Heraclius (brother of Tiberius III)
Encyclopedia
Heraclius was the brother of the Byzantine emperor Tiberius III (r. 698–705) and the Byzantine Empire
's leading general during his reign. He scored a number of victories against the Umayyads, but was unable to halt the Arab conquest of Armenia
, nor able to prevent the deposition of his brother by Justinian II
(r. 685–695 and 705–711), who later captured and executed them both.
origin. In 698, Apsimar was proclaimed emperor by the Byzantine fleet after a failed expedition
to recover Carthage
. Apsimar set Constantinople
under siege and succeeded in entering the city when some officers opened the gate. Deposing the emperor Leontius (r. 695–698), himself a usurper, Apsimar assumed the throne under the old Roman name Tiberius, and set about to gain legitimacy for his regime by securing a military victory against the Empire's major foe, the Umayyad Caliphate.
Heraclius was appointed by his brother as patrikios and commander-in-chief (monostrategos) of the Anatolia
n themes. In late autumn, he crossed with his army the mountain passes of the Taurus Mountains
into Cilicia
and thence headed to northern Syria
. After defeating an Arab army from Antioch
, he raided as far as Samosata
before returning safely to the Empire in the spring of 699. This success only served to provoke a massive Arab response: over the next few years, the Caliphate's generals Muhammad ibn Marwan
and Abdallah ibn Abd al-Malik
launched a series of campaigns that conquered what remained of Byzantine Armenia, without Heraclius being able to respond effectively. In 702, however, the Armenians rose up in a large-scale revolt, and asked for Byzantine aid, while Abdullah, after securing his rear, launched another campaign to recover Armenia in 704. Heraclius attacked the Arabs in Cilicia and defeated an army of 10,000–12,000 under Yazid ibn Hunain at Sisium
, killing most and leading the rest off in chains to Constantinople, but was unable to divert Abdullah from completing his reconquest of Armenia.
At that time, the deposed emperor Justinian II
(r. 685–695 and 705–711) had escaped from his exile at Cherson and gained the aid of the khans of the Khazars
and of the Bulgars
. The Empire now faced a direct threat, as Justinian joined the Bulgar khan Tervel in autumn 704 and prepared to march into Thrace
. Heraclius was recalled from the East and sent to confront Justinian and Tervel, but the allied force bypassed Heraclius's army and seized Constantinople in late summer 705. Tiberius III managed to escape the capital to Sozopolis and the army of his brother. Their soldiers, however, began deserting them, and Tiberius and Heraclius were captured by Justinian's troops. After being paraded through Constantinople in chains, Heraclius and many of his senior-most officers were then hung from the city walls
, while Leontius and Tiberius were executed in early 706.
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
's leading general during his reign. He scored a number of victories against the Umayyads, but was unable to halt the Arab conquest of Armenia
Arab conquest of Armenia
The Arab conquest of Armenia was a part of the Muslim conquests after the death of Muhammad in AD 632.Persian Armenia had fallen to the Byzantine Empire shortly before, in AD 629, and was conquered in the Rashidun Caliphate by AD 645.-Islamic expansion:...
, nor able to prevent the deposition of his brother by Justinian II
Justinian II
Justinian II , surnamed the Rhinotmetos or Rhinotmetus , was the last Byzantine Emperor of the Heraclian Dynasty, reigning from 685 to 695 and again from 705 to 711...
(r. 685–695 and 705–711), who later captured and executed them both.
Life
Nothing is known of his early life. The name of his brother, Apsimar, probably indicates a GermanicGermanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
origin. In 698, Apsimar was proclaimed emperor by the Byzantine fleet after a failed expedition
Battle of Carthage (698)
The Battle of Carthage was fought in 698 AD between a Byzantine expeditionary force and the armies of the Umayyad Caliphate. Having lost Carthage to the Muslims, Emperor Leontius sent the navy under the command of John the Patrician and the droungarios Tiberius Apsimarus. They entered the harbor...
to recover Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
. Apsimar set Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
under siege and succeeded in entering the city when some officers opened the gate. Deposing the emperor Leontius (r. 695–698), himself a usurper, Apsimar assumed the throne under the old Roman name Tiberius, and set about to gain legitimacy for his regime by securing a military victory against the Empire's major foe, the Umayyad Caliphate.
Heraclius was appointed by his brother as patrikios and commander-in-chief (monostrategos) of the Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n themes. In late autumn, he crossed with his army the mountain passes of the Taurus Mountains
Taurus Mountains
Taurus Mountains are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, dividing the Mediterranean coastal region of southern Turkey from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir in the west to the upper reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the east...
into Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
and thence headed to northern Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. After defeating an Arab army from Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
, he raided as far as Samosata
Samosata
Samosata was an ancient city on the right bank of the Euphrates whose ruins existed at the modern city of Samsat, Adıyaman Province, Turkey until the site was flooded by the newly-constructed Atatürk Dam....
before returning safely to the Empire in the spring of 699. This success only served to provoke a massive Arab response: over the next few years, the Caliphate's generals Muhammad ibn Marwan
Muhammad ibn Marwan
Muḥammad ibn Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam was an Umayyad prince and one of the most important generals of the Caliphate in the period 690–710, completing the Arab conquest of Armenia...
and Abdallah ibn Abd al-Malik
Abdallah ibn Abd al-Malik
‘Abdallah ibn ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan was an Umayyad prince, the son of Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan , a general and governor of Egypt....
launched a series of campaigns that conquered what remained of Byzantine Armenia, without Heraclius being able to respond effectively. In 702, however, the Armenians rose up in a large-scale revolt, and asked for Byzantine aid, while Abdullah, after securing his rear, launched another campaign to recover Armenia in 704. Heraclius attacked the Arabs in Cilicia and defeated an army of 10,000–12,000 under Yazid ibn Hunain at Sisium
Kozan, Adana
Kozan is a city in Adana Province, Turkey, 68 km north of the city of Adana, in the northern section of the Çukurova plain. The city is the capital of Kozan district. The Kilgen Stream, a tributary of the Ceyhan River , flows through Kozan crossing the plain south into the Mediterranean Sea....
, killing most and leading the rest off in chains to Constantinople, but was unable to divert Abdullah from completing his reconquest of Armenia.
At that time, the deposed emperor Justinian II
Justinian II
Justinian II , surnamed the Rhinotmetos or Rhinotmetus , was the last Byzantine Emperor of the Heraclian Dynasty, reigning from 685 to 695 and again from 705 to 711...
(r. 685–695 and 705–711) had escaped from his exile at Cherson and gained the aid of the khans of the Khazars
Khazars
The Khazars were semi-nomadic Turkic people who established one of the largest polities of medieval Eurasia, with the capital of Atil and territory comprising much of modern-day European Russia, western Kazakhstan, eastern Ukraine, Azerbaijan, large portions of the northern Caucasus , parts of...
and of the Bulgars
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
. The Empire now faced a direct threat, as Justinian joined the Bulgar khan Tervel in autumn 704 and prepared to march into Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
. Heraclius was recalled from the East and sent to confront Justinian and Tervel, but the allied force bypassed Heraclius's army and seized Constantinople in late summer 705. Tiberius III managed to escape the capital to Sozopolis and the army of his brother. Their soldiers, however, began deserting them, and Tiberius and Heraclius were captured by Justinian's troops. After being paraded through Constantinople in chains, Heraclius and many of his senior-most officers were then hung from the city walls
Walls of Constantinople
The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople since its founding as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire by Constantine the Great...
, while Leontius and Tiberius were executed in early 706.