Herakleios of Byzantium - Tragedy and triumph of human spirit and will to power
This is the story of Emperor Herakleios of Byzantium, one of the great tragedies of our terrible times.
Herakleios was born in 1091 as the third son of Emperor Andronikos Agyros, a fine diplomat, but limited warrior, and Eirene Branas who was also a decent diplomat, but most of all an excellent steward. When his father died in 1117, he became emperor at the age of 26. In 1128, when I came to his court to become his biographer, Herakleios had been on the throne for almost eleven years.
During this period his kingdom had already suffered some of the biggest blows, most of all the loss of its capital Constantinople to the Emirate of Lut, a tribe of Seljuk Turks who had taken the city by surprise. As a consequence the court had moved to Thessalonica. At this time the most dangerous threat, however, was coming from the kingdom of Seljuk Turks itself, which had started invading central Anatolia.
Herakleios decided to first take back his capital. So he ordered a general mobilization and moved against Constantinople. After several months of siege he finally broke the Muslims resistance. With his victorious army he then moved on to central Anatolia to stop the Turks on the eastern border. He even tried to retake Aleppo and Antiochia and though the Turks outnumbered him, he might have succeeded, if it wasn’t for the treason suddenly spreading between his armies and vassals.
At this point some note on the Emperor's character might be useful to understand what happened. Unfortunately Herakleios inherited very little of his parents traits. So he was a decent warrior and pretty good at intrigues, but he was a poor steward and most of all his diplomatic skills were close to zero.
As a consequence his vassals now grew restless. When their armies had to face the Turks in battle, they eventually deserted, turning lines against the imperial forces. Though he used to choose his battleground with care, the emperor thus lost several battles due to defection of his vassals.
Having to face contemporaneously the Turks and the rebels in the north, emperor Herakleios decided to let some of the latter go, granting their independence.
With his demoralized troops he continued to defend his empire against the Seljuk invasion, but soon he was forced to retreat. He lost Tarsus and had no forces to prevent the Turks from taking even Ikonion. When the Turkish king Ahmad in the spring of 1131 finally offered a white peace, Herakleios was so glad to pull out of this disastrous war, that he’d even accepted to pay a huge tribute.
At this moment the Byzantine empire had lost almost a third of its territory. The Turks kept Tarsus, Ikonion and central Anatolia and on all the other borders important duchies such as Sinope and Crete had become independent. Even beyond the former borders of the Empire things weren’t looking well. To the west Venice and Naples were a growing threat. The first had vassalized the Principality of Aegean Islands, the second had taken Corfu. To the north, Croatia had been annihilated, Belgrade was surrounded by sheikdoms and the king of Hungary was under heavy attack from the Cuman tribe.
Unfortunately for Herakleios, the rebellion of his vassals was not yet over and in the following years the empire was always on the verge of civil war. With the conclusion of the war, Bulgaria had broken away as a whole. Herakleios moved his armies north. He fought the dukes of Varna, Dorostotum and Strymon. When they were ready to cede their duchies, he left them their counties, hoping they’d be willing to join the Empire again in better times. While he still fought in Bulgaria, it was the Principality of Cherson’s turn to break free, but this time the emperor let no one get away. Due to his lack of diplomacy, however, even other vassals continued growing restless and the declarations of war followed month after month.
Thus the whole empire would have broken to pieces, if Herakleios wouldn’t have found a new government system. He granted his two eldest sons, both able diplomats, large principalities to govern. Crown prince Leo became the prince of Hellas, Peloponnesos and Butrinto and Alexios became Prince of Samos, Nikaea, Lykia, Armenia Minor and Cyprus.
These powerful princes finally controlled their vassals and the level of unrest diminished.
Emperor Herakleios still governed his demesnes, as well as Bulgaria, Kappadokia and Cherson, which had been reserved for his younger sons who were still children. In his demesnes he started a big campaign of public building, but among his direct vassals the unrest grew again and he had to face several other revolts before his third son became a man, being immediately nominated Prince of Thrace, Varna, Dorostotum and Cherson.
All these troubles had however seriously damaged the emperor’s health. Already skeptical, selfish, suspicious and vengeful, he became stressed. Under the constant menace of his rebellious vassals, the emperor became obsessed with war and in his last years he was completely crazed.
