Martinus (son of Heraclius)

Last updated

Martinus
Caesar of the Byzantine Empire
Reignc. 639 – September or October 641
Predecessor Heraclonas
Successor Constans II
Co-rulers
DiedPossibly in 641
Dynasty Heraclian
Father Heraclius
Mother Martina

Martinus (Ancient Greek : Μαρτίνος, romanized: Martínos) or Marinus (Greek: Μαρίνος, romanized: Marínos; died possibly in 641) was caesar of the Byzantine Empire from c. 639 to 641. Martinus was the fifth son of Emperor Heraclius and Empress Martina, who was Heraclius' second wife and niece. Martinus was elevated to caesar, a junior imperial title that placed him on the line of succession, at some point between 638 and 640 by his father.

Contents

Heraclius died on 11 February 641, leaving the Byzantine Empire to Martinus's half-brother Constantine III and his elder full brother Heraclonas; Constantine III soon died of tuberculosis, although some of his partisans alleged that Martina poisoned him. One such partisan, Valentinus, led troops to Chalcedon, across the Bosporus strait from the imperial capital, Constantinople, to force Martina to install Constans II, the son of Constantine III, as co-emperor. Valentinus seized Constantinople and forced Martina to install Constans II in September or October 641, and deposed Martina, Heraclonas, and Martinus. Martinus was mutilated and exiled to Rhodes. He died soon after, possibly during or immediately after the mutilations.

Life

Coin of 616, depicting Martinus's father Heraclius, his half-brother Constantine III, and his mother Martina Iraklii I s synom Konstantinom III i vtoroi zhenoi Martinoi na vizantiiskoi serebrianoi monete polsilikvy.jpg
Coin of 616, depicting Martinus's father Heraclius, his half-brother Constantine III, and his mother Martina

Martinus was born to Byzantine Emperor Heraclius and Empress Martina, Heraclius's niece and second wife, at an unknown date; [1] he was likely named after his mother. [2] Prior to taking the throne in 610, Heraclius had been married to Fabia Eudokia, with whom he had had a daughter, Eudoxia Epiphania, and a son, Constantine III. After she died in 612, [3] [4] to further secure the succession, Heraclius remarried, wedding his niece Martina in either 613 or 623, with the latter date considered more likely. Although this marriage was very unpopular and offended the clergy, it was very fruitful. [4] The number and order of Heraclius's children by Martina is unsure, with sources estimating nine, [5] ten, [6] or eleven children. [7] Their first two sons were disabled and therefore unable to inherit, but Heraclonas was born healthy in 626, David Tiberius in 630, and Martinus at some later time. Constantine III was raised to co-emperor in 613 (aged 9 months), and Heraclonas in 638 (aged 12 years). [4]

Martinus received the high courtly title nobilissimus under Heraclius, while his elder brother David was made caesar (a junior imperial title which placed him on the line of succession) on 4 July 638. [1] [8] [9] According to the Byzantine historian Nicephorus Gregoras, Martinus was also made caesar on the same day, but the later historian Emperor Constantine VII mentions only Tiberius. [8] [10] A partially preserved papyrus letter known as SB VI 8986, and another papyrus document, CPR XXIII 35, shows that Martinus was definitely promoted to caesar at some point between 639 and 640, although the exact dating is debated: the German papyrologist who restored SB VI 8986, Fritz Mitthof  [ de ], and the Byzantine historian Nikolaos Gonis argue for a date range between October 639 and September 640, [11] [12] whereas Byzantine scholar Constantin Zuckerman argues for a range between 4 January 639 and 8 November 639. [12]

According to the 7th-century historian John of Nikiu, Martinus and his brother David were involved in the banishment of Ecumenical Patriarch Pyrrhus of Constantinople (r. 638–641) to the Exarchate of Africa. However, the two princes were too young at the time to have taken an active role in any banishment and the account by John of Nikiu is so contradictory that no safe conclusions can be drawn from it. [8] [13]

Reign of Constantine III and Heraclonas

Map of the Byzantine Empire in 650, after the loss of Egypt and other territories to Muslim conquest Byzantiumby650AD.svg
Map of the Byzantine Empire in 650, after the loss of Egypt and other territories to Muslim conquest

