Eleutherius (died 620) was
Exarch of Ravenna (615-619). A eunuch, he succeeded
John I Lemigius as exarch.
Early in his reign, nearly the entire exarchate was unstable. In
Ravenna, there was obvious discontent with the
Byzantines; in
Naples, a certain John of
Compsa, separated the city from the exarch's control. Eleutherius arrived in Ravenna and immediately put to death "all who had been implicated in the death of Exarch John and the judges of the State." Then, after making a courtesy visit to
Pope Deusdedit, Eleutherius marched on Naples, and captured that city, killing the rebel John and his supporters. However, soon after the
Lombards threatened war. Eleutherius was able to sue for peace, promising a yearly tribute.
Finding the situation in
Italy to be unsatisfactory and taking advantage of the
Byzantine Emperor Heraclius' preoccupation with the
Sassanids, Eleutherius proclaimed himself emperor in 619, with the intent of setting up his capital in
Rome. On the way to the next year, while still deciding how to convince
Pope Boniface V to grant him a crown, he was murdered by his soldiers at the fortress of
Luceoli, and his head was sent to Heraclius.