Heraklonas

Heraklonas
Heraklonas with his father, Heraclius and brother, Constantine III
Emperor of the Byzantine Empire
Reign	February 641 – September 641
Predecessor	Constantine III
Successor	Constans II
Died	641 (aged 15)
Full name Flavius Constantinus Heraclius (Heraclianus)
Dynasty	Heraclian Dynasty
Father	Heraclius
Mother	Martina

Heraclian dynasty
Chronology
Heraclius		610–641
with Constantine III as co-emperor, 613–641
Constantine III		641
with Heraklonas as co-emperor
Heraklonas		641
Constans II		641–668
with Constantine IV (654–668), Heraclius and Tiberius (659–668) as co-emperors
Constantine IV		668–685
with Heraclius and Tiberius (668–681), and Justinian II (681–685) as co-emperors
Justinian II		685–695, 705–711
with Tiberius as co-emperor, 706–711
Succession
Preceded by Justinian dynasty and Phocas		Followed by Twenty Years' Anarchy

Constantine Heraclius (Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος Ἡράκλειος, Latin: Flavius Constantinus Heraclius (Heraclianus) Augustus; 626–641), commonly known by the diminutive Heraklonas or Herakleonas (Greek: Ἡρακλωνᾶς/Ἡρακλεωνᾶς), or rarely, Heraclius II,^[1] was the son of Heraclius and his niece Martina, and was Byzantine Emperor briefly between February and September 641.

He was baptised and officially reigned as Flavius Constantinus Heraclius, but the diminutive nickname Heraklonas, little Heraclius, became established in Byzantine texts and has become standard in historiography.

Heraklonas was probably born at Lazica while his father was on campaign against Khosrau II of the Sassanid Empire. He was probably the fourth son of Martina and Herakleios, but the first one born free of physical deformity and eligible for the throne.

Towards the end of Heraclius' reign he obtained through his mother’s influence the title of Augustus on July 4, 638, and after his father’s death was proclaimed joint emperor with his older half-brother Constantine III (Herakleios Constantine).

The premature death of Constantine III, in May 641, left Heraklonas sole ruler. But a suspicion that he and Martina had murdered Constantine led soon after to a revolt under the general Valentinus, who forced Heraklonas to accept his young nephew Constans II as co-ruler. Martina intended to balance this setback with the coronation of her younger son the Caesar David (Tiberios) as emperor.

But this merely irritated the supporters of Constans II, and Valentinus spread rumors that Martina and Heraklonas intended to eliminate Constans and his supporters. The revolt which ensued toppled Heraklonas and his mother, who were subjected to mutilation and banishment. This was the first time a reigning emperor had been subjected to mutilation, which was a practice probably borrowed from the Persians; in this case, Martina's tongue and Heraklonas' nose were cut out. Nothing further is known about Heraklonas after his removal and exile to Rhodes. He is presumed to have died later that year. Constans II, the son of Constantine III, became sole emperor.

Notes

1. Bellinger, Alfred Raymond; Grierson, Philip, eds. (1992). Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection: Phocas to Theodosius III, 602-717. Part 1. Phocas and Heraclius (602-641). Dumbarton Oaks. p. 389. ISBN 9780884020240.

References

• The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, 1991.
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "^{article name needed}". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

External links

Media related to Heraclonas at Wikimedia Commons