When Heraclius died on 11 February 641, he declared in his will that Constantine III (aged 28) and Heraclonas (aged 15) would equally co-rule the empire, but should consider Martina as their mother, and empress. The Byzantine Senate accepted Constantine III and Heraclonas as co-emperors, but rejected Martina as regent for Heraclonas. [14] [15] [16] On 20/24 April or 26 May 641, Constantine died of an advanced case of tuberculosis. However, some of his supporters alleged that Martina had him poisoned, leaving her son Heraclonas as the sole ruler under her regency. [16] [17] [18] In August 641, Valentinus, a general who had been loyal to Constantine before his death, led his troops to Chalcedon to force Martina to elevate Constans II, the son of Constantine, to co-emperor. A mob rose up in the city, demanding that Patriarch Pyrrhus crown Constans II as emperor, [19] [20] [21] and then abdicate, to be replaced by his steward Paul II (r. 641–653). Martina, now in a truly desperate situation, offered the military further donatives (monetary gifts to the army to secure their loyalty), and attempted to negotiate with Valentinus, recalling an influential patron of his, Philagrius, from exile in Africa, and offering him the title of comes excubitorum (a very influential post that entailed command over the imperial bodyguard). [18] [19] [22]

Valentinus's revolt and Martinus's death

In late September or October, Martina elevated Constans to co-emperor, but also raised Heraclonas's brother Tiberius to co-emperor alongside them. [15] Despite these overtures, Valentinus entered Constantinople shortly thereafter, deposed Heraclonas and Martina, and then elevated Constans to sole emperor. [18] [19] Heraclonas, Martina, Tiberius, and Martinus are said by John of Nikiu to have been "escorted forth with insolence". Valentinus had Martinus's nose cut off, emasculated him, and then banished him and his family to Rhodes, where they remained until their deaths. [1] [23] [24] According to some sources, these mutilations either killed Martinus immediately or soon afterwards. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heraclius</span> Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641

Heraclius was Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the Exarch of Africa, led a revolt against the unpopular emperor Phocas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">641</span> Calendar year

Year 641 (DCXLI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 641 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heraclonas</span> Byzantine emperor in 641

Heraclius, known by the diminutive Heraclonas or Heracleonas, and sometimes called Heraclius II, was briefly Byzantine emperor in 641.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heraclius Constantine</span> Byzantine emperor in 641

Heraclius Constantine, often enumerated as Constantine III, was one of the shortest reigning Byzantine emperors, ruling for three months in 641. He was the eldest son of Emperor Heraclius and his first wife Eudokia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constans II</span> Byzantine emperor from 641 to 668

Constans II, also called "the Bearded", was the Byzantine emperor from 641 to 668. Constans was the last attested emperor to serve as consul, in 642, although the office continued to exist until the reign of Leo VI the Wise. His religious policy saw him steering a middle line in disputes between the Orthodoxy and Monothelitism by refusing to persecute either and prohibited discussion of the natures of Jesus Christ under the Type of Constans in 648. His reign coincided with Muslim invasions under, Umar, Uthman, and Mu'awiya I in the late 640s to 660s. Constans was the first emperor to visit Rome since the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, and the last one to visit Rome while the Empire still held it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constantine IV</span> Byzantine emperor from 668 to 685

Constantine IV, called the Younger and often incorrectly the Bearded out of confusion with his father, was Byzantine emperor from 668 to 685. His reign saw the first serious check to nearly 50 years of uninterrupted Islamic expansion, most notably when he successfully defended Constantinople from the Arabs, and the temporary stabilization of the Byzantine Empire after decades of war, defeats, and civil strife. His calling of the Sixth Ecumenical Council saw the end of the monothelitism controversy in the Byzantine Empire; for this, he is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, with his feast day on September 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiberius III</span> Byzantine emperor from 698 to 705

Tiberius III, born Apsimar, was Byzantine emperor from 698 to 705. Little is known about his early life, other than that he was a droungarios, a mid-level commander, who served in the Cibyrrhaeot Theme. In 696, Tiberius was part of an army sent by Byzantine Emperor Leontius to retake the North African city of Carthage, which had been captured by the Arab Umayyads. After seizing the city, this army was pushed back by Umayyad reinforcements and retreated to the island of Crete. As they feared the wrath of Leontius, some officers killed their commander, John the Patrician, and declared Tiberius the emperor. Tiberius swiftly gathered a fleet and sailed for Constantinople, where he then deposed Leontius. Tiberius did not attempt to retake Byzantine Africa from the Umayyads, but campaigned against them along the eastern border with some success. In 705, former emperor Justinian II, who had been deposed by Leontius, led an army of Slavs and Bulgars from the First Bulgarian Empire to Constantinople, and after entering the city secretly, deposed Tiberius. Tiberius fled to Bithynia, but was captured a few months later and beheaded by Justinian between August 705 and February 706. His body was initially thrown into the sea, but was later recovered and buried in a church on the island of Prote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byzantine senate</span> Political institution of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire from the 4th to 14th centuries

The Byzantine senate or Eastern Roman senate was a continuation of the Roman Senate, established in the 4th century by Constantine I. It survived for centuries, but the senate's powers varied greatly during its history and gradually diminished until its eventual disappearance in the 14th century.

