Heraclius, the Alchemical Emperor

This is more than just a story; it is a tale of life, courage and alchemy; of change, death and above all the power of love. Love of oneself, love of people and love of a goal, a purpose. It is also a lesson in the power of belief and the power to succeed against all odds. Regarded by historians and people at the time as the Roman Emperor's most gifted and respected rulers, Heraclius took on the Persians after a monumental struggle that reflected his own internal battles. A man history has never recognised in the same way as Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar but who was equally as influential. A truly inspirational emperor, who came to the aid of a crumbling empire at a time when it desperately needed his help and courage. The story starts in 601 AD, 125 years after the deposition of the last emperor in the West, the abdication of Romulus Augustus and 261 years after Constantine I relocated the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople. From this time the Roman Empire's most important territory existed in the East survived the fall of the West to forge a distinct and new Eastern identity where Greek speaking became the norm. Citizens of this empire continued to call themselves Romaioi or Romans, although it was only later that history identified their civilisation by the name of Byzantium, after the original name of the city of Constantinople. The Roman Empire was thus split between East and West.