Finally in a minor battle against the rebellious duke of Kappadokia in early 1137 he was severely wounded. In April his wound even aggravated and his illness turned into pneumonia. As a consequence his personal skills had all gone to zero. But his will was still unbroken. Feeling that his time was almost over, he decided to grant each of his other children an adequate title. His fourth son Kyril became Prince of Kappadokia, his bastard son Gabriel became Count of Galaz and his youngest son Michael became Prince of Cherson. Even his daughter Ioanna was nominated Countess of Korinthos.
But the human sufferings of Herakleios weren’t yet over. While his armies still dealt with the latest rebellion in Kappadokia and Herakleia, the news arrived that the Prince of Hellas had declared war, turning against his own father. Herakleios decided not to proceed against his eldest son and let him easily conquer Thessalonica and Chalkidike. Only when the prince moved his troops under the walls of Constantinople, the imperial forces counterattacked and drove him back. The last battle of this war was fought on the 12th of June 1137 AD contemporaneously under the walls of Adrianopolis and in the imperial bedroom in Constantinople. The Prince’s forces were highly outnumbered by his father’s army, but before they were completely overthrown, news arrived on the battlefield that Emperor Herakleios had passed away the night before and Prince Leo was hailed as the new Emperor of Byzantium.
After he reached his palace in Constantinople, Emperor Leo immediately sent messages to all of his former vassals offering his protection in change of their loyalty. Due to his and his chancellor’s good diplomatic skills he had several positive responses and one of the first to accept was the mighty duke of Sinope. Within a few years the new emperor managed to bring back all the former vassals, turning the Byzantine Empire once again to its old splendor. Now in the year 1144, at the age of 33, Leo has already five promising sons, the eldest, Kosmas, the future Prince of Hellas, aged 15. After inheriting his sister Ioanna, Leo now controls 10 demesnes. Due to his father’s indefatigable public building efforts, most of these are in excellent shape. The Byzantine Empire is now more prosperous than ever before. Constantinople alone pays an almost incredible 56.000 $ of monthly taxes and in the rest of his demesnes Leo puts away another 89.000 $ each month. All this has been possible thanks to the energy, patience, intelligence and spirit of his father Emperor Herakleios Argyros of Byzantium, King of Aleppo and Bulgaria, Duke of Armenia, Thessalonica etc. When Herakleios died, aged only 45, he was the most admired and prestigious ruler of the world. With his human tragedy he set the pace for his son to become the most beloved king of his time and lead the Byzantine Empire to a new Golden Age.
This is the story of Emperor Herakleios of Byzantium, one of the great tragedies of our terrible times.
Herakleios was born in 1091 as the third son of Emperor Andronikos Agyros, a fine diplomat, but limited warrior, and Eirene Branas who was also a decent diplomat, but most of all an excellent steward. When his father died in 1117, he became emperor at the age of 26. In 1128, when I came to his court to become his biographer, Herakleios had been on the throne for almost eleven years.
During this period his kingdom had already suffered some of the biggest blows, most of all the loss of its capital Constantinople to the Emirate of Lut, a tribe of Seljuk Turks who had taken the city by surprise. As a consequence the court had moved to Thessalonica. At this time the most dangerous threat, however, was coming from the kingdom of Seljuk Turks itself, which had started invading central Anatolia.
Herakleios decided to first take back his capital. So he ordered a general mobilization and moved against Constantinople. After several months of siege he finally broke the Muslims resistance. With his victorious army he then moved on to central Anatolia to stop the Turks on the eastern border. He even tried to retake Aleppo and Antiochia and though the Turks outnumbered him, he might have succeeded, if it wasn’t for the treason suddenly spreading between his armies and vassals.
At this point some note on the Emperor's character might be useful to understand what happened. Unfortunately Herakleios inherited very little of his parents traits. So he was a decent warrior and pretty good at intrigues, but he was a poor steward and most of all his diplomatic skills were close to zero.
As a consequence his vassals now grew restless. When their armies had to face the Turks in battle, they eventually deserted, turning lines against the imperial forces. Though he used to choose his battleground with care, the emperor thus lost several battles due to defection of his vassals.
Having to face contemporaneously the Turks and the rebels in the north, emperor Herakleios decided to let some of the latter go, granting their independence.
With his demoralized troops he continued to defend his empire against the Seljuk invasion, but soon he was forced to retreat. He lost Tarsus and had no forces to prevent the Turks from taking even Ikonion. When the Turkish king Ahmad in the spring of 1131 finally offered a white peace, Herakleios was so glad to pull out of this disastrous war, that he’d even accepted to pay a huge tribute.