Pyrrhus was the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople from 20 December 638 to 29 September 641, and again from 9 January to 1 June 654.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martina (empress)</span> Augusta

Martina was an empress of the Byzantine Empire, the second wife of her uncle the emperor Heraclius, and regent in 641 with her son. She was a daughter of Maria, Heraclius' sister, and a certain Martinus. Maria and Heraclius were children of Heraclius the Elder and his wife Epiphania according to the chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor.

Cyrus of Alexandria was a prominent figure in the 7th century. He served as a Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and held the position of the second-last Byzantine prefect of Egypt. Notably, he played a significant role in the development of monothelitism. Cyrus died in Alexandria on March 21, 642.

The Excubitors were founded in c. 460 as an imperial guard-unit by the Byzantine emperor Leo I the Thracian. The 300-strong force, originally recruited from among the warlike mountain tribe of the Isaurians, replaced the older Scholae Palatinae as the main imperial bodyguards. The Excubitors remained an active military unit for the next two centuries, although, as imperial bodyguards, they did not often go on campaign. Their commander, the Count of the Excubitors, soon acquired great influence. Justin I was able to use this position to rise to the throne in 518, and thereafter the Counts of the Excubitors were among the main political power-holders of their day; two more, Tiberius II Constantine and Maurice, rose to become emperors in the late 6th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byzantine Empire under the Heraclian dynasty</span>

The Byzantine Empire was ruled by emperors of the dynasty of Heraclius between 610 and 711. The Heraclians presided over a period of cataclysmic events that were a watershed in the history of the Empire and the world. Heraclius, the founder of his dynasty, was of Armenian and Cappadocian (Greek) origin. At the beginning of the dynasty, the Empire's culture was still essentially Ancient Roman, dominating the Mediterranean and harbouring a prosperous Late Antique urban civilization. This world was shattered by successive invasions, which resulted in extensive territorial losses, financial collapse and plagues that depopulated the cities, while religious controversies and rebellions further weakened the Empire.

Fausta was the Byzantine empress as the wife of Constans II, when they married in 642.

Gregoria was the Byzantine empress as the wife of Constantine III. She participated in the minority regency government of her son, Constans II, in 641–650.

Heraclius was the Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641.

Valentinus, sometimes anglicized as Valentine, was a Byzantine usurper of probable Armenian extraction, who served under emperor Constans II from 641 until 644 or 645. He rose to prominence under Heraclius Constantine, who appointed him to secure the succession of his son Heraclius to the throne, at the cost of Heraclonas and Martina. Valentinus managed to successfully depose them, along with Heraclonas's brothers David Tiberius and Martinus; this left Constans as sole ruler. Valentinus became the boy's regent, becoming the most powerful man in the empire. Following a failed military campaign against the Arabs, ties between him and Constans became increasingly hostile, such that in 644 or 645, Valentinus attempted to become augustus (emperor) and depose Constans. This failed, and Valentinus was lynched along with his envoy Antoninus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heraclius (son of Constans II)</span> Byzantine co-emperor from 659–681

Heraclius was Byzantine co-emperor from 659 to 681. He was the son of Emperor Constans II and Fausta, who was elevated in 659, before his father departed for Italy. After the death of Constans, Heraclius' brother Constantine IV ascended the throne as senior emperor. Constantine attempted to have both Heraclius and Tiberius removed as co-emperors. However, this sparked a popular revolt in 681. Constantine ended the revolt by promising to accede to the demands of the rebels, sending them home, but bringing their leaders into Constantinople. Once there, Constantine had them executed, then imprisoned Tiberius and Heraclius and had their noses slit, after which point they disappear from history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiberius (son of Constans II)</span> Byzantine co-emperor from 659–681

Tiberius was Byzantine co-emperor from 659 to 681. He was the son of Constans II and Fausta, who was elevated in 659, before his father departed for Italy. After the death of Constans, Tiberius' brother Constantine IV, ascended the throne as senior emperor. Constantine attempted to have both Tiberius and Heraclius removed as co-emperors, which sparked a popular revolt, in 681. Constantine ended the revolt by promising to accede to the demands of the rebels, sending them home, but bringing their leaders into Constantinople. Once there, Constantine had them executed, then imprisoned Tiberius and Heraclius and had them mutilated, after which point they disappear from history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David (son of Heraclius)</span> Byzantine co-emperor in 641 CE

