GREEK CRUSADERS: Heraclius

Heraclius was the Emperor of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire from 610 to 641 He was responsible for introducing Greek as the Eastern Roman Empire’s official language. His rise to power began in 608, The year Heraclius came to power, the empire was threatened on multiple frontiers. He immediately took charge of the Byzantine–Sasanian War from 602 to 628. The first battles of the campaign ended in defeat for the Byzantines. The Persian army fought their way to the Bosphorus, but Constantinople was protected by impenetrable walls and a strong navy, and Heraclius was able to avoid total defeat. At 610 Persians had conquered Mesopotamia and the Caucasus, and in 611 they overran Syria and entered Anatolia. A major counter-attack led by Heraclius two years later was decisively defeated outside Antioch. At 621 Palistine and Egypt were in their hands. The same time Avars and Slavs took advantage of the situation to overrun the Balkans. In 613, the Persian army took Damascus with the help