On This Day In Roman History, January 22
Constantine III is crowned co-emperor by his father, Flavius Heraclius Augustus, at the age of eight-months-old on January 22, 613 CE. His birth name was Heraclius Novus Constantinus, and he ruled under this same name but with the additional Augustus. It was only in later Byzantine texts his name was shortened to the Constantine III. Constantine was married in 629 or 630, having three children. Their youngest, a daughter named Manyanh, would later marry the last Sassanid King of Persia who was known as Yazdgerd III.
Did you know?
While co-reigning with his half-brother, Heraklonas, he began to fall ill probably due to tuberculosis. In order to protect the rights of his children, he wrote to the army informing them of his situation. He sent along over two million solidi, or large gold coins, in order to secure his son's succession after Constantine's death, which would later occur in May of 641.
Pictured: Cherub depicted as Seraphim and Heraclius receiving the submission of Khosrau II; plaque from a cross. Champlevé enamel over gilt copper, 1160-1170, Meuse Valley, via Wikimedia Commons.
Constantine's father was responsible for a series of peace treaties with Sassanid Persia, and aimed to reduce some of the strain between these two empires. I find Gibbons description of Constantine's father, Heraclius, memorable: "Of the characters conspicuous in history, that of Heraclius is one of the most extraordinary and inconsistent. In the first and last years of a long reign, the emperor appears to be the slave of sloth, of pleasure, or of superstition, the careless and impotent spectator of the public calamities. But the languid mists of the morning and evening are separated by the brightness of the meridian sun; the Arcadius of the palace arose the Caesar of the camp; and the honor of Rome and Heraclius was gloriously retrieved by the exploits and trophies of six adventurous campaigns. [...] Since the days of Scipio and Hannibal, no bolder enterprise has been attempted than that which Heraclius achieved for the deliverance of the empire."
Opinion
My opinion today is how crummy it probably would have been to be Manyanh in this story. Moving to Persia after essentially being sold off for political purposes, she was forced to marry Yazdgerd III. She most certainly did not know the language and probably had to muddle her way through a Greek/ Persian translator while there, if she was even afforded that luxury. The worst part was that she wouldn't have even been able to live out her life as a king's wife! Yazdgerd lost a series of battles against the Arabs and spent the end of his life fleeing, only to meet a brutal end. A contemporary recounts his death:
"Mahui sends the miller to cut off his head on pain of losing his own, and having none of his race left alive. His chiefs hear this and cry out against him, and a Mobed of the name of Radui tells him that to kill a king or prophet will bring evil upon him and his son, and is supported in what he says by a holy man of the name of Hormuzd Kharad Shehran, and Mehronush.
The miller most unwillingly goes in and stabs him with a dagger in the middle. Mahui's horsmen all go and see him and take off his clothing and ornaments, leaving him on the ground. All the nobles curse Mahui and wish him the same fate."
Yikes.
Sources
Gibbon, E., Lentin, A., & Norman, B. (1998). The decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Wordsworth Classics.
Kaegi, W. E. (2003). Heraclius, emperor of Byzantium. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
F., & Rogers, A. (1973). The Shah-namah of Fardusi. Delhi: Heritage .
Further Reading:
Special Thanks: Michael Houghan
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