Heraclonas

Heraclius (Ancient Greek: Ἡράκλειος, romanized: Hērákleios; 626 – 642), known by the diminutive Heraclonas or Heracleonas (Greek: Ἡρακλ[ε]ωνᾶς, romanized: Hērákl[ei]onas), and sometimes enumerated as Heraclius II, was briefly Byzantine emperor in 641. Heraclonas was the son of Heraclius and his niece Martina, whose blood relation made their marriage unpopular. Upon his death in February 641 Heraclius was succeeded jointly by Constantine III, his son from a previous marriage, and by Heraclonas, with Martina receiving the title Μήτηρ καὶ Βασίλισσα or Mater et Augusta ("Mother and Empress"). Factions had already begun to form around the co-emperors when Constantine died of tuberculosis in May and Heraclonas became sole ruler, under the regency of his mother due to his young age. The ongoing Arab conquest of Egypt, Martina's support for monothelitism, and suspicions that Constantine had been poisoned combined to arouse hostility against the government. In October or November 641 the general Valentinus overthrew Heraclonas and replaced him with Constans II, the son of Constantine III. Heraclonas's nose was cut off and he was exiled to Rhodes, where he is believed to have died in the following year.