Heraclius
624 – ? · Generation XV · co-emperor (r. 659–681)
Heraclius (b. AD null). co-emperor (r. 659–681). Son of Constans II. Crowned co-emperor alongside his brother Tiberius shortly before their father left for Italy, he stayed in Constantinople even when Constans tried to summon his sons to Sicily – a popular uprising kept the brothers in the capital. For thirteen years he ruled nominally beside Constantine IV, until the senior emperor moved to demote him and Tiberius. The army of the Anatolic Theme revolted in their defence, arguing that as Heaven was governed by a Trinity, so the empire should have three emperors. Constantine feigned agreement, lured the ringleaders into the city, and hanged them; then, clearing the path for his own son Justinian II, he had his brothers’ noses slit, their images struck from the coinage, and their names erased from official documents. Nothing more is heard of Heraclius.
Line of descent: Heraclius the Elder → Heraclius → Heraclius Constantine → Constans II → Heraclius.
Parents
- Constans II (630 – 668)
- Fausta (630 – ?)
Siblings
- Tiberius (624 – ?)
- Constantine IV (652 – 685)