David was one of three co-emperors of Byzantium for a few months in late 641, and had the regnal name Tiberius. David was the son of Emperor Heraclius and his wife and niece Empress Martina. He was born after the emperor and empress had visited Jerusalem and his given name reflects a deliberate attempt to link the imperial family with the Biblical David. The David Plates, which depict the life of King David, may likewise have been created for the young prince or to commemorate his birth. David was given the senior court title caesar in 638, in a ceremony during which he received the kamelaukion cap previously worn by his older brother Heraclonas.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 PmbZ, Martinos (#4774 /corr.).
  2. ↑ Humphreys 2019, p. 35.
  3. ↑ DIR Fabia.
  4. 1 2 3 Humphreys 2019, pp. 32–33.
  5. ↑ Alexander 1977, p. 230.
  6. ↑ Spatharakis 1976, p. 19.
  7. ↑ Grumel 1958, p. 362.
  8. 1 2 3 Gonis 2008, p. 199.
  9. ↑ Kaegi 2003, p. 266.
  10. ↑ Garland 2002, p. 256.
  11. ↑ Gonis 2008, pp. 199–202.
  12. 1 2 Zuckerman 2010, p. 875.
  13. ↑ PmbZ, David (#1241 /corr.).
  14. ↑ Treadgold 1997, pp. 307–310.
  15. 1 2 PmbZ, Heraklonas (#2565/corr.).
  16. 1 2 DIR Heraklonas.
  17. ↑ Treadgold 1997, pp. 308–309.
  18. 1 2 3 Bellinger & Grierson 1992, p. 390.
  19. 1 2 3 Treadgold 1997, p. 309.
  20. ↑ Stratos 1968, p. 88.
  21. ↑ Stratos 1968, p. 179.
  22. ↑ Garland 2002, p. 68.
  23. ↑ DIR Martina.
  24. ↑ Garland 2002, p. 70.
  25. ↑ Krsmanović 2017, p. 46.

Bibliography

  • Alexander, Suzanne Spain (1977). "Heraclius, Byzantine Imperial Ideology, and the David Plates". Speculum . 52 (2). Chicago: 217–237. doi:10.2307/2850511. JSTOR   2850511. S2CID   161886591.
  • Bellinger, Alfred Raymond; Grierson, Philip, eds. (1992). Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection: Phocas to Theodosius III, 602–717. Part 1. Phocas and Heraclius (602–641). Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks. ISBN   978-0-88402-024-0.
  • Garland, Lynda (2000a). "Martina (Second Wife of Heraclius)". De Imperatoribus Romanis . Archived from the original on 12 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  • Garland, Lynda (2000b). "Fabia (First Wife of Heraclius)". De Imperatoribus Romanis . Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  • Garland, Lynda (2002). Byzantine Empresses: Women and Power in Byzantium AD 527–1204. London: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780203024812. ISBN   978-1-134-75639-1.
  • Gonis, Nikolaos (2008). "SB VI 8986 and Heraclius' Sons". Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik . 166: 199–202. JSTOR   20476531.
  • Grumel, Venance (1958). Traité d'études byzantines. Tome 1, La chronologie [Treatise on Byzantine Studies. Volume 1, The chronology] (in French). Vol. 1. Paris: Presses universitaires de France. OCLC   4260118.
  • Humphreys, Mike (2019). "The shifting importance of dynasty in Heraclian ideology". In Tougher, Shaun (ed.). The Emperor in the Byzantine World : Papers from the Forty-Seventh Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies. London: Routledge. pp. 28–51. doi:10.4324/9780429060984-3. ISBN   978-0-429-59046-7. S2CID   159258626.
  • Kaegi, Walter E. (2003). Heraclius, Emperor of Byzantium. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-81459-1.
  • Krsmanović, Bojana (2017). "Castration as a Consequence of the Strengthening of the Dynastic Principle". Зборник радова Византолошког института (54): 41–64. doi: 10.2298/ZRVI1754041K . hdl: 21.15107/rcub_dais_7138 . ISSN   0584-9888.
  • Lilie, Ralph-Johannes; Ludwig, Claudia; Pratsch, Thomas; Zielke, Beate (2013). Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit Online. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Nach Vorarbeiten F. Winkelmanns erstellt (in German). Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter.
  • Moore, R. Scott (1996). "Heraklonas (April/May – September 641 A.D.)". De Imperatoribus Romanis . Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  • Spatharakis, Iohannis (1976). The Portrait in Byzantine Illuminated Manuscripts. Leiden: Brill Archive. ISBN   978-90-04-04783-9.
  • Stratos, A. N. (1968). Byzantium in the Seventh Century. Amsterdam: Hakkert. OCLC   271030914.
  • Treadgold, Warren (1997). A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford: Stanford University Press. doi:10.1515/9780804779371. ISBN   978-0-8047-2630-6.
  • Zuckerman, Constantin (2010). On the Title and Office of the Byzantine Basileus. Paris: Association des Amis du Centre D'Histoire et Civilisation de Byzance. ISBN   978-2-916716-28-2.

Primary sources

Regnal titles
Preceded by Caesar of the Byzantine Empire
c. 639 – September or October 641
with David Tiberias (4 July 638 – November 641)		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.