Heraclius, Emperor of Byzantium

This study evaluates the life and reign of the pivotal Byzantine emperor Heraclius (AD 610-641).

This book evaluates the life and empire of the pivotal yet controversial and poorly understood Byzantine emperor Heraclius (AD 610–641), a contemporary of the Prophet Muhammad. Heraclius' reign is critical for understanding the background to fundamental changes in the Balkans and the Middle East, including the emergence of Islam, at the end of antiquity. Heraclius captured and lost important swathes of territory, including Jerusalem and Syria and Egypt. Skills in exploiting divisions within the ranks of his opponents, and encouraging the switching of sides and the breakdown of morale, provided Heraclius with his greatest triumphs, yet they proved to be of little value when he finally confronted the early Islamic conquests. The author synthesizes diverse primary sources, including those in Greek and Arabic, in the light of more recent historical scholarship. The varied Mediterranean and Middle Eastern context stretches from North Africa to Syria, Armenia and what is modern Iraq.

List of maps; List of figures; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Armenia and Africa: the formative years; 2. Internal and external challenges in the first decade of the reign; 3. Taking the offensive; 4. Peril and hope; 5. The invasion of Mesopotamia; 6. Five crucial years: a narrow window of opportunity; 7. Tested again; 8. Losing control; 9. Conclusions; Chronological table; Bibliography; Index.

This book evaluates the life and empire of the pivotal yet controversial and poorly understood Byzantine emperor Heraclius (AD 610-641), a contemporary of the Prophet Muhammad. His stormy reign is critical for understanding the background to fundamental changes in the Middle East and Balkans, including the emergence of Islam.

Walter E. Kaegi is Professor of History, The University of Chicago. He is the author of many books, including Byzantium and the Decline of Rome (1968), Byzantine Military Unrest 471–843 (1981), Army, Society and Religion in Byzantium (1982), Some Thoughts on Byzantine Military Strategy (1983), and Byzantium and the Early Islamic Conquests (1992, paperback 1995).