved of his new marriage to his niece Martina after Eudocia passed away in 612. By the spring of 622 Heraclius was ready for the offensive. He led a powerful army (Heraclius risked his life by participating in many battles) and after six years of fighting defeated the Persian Empire. Looking old and sick, even though he was in his mid fifties, Heraclius entered Constantinople triumphantly on September 14, 628. However, all that was gained w Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective December Issue: 1989 Twenty Years On: The End of Communism and the Fate of Eastern Europe eHistory Book Reviews November Review: 428 AD: An Ordinary Year at the End of the Roman Empire MultiMedia Histories Featured History: Purchasing the American Dream: Buying a Home in 1960 Chicago THESE ARE ARCHIVED PAGES OF THE OLD EHISTORY SITE click here for the NEW eHistory site These pages are not actively maintained and may have errors in content and functionality