At this moment the Byzantine empire had lost almost a third of its territory. The Turks kept Tarsus, Ikonion and central Anatolia and on all the other borders important duchies such as Sinope and Crete had become independent. Even beyond the former borders of the Empire things weren’t looking well. To the west Venice and Naples were a growing threat. The first had vassalized the Principality of Aegean Islands, the second had taken Corfu. To the north, Croatia had been annihilated, Belgrade was surrounded by sheikdoms and the king of Hungary was under heavy attack from the Cuman tribe.
Unfortunately for Herakleios, the rebellion of his vassals was not yet over and in the following years the empire was always on the verge of civil war. With the conclusion of the war, Bulgaria had broken away as a whole. Herakleios moved his armies north. He fought the dukes of Varna, Dorostotum and Strymon. When they were ready to cede their duchies, he left them their counties, hoping they’d be willing to join the Empire again in better times. While he still fought in Bulgaria, it was the Principality of Cherson’s turn to break free, but this time the emperor let no one get away. Due to his lack of diplomacy, however, even other vassals continued growing restless and the declarations of war followed month after month.
Thus the whole empire would have broken to pieces, if Herakleios wouldn’t have found a new government system. He granted his two eldest sons, both able diplomats, large principalities to govern. Crown prince Leo became the prince of Hellas, Peloponnesos and Butrinto and Alexios became Prince of Samos, Nikaea, Lykia, Armenia Minor and Cyprus.
These powerful princes finally controlled their vassals and the level of unrest diminished.
Emperor Herakleios still governed his demesnes, as well as Bulgaria, Kappadokia and Cherson, which had been reserved for his younger sons who were still children. In his demesnes he started a big campaign of public building, but among his direct vassals the unrest grew again and he had to face several other revolts before his third son became a man, being immediately nominated Prince of Thrace, Varna, Dorostotum and Cherson.
All these troubles had however seriously damaged the emperor’s health. Already skeptical, selfish, suspicious and vengeful, he became stressed. Under the constant menace of his rebellious vassals, the emperor became obsessed with war and in his last years he was completely crazed.
Finally in a minor battle against the rebellious duke of Kappadokia in early 1137 he was severely wounded. In April his wound even aggravated and his illness turned into pneumonia. As a consequence his personal skills had all gone to zero. But his will was still unbroken. Feeling that his time was almost over, he decided to grant each of his other children an adequate title. His fourth son Kyril became Prince of Kappadokia, his bastard son Gabriel became Count of Galaz and his youngest son Michael became Prince of Cherson. Even his daughter Ioanna was nominated Countess of Korinthos.
But the human sufferings of Herakleios weren’t yet over. While his armies still dealt with the latest rebellion in Kappadokia and Herakleia, the news arrived that the Prince of Hellas had declared war, turning against his own father. Herakleios decided not to proceed against his eldest son and let him easily conquer Thessalonica and Chalkidike. Only when the prince moved his troops under the walls of Constantinople, the imperial forces counterattacked and drove him back. The last battle of this war was fought on the 12th of June 1137 AD contemporaneously under the walls of Adrianopolis and in the imperial bedroom in Constantinople. The Prince’s forces were highly outnumbered by his father’s army, but before they were completely overthrown, news arrived on the battlefield that Emperor Herakleios had passed away the night before and Prince Leo was hailed as the new Emperor of Byzantium.
After he reached his palace in Constantinople, Emperor Leo immediately sent messages to all of his former vassals offering his protection in change of their loyalty. Due to his and his chancellor’s good diplomatic skills he had several positive responses and one of the first to accept was the mighty duke of Sinope. Within a few years the new emperor managed to bring back all the former vassals, turning the Byzantine Empire once again to its old splendor. Now in the year 1144, at the age of 33, Leo has already five promising sons, the eldest, Kosmas, the future Prince of Hellas, aged 15. After inheriting his sister Ioanna, Leo now controls 10 demesnes. Due to his father’s indefatigable public building efforts, most of these are in excellent shape. The Byzantine Empire is now more prosperous than ever before. Constantinople alone pays an almost incredible 56.000 $ of monthly taxes and in the rest of his demesnes Leo puts away another 89.000 $ each month. All this has been possible thanks to the energy, patience, intelligence and spirit of his father Emperor Herakleios Argyros of Byzantium, King of Aleppo and Bulgaria, Duke of Armenia, Thessalonica etc. When Herakleios died, aged only 45, he was the most admired and prestigious ruler of the world. With his human tragedy he set the pace for his son to become the most beloved king of his time and lead the Byzantine Empire to a new Golden Age.
