When Heraclius died in 641AD the Roman world was in chaos for a second time.

When Heraclius died in 641AD the Roman world was in chaos for a second time. He had stopped the Persians but the Arabs were seizing provinces. One can choose to focus on the positive or negative outcomes. But, to fairly evaluate him one must acknowledge the challenges he faced:

“Heraclius faced 13 major crises during the course of his life:”

(1) “Seizure of power from the unpopular Emperor Phokas in 610, and consolidation and legitimization of his own authority after seizing power.”

(2) “Death of his first wife in 612”

(3) “Failure of initial efforts in 610-612 to end war with the Persians, who had taken advantage of Phokas’ illegitimacy to invade and overrun territory.”

(4) “Persian capture of Jerusalem in 614, massacre of its inhabitants, removal of fragments of the Cross to Persia, which embarrassed the government and the Church, and Persians overrunning Egypt in 619, with resulting loss of huge tax revenues and food supplies.”

(5) “Fiscal Crisis, which peaked between 619 and 622” 

(6) “Balkans overrun by Avars and Slavs”

(7) “Zenith of military threats in August 626, in the form of a Perso-Avar joint blockade, siege, and short assault on the empire’s capital, Constantinople.”

(8) “Heraclius’ risk of everything while rushing off to invade Persian territory in 622, 624-628.” 

(9) “Theological divisions within the church over the nature of Christ, and proclamation of the doctrine of one will (monotheletism)”

(10) “The Muslim conquest of the Holy Land, Jerusalem, Syria, Mesopotamia between 633 and 639, beginnings of the Muslim invasion of Egypt in 639-641, again embarrassing his government and creating enormous challenges and loss of prestige, wealth, resources”

(11) “Efforts to cope with financial crisis”

(12) “His controversial second marriage to Martina and related succession crisis, with strife between his children by his first marriage and those from his second marriage.”

(13) “His health, terminating with his death in January or February 641”

“The life and reign of Heraclius raises issues concerning just how much one can expect an individual, even of exceptional talents and effort, to accomplish in the face of adverse circumstances and trends. Heraclius managed to do a lot, yet he could not prevent his Late Roman world from imploding.” 

I think Heraclius did well to save the Roman state once against the Persians, and the second threat just came too soon and too unexpectedly. He started off from day one in the middle of a crisis made by Phokas. I believe he should be looked at more as a savior of the Romans than a cause of their decline. After all, the Persians fell entirely to the Arabs - so one could say he saved the Roman Empire at least one and a half times!

Source - Heraclius: Emperor of Byzantium by Walter Kaegi

Top photo credit to vasilia_romaion on instagram for his AI creation.