Constantine III (Byzantine emperor)

Constantine III. (Greek Κωνσταντίνος Γ ', actually Flavios Heraclius o Neos Konstantinos, Greek Φλάβιος Ἡράκλειος ὁ Νέος Κωνσταντίνος, Latin Flavius ​​Heraclius Novus Constantinus, May 3, 612, † 641 ) was in 641 briefly emperor of Byzantium.

Constantine III. was the eldest son of the emperor Heraclius and his first wife Eudocia, and - especially since collected 613 co-emperor - so actually the one who had the best chance to succeed of Heraclius. He had been 629/630 with Gregoria, a second cousin, married. Martina, the second wife of Heraclius, did everything that her son Heraklonas - apparently was an early -born son, also called Constantine, died young - the sole heir to the throne, and Constantine III. should be excluded from the succession; so she brought her husband to during his lifetime Heraklonas on June 4, 638 (the son was just 12 years old ) as co-emperor and to appoint his younger brothers David and Martinos to Caesars. When Heraclius then died on 11 February 641, was the widow Martina the de facto regent, without being able to prevent and Constantine III. was raised to the emperor. This appears to have been ill for some time, at least he died shortly thereafter ( end of April or end of May, 641 ). Popularly the suspicion arose that Martina had helped along in this death.

Before his death, Constantine III had. nor his 11- year-old son Heraclius also elevated to the rank of Caesar and succeeded to the inheritance. Apparently, even the regent Martina suspicious of Constantine III had. instructed the army to protect his son. On September 14, 641 penetrated the people that wanted to end the reign of the Empress Dowager finally, in the Imperial Palace, a mutilated and Martina Heraklonas ( it was his tongue cut out, his nose ) and banished to Rhodes. Heraklonas died shortly afterwards from his injuries. This enabled the young Heraclius, who had in the meantime become under pressure from the Valentino's co-emperor, as Constans II unchallenged take over the empire. The months of inner turmoil, however, the empire had weakened and certainly contributed to the fact that the advance of the Arabs was not stopped in Egypt.