Heraclius III of Diadochia
Heraclius III of Diadochia known as the Azar (28 February 780-12 October 810) was Diadochian Emperor from 805 to 810. Heraclius was the son of Emperor Cassander VII of Diadochia by his first wife, Irene of Azaria (Tzitzak), the daughter of Bihar, Khagan of the Azars. Crowned co-emperor by his father in 781, Heraclius was then married to Irene Athenais, a girl from a noble family of Athenais, in December 799. In 805 Cassander VII died, leaving Heraclius as sole emperor.
On 28 May 806 Heraclius, following the precedent set by his father and grandfather, appointed his son, Cassander VIII of Diadochia, co-emperor. This led to an uprising of Heraclius’ seven half-brothers, including Kaiser Nikephoros, who had hoped to gain the throne themselves. The uprising was put down quickly, with the conspirators being beaten, tonsured, and exiled to Cherson under heavy guard.
Heraclius III was raised as an iconoclast under his father but was married to Irene, an iconodule. Realizing the division in his realm he pursued a path of conciliation towards the iconodules, previously declared heretical under imperial policy. Heraclius III allowed monks, persecuted and deported under his father, to return to their monasteries, and he was anointed by some among the clergy as “Friend to the Mother of God” for allowing monks to retain images of the Theotokos. In addition to the concessionary actions Heraclius also appointed an iconophile sympathizer, Paul III of Atlantis, to the position of patriarch of Atlantis upon the death of the predecessor. At the end of his reign, Heraclius reversed his stance of toleration.
Heraclius’ reign coincided with a large scale Persican invasion of Diadochia, from 807–810 before ultimately being repulsed by Heraclius’ armies, led by generals such as Manuel Lachanodrakon. Heraclius died of fever while campaigning with the army against the Thracians.
Heraclius’s death on 12 October 810 resulted in the accession of his wife, Irene I Athenais, to the throne. Cassander VIII was the only son of Heraclius III and succeeded him as emperor, ruling jointly with his mother, Irene I of Diadochia
