During the first half of the seventh century, the Byzantine state was affected by various disasters which were the result of political missteps, natural catastrophes, famines and plagues as well as military defeats. Lost battles against the Persians in particular were perceived as devastating events for the state’s stability. Within the context of consciously-pursued strategies of resilience, the emperor Heraclius deployed a number of measures—economic, political, military and ideological—to overcome such challenges. Heraclius’ success led to public notions of imperial renewal under a God-chosen emperor and resulted in attempts to reorganize the Byzantine Empire according to its former (presumably) lost glory.   

This paper attempts to illustrate the state’s reactions to challenges it faced in the early seventh century with a goal of understanding notions of public resilience in this crucial period. The paper will additionally highlight the fact that successful strategies of resilience resulted in new vulnerabilities for Byzantium, vulnerabilities which were revealed by Muslim attacks after 630. The presentation will thus explore the relationship between resilience and (new) fragilities as depicted in the history of Byzantium under Heraclius. 

Nikolas Hächler is a visiting researcher at the Department of History at Princeton University, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). He has previously published on the composition, function and importance of the senatorial order during the 3^rd century CE (Kontinuität und Wandel des Senatorenstandes im Zeitalter der Soldatenkaiser, Brill: Leiden, Boston 2019).

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