Heraclius Constantine

Heraclius Constantine (Latin: Heraclius novus Constantinus; Greek: Ἡράκλειος νέος Κωνσταντῖνος, romanized: Hērákleios néos Kōnstantīnos; 3 May 612 – 25 May 641), often enumerated as Constantine III, was one of the shortest reigning sole Byzantine emperors, ruling for three months in 641. He was the eldest son of Emperor Heraclius and his first wife Fabia Eudokia.

Early life

Heraclius Constantine was born on 3 May 612, to the recently-crowned emperor Heraclius and his first wife Fabia Eudokia, and baptised by the patriarch of Constantinople Sergius I. Constantine's mother passed away three months later in August of epilepsy and soon after Constantine's elder sister, born the year prior, was proclaimed Augusta in October, followed by Constantine's own coronation as Augustus on 22 January 613. Subsequently, Constantine was betrothed to Gregoria, a daughter of his father's first cousin, Nicetas. 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.

Growing up in the midst of the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628, Constantine was left as the sole emperor in Constantinople under the care of Sergius and the patrician Bonus after Heraclius' departure in April 622 to confront the Persians. Simultaneous conflict with the Avars, resulted in the khagan Bayan III being named the symbolic regent (epitropos) of Constantine in 623, however peace wouldn't last and in 626 the Persians and Avars together laid siege to Constantinople, where Constantine, now 14, participated in the defence of the city. That same year, Constantine's half brother Heraclonas was born whilst his father and mother were on campaign in Lazica.