Heraclius
Heraclius was the Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641 and one of the most extraordinary figures in late antique history - a ruler who rescued the empire from near-total destruction by the Persians, achieved one of the most dramatic military reversals in ancient warfare, and then watched helplessly as Arab armies carrying the message of Islam conquered the very provinces he had so heroically recovered. The campaigns of 627-628 were a military masterpiece. Heraclius struck deep into the Persian heartland, winning the Battle of Nineveh in December 627. A palace coup overthrew and killed Khusrow II in 628, and the new Persian government returned all conquered territories including the True Cross. Heraclius entered Jerusalem in triumph in 629. But from 634 the Arab armies began their unstoppable advance. By Heraclius's death in 641, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt were largely lost and would never return. He died of dropsy in February 641, embittered and exhausted.
- Lived: 575 CE – 641 CE
- Nationality: byzantine
- Roles: emperor, head_of_state, military_leader
