Claim: Because the Byzantine Empire under the Heraclian dynasty faced overwhelming crisis, Heraclius the Younger (son of Heraclius the Elder) attempted to seize power from Phocas and led the empire into anarchy.
Evidence: The Heraclian dynasty was named after the general Heraclius the Younger, who, in 610, sailed from Carthage, overthrew the usurper Phocas, and was crowned Emperor. At the time, the Empire was embroiled in a war with the Sassanid Persian Empire, which in the next decade conquered the Empire's eastern provinces. After a long and exhausting struggle, Heraclius managed to defeat the Persians and restore the Empire, only to lose these provinces again shortly after to the sudden eruption of the Muslim conquests.