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| successor =[[Heraklonas]]
| successor =[[Heraklonas]]
| spouse =[[Gregoria]]
| spouse =[[Gregoria]]
| issue =[[Constans II]]<br />Theodosius
| issue =[[Constans II]]<br />Theodosius<br />Maria (married [[Yazdegerd III]]
| dynasty =[[Heraclian dynasty]]
| dynasty =[[Heraclian dynasty]]
| father =[[Heraclius]]
| father =[[Heraclius]]

Revision as of 11:17, 31 July 2021

Constantine III
Emperor of the Romans
Solidus of Emperor Constantine III (right) with his father Heraclius (left)
Byzantine emperor
Reign11 February – 25 May 641
Coronation22 January 613[1]
PredecessorHeraclius
SuccessorHeraklonas
Co-emperorHeraklonas
Born3 May 612[1]
Died25 May 641(?)[a]
(aged 29)
Chalcedon, Bithynia
SpouseGregoria
IssueConstans II
Theodosius
Maria (married Yazdegerd III
Names
Heraclius Constantinus[4]
Regnal name
Flavius Heraclius novus Constantinus[4]
DynastyHeraclian dynasty
FatherHeraclius
MotherEudokia
ReligionChalcedonian Christianity

Constantine III or Heraclius Constantine (Template:Lang-la; Template:Lang-grc-gre, Herákleios Kōnstantînos; 3 May 612 – 20 April or 24/26 May 641), was the shortest reigning Byzantine emperor, ruling for three months in 641. He was the eldest son of Emperor Heraclius and his first wife Eudokia.

Reign

Constantine was crowned co-emperor by his father on 22 January 613 and shortly after was betrothed to his cousin, Gregoria, a daughter of his father's first cousin, Nicetas.[5] As the couple were second cousins, the marriage was technically incestuous, but this consideration must have been outweighed by the advantages of the match to the family as a whole. Furthermore, its illegality paled into insignificance beside Heraclius' marriage to his niece Martina the same year. In comparison, Constantine's marriage was far less scandalous than that of his father.[6]

Constantine became senior Emperor when his father died on 11 February 641. He reigned together with his younger half-brother Heraklonas, the son of Martina. His supporters feared action against him on the part of Martina and Heraklonas, and the treasurer Philagrius advised him to write to the army, informing them that he was dying and asking for their assistance in protecting the rights of his children. He also sent a vast sum of money, more than two million solidi (gold coins), to Valentinus, an adjutant of Philagrius, to distribute to the soldiers to persuade them to secure the succession for his sons after his death. He died of tuberculosis after only three months, on 25 May, leaving Heraklonas sole emperor.[6] A rumor that Martina had him poisoned led first to the imposition of Constans II as co-emperor and then to the deposition, mutilation, and banishment of Martina and her sons.[5]

Family

In 629 or 630, Constantine married Gregoria, the daughter of Niketas.[5] They had two sons:

Notes

  1. ^ Or, according to the Necrologium, 20 April, which would make a total reign of 99 days (counting from 11 January) as opposed to the "103 days" (from 11 February) indicated by Nikephoros I of Constantinople.[2] The latter date, 11 February, is traditionally the most accepted.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Chronicon Paschale, Olympiad 348.
  2. ^ Grierson, Philip (1962). "The Tombs and Obits of the Byzantine Emperors (337–1042)". Dumbarton Oaks Papers. 16: 1–63. doi:10.2307/1291157. ISSN 0070-7546.
  3. ^ Franzius, Enno (2021). "Heraclius". Encyclopedia Britannica.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ a b Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire III, pp. 349-350
  5. ^ a b c Khazdan, p. 917
  6. ^ a b Ostrogorski, pp. 100-101.
  7. ^ Bury, J.B. (1889). "Genealogical Table of the House of Heraclius". A History of the Later Roman Empire: From Arcadius to Irene. Macmillan Publishers. p. vi.

Literature

Heraclius Constantine
Born: 3 May 612 Died: 20 April or 24/26 May 641
Regnal titles
Preceded by Byzantine emperor
613–641
with Heraclius, 613–641
Heraklonas, 641
Succeeded by