Battle of Nineveh (627)

Battle of Nineveh
	Part of the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628
	; Anachronistic depiction of the Battle of Nineveh in a late 15th century illuminated French manuscript (by Robinet Testard)
Date	December 12, 627 CE
Location	Near Nineveh36°21′34″N 43°09′10″E
Result	Byzantine victory
Belligerents
Byzantine Empire	Sasanian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Heraclius	Rahzadh †; Vahram-Arshusha V (POW)
Strength
25,000-50,000 Byzantines; 40,000 Göktürks (deserted)	12,000
Casualties and losses
Unknown	6,000
	Location within West and Central Asia Battle of Nineveh (627) (Iraq)

The Battle of Nineveh (Greek: Ἡ μάχη τῆς Νινευί) was the climactic battle of the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628.

In mid-September 627, Heraclius invaded Sasanian Mesopotamia in a surprising, risky winter campaign. Khosrow II appointed Rhahzadh as the commander of an army to confront him. Heraclius' Göktürk allies quickly deserted, while Rhahzadh's reinforcements did not arrive in time. In the ensuing battle, Rhahzadh was slain and the remaining Sasanians retreated.

The Byzantine victory later resulted in civil war in Persia, and for a period of time restored the (Eastern) Roman Empire to its ancient boundaries in the Middle East. The Sasanian civil war significantly weakened the Sasanian Empire, contributing to the Muslim conquest of Persia.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.