The Byzantine-Sasanian War of 602 to 628 was the last and most destructive of the long series of wars between the Eastern Roman Empire and Persia. It began when the emperor Maurice was overthrown and killed by the usurper Phocas, giving the Sasanian king Khosrow II, who had been helped by Maurice, a pretext for war. The Persians conquered Syria, took Jerusalem in 614, carrying off the relic of the True Cross, and occupied Egypt. The emperor Heraclius then launched a daring counter-offensive, defeating the Persians in northern Mesopotamia in 627, after the failed siege of Constantinople the year before. Khosrow was deposed and killed, and peace was made. Both empires were exhausted, which left them vulnerable to the Arab conquests.
Before and after
- from 600 CE to 900 CEWari
- 6th centuryOrigins of Danevirke
- from 7th century to 13th centuryVolga Bulgaria
- 7th centuryOrigins of chess
- from 602 CE to 628 CEByzantine–Sassanid War of 602–628
- 603 CEBirth of Mu'awiya I
- 27 July 604 CEBirth of Fatima
- 607 CEConstruction of Hōryū-ji Temple
- 609 CEThe Grand Canal of China is completed
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 722 CE to 1492Reconquista
- 9th centuryHanbalism
- from 1096 to 1099First Crusade
- from 1202 to 1204Fourth Crusade
- from 6 April 1453 to 29 May 1453Fall of Constantinople
- from 22 May 1455 to 16 June 1487Wars of the Roses
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 7th century.