| Sasanian invasion of Armenia | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Byzantine-Sasanian War of 602-628 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Sassanid Empire | Byzantine Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Dzuan Veh † Datyean Ashtat Yestayar | Germanus (DOW) | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| unknown | heavy | ||||||||
| Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628 | |
|---|---|
The Sasanian invasion of Armenia was a military campaign that took place in 603 to 610. As a result of a long struggle, the Persians finally defeated the Romans and captured Armenia.
Background
As a result of the previous war (572-591), the Sassanids lost most of the lands in the Caucasus, and rolled back to the east. However, Byzantine enterprises emptied the treasury, and besides, a crisis began in the country due to the murder of Maurice and usurpation of power by the Phocas. Armenia was supposed to become the main theater of military operations at the beginning of the war, since it had a complex geography and a strong system of forts, besides, the Persians needed to return the territory that had previously been taken away by Byzantium.
Invasion
In 603, the Sassanids invaded with large forces on the territory of Byzantium, the first point was the city of Dara, which fell in 604. The Iranian commander Dzuan Veh wanted to continue his success, but was defeated in a battle with the Romans near Yerevan. At the same time, the Roman commander Germanus also died as a result of an unfortunate skirmish near the city of Constantine. Already in 605, the Persians were able to inflict another decisive defeat on the Greeks by massacring the captured camp. Over the next few years, neither side could gain a foothold in the territory, until finally, the Persians inflicted two defeats on the Romans at Theodopolis, and after a while they forced the city to surrender. By 610, all of Armenia had been conquered by the Sassanids. Their success was accompanied by the fact that the best Roman commander Narses rebelled against Phocas and supported the Iranians.
Aftermath
All attempts to stop the Persians were in vain, they took a break only when they reached a certain peak of possible conquests, located near Chalcedon, which was located a few miles from Constantinople. In the future, Byzantium will try to go on the offensive, but it will suffer a serious defeat in Battle of Antioch (613) and begin to lose territories again. Until by the 620s, he will not recover and will not be able to inflict a number of severe defeats on the Persians.
Reference
- Norwich 2023, p. 185.
- Decker 2022, p. 210.
- ^ Greatrex 1991, p. 186.
- Decker 2022, p. 225.
- Dmitriev 2008, p. 125.
- ^ Norwich 2023, p. 186.
Bibliography
- Greatrex, Geoffrey (1991). The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian wars.Part II.363-630AD. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-14687-9.
- Decker, Michael J. (2022). The Sasanian empire at War.Persia,Rome and the rise od Islam. Westholme Publishing,LLC. ISBN 978-1-59416-692-1.
- Norwich, John (2023). The History of the Byzantine Empire: From the foundation of Constantinople to the collapse of the state. Moscow: КоЛибри. ISBN 978-5-389-19591-2.
- Dmitriev, Vladimir (2008). Борьба Византийской империи и Сасанидского Ирана за господство в передней Азии [The struggle of the Byzantine Empire and Sasanian Iran for supremacy in the Near East] (in Russian). Pskov. ISBN 978-5-87854-429-0.
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Notes
- See Sasanian conquest of Jerusalem and Sasanian conquest of Egypt
- See Heraclius' campaign of 622, Heraclius Caucasus campaign and Battle of Nineveh (627)