This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(June 2024) |
Belisarius' invasion of Mesopotamia of 541 | |||||
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Part of the Roman-Persian Wars | |||||
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Belligerents | |||||
Byzantine Empire | Sasanian Empire | ||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||
Belisarius | Khosrow I | ||||
Strength | |||||
Possibly at least 6,000 men (according to Procopius) | Possibly more men |
In 541, General Belisarius of the Byzantine Empire led a counter-offensive in Persian territory into Mesopotamia, as part of a counter-offensive against the Persian King Khosrow I's prior invasion of the Roman East in 540. [1]
Belisarius took 6,000 of his best men with hunting equipment with him. to the possibly larger Persian force, it looked like a small hunting party which would later result into baiting the Sasanian army into thinking a larger Roman army was behind the smaller Roman force.
Justinian I, also known as Justinian the Great, was the Roman emperor from 527 to 565.
The 530s decade ran from January 1, 530, to December 31, 539.
The Battle of Ad Decimum took place on September 13, 533 between the armies of the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, and the Byzantine Empire, under the command of General Belisarius. This event and events in the following year are sometimes jointly referred to as the Battle of Carthage, one of several battles to bear that name. The Byzantine victory marked the beginning of the end for the Vandals and began the reconquest of the west under the Emperor Justinian I.
The Battle of Callinicum took place on Easter Saturday, 19 April 531 AD, between an army of the Byzantine Empire under Belisarius and a Sasanian cavalry force commanded by Azarethes. After being defeated at the Battle of Dara, the Sasanians moved to invade Roman Syria in an attempt to turn the tide of the war. Belisarius' rapid response foiled the plan, and his troops pushed the Persians to the Syrian border through maneuvering before forcing a battle in which the Sasanians won a Pyrrhic victory.
The Battle of Dara was fought between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Sasanians in 530 AD. It was one of the battles of the Iberian War.
The Belisarius Series is a fictional saga in the alternate history and military history subgenres of science fiction, written by American authors David Drake and Eric Flint. Its protagonist is a real historical figure, the late Roman general Flavius Belisarius.
The Gothic War between the Byzantine Empire during the reign of Emperor Justinian I and the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy took place from 535 to 554 in the Italian Peninsula, Dalmatia, Sardinia, Sicily, and Corsica. It was one of the last of the many Gothic Wars against the Roman Empire. The war had its roots in the ambition of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I to recover the provinces of the former Western Roman Empire, which the Romans had lost to invading barbarian tribes in the previous century, during the Migration Period.
The Roman–Persian Wars, also known as the Roman–Iranian Wars, were a series of conflicts between states of the Greco-Roman world and two successive Iranian empires: the Parthian and the Sasanian. Battles between the Parthian Empire and the Roman Republic began in 54 BC; wars began under the late Republic, and continued through the Roman and Sasanian Empires. A plethora of vassal kingdoms and allied nomadic nations in the form of buffer states and proxies also played a role. The wars were ended by the early Muslim conquests, which led to the fall of the Sasanian Empire and huge territorial losses for the Byzantine Empire, shortly after the end of the last war between them.
The Iberian War was fought from 526 to 532 between the Byzantine Empire and the Sasanian Empire over the eastern Georgian kingdom of Iberia—a Sasanian client state that defected to the Byzantines. Conflict erupted among tensions over tribute and the spice trade.
The Vandalic War (533–534) was a conflict fought in North Africa between the forces of the Byzantine Empire and the Germanic Vandal Kingdom. It was the first war of Emperor Justinian I's Renovatio imperii Romanorum, wherein the Byzantines attempted to reassert Roman sovereignty over territory formerly controlled by the Western Roman Empire.
The First Siege of Rome during the Gothic War lasted for a year and nine days, from 2 March 537 to 12 March 538. The city was besieged by the Ostrogothic army under their king Vitiges; the defending East Romans were commanded by Belisarius, one of the most famous and successful Roman generals. The siege was the first major encounter between the forces of the two opponents, and played a decisive role in the subsequent development of the war.
Belisarius was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Justinian I. Belisarius was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean territory belonging to the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century prior. He is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history and the greatest of all Byzantine generals.
The Byzantine Empire underwent a golden age under the Justinian dynasty, beginning in 518 AD with the accession of Justin I. Under the Justinian dynasty, particularly the reign of Justinian I, the empire reached its greatest territorial extent since the fall of its Western counterpart, reincorporating North Africa, southern Illyria, southern Spain, and Italy into the empire. The Justinian dynasty ended in 602 with the deposition of Maurice and the ascension of his successor, Phocas.
Bouzes or Buzes was an Eastern Roman general active in the reign of Justinian I in the wars against the Sassanid Persians.
Bessas was an Eastern Roman general of Gothic origin from Thrace, primarily known for his career in the wars of Justinian I. He distinguished himself against the Sassanid Persians in the Iberian War and under the command of Belisarius in the Gothic War, but after Belisarius' departure from Italy he failed to confront the resurgent Goths and was largely responsible for the loss of Rome in 546. Returning east in disgrace, despite his advanced age he was appointed as commander in the Lazic War. There he redeemed himself with the recapture of Petra, but his subsequent idleness led Justinian to dismiss him and exile him to Abasgia.
The Battle of Thannuris (Tannuris) (or Battle of Mindouos) was fought between the forces of the Eastern Roman Empire under Belisarius and the Persian Sasanian Empire under Xerxes in summer 528, near Dara in northern Mesopotamia.
The Battle of Anglon took place in 543 AD, during the Byzantine invasion of Sasanian-ruled Armenia ("Persarmenia").
Constantinianus was an Eastern Roman military commander during the reign of Justinian the Great who took part in the Justinian’s Gothic War. After the death of Mundus he was sent into Dalmatia to defend Salona. While he was still gathering his troops a Gothic force under Gripas captured Salona. Hearing of the approach of a large Byzantine force Gripas retreated when Constantinianus moved against him. Constantinianus immediately began rebuilding the crumbling fortifications. After this Constantinianus quickly gained control of Dalmatia and Liburnia. Constantinianus’ strong position in the Balkans In combination with the Frankish threat caused the Gothic king Witigis to send only a small force to defend Rome from Belisarius but instead position himself as such that he could move to counter threats from all directions. As the city of Rome surrendered to Belisarius without a fight, its garrison abandoning it, Witigis’ strategy failed. Later Constantinianus defeated a gothic force under Uligisalus, who was sent to attack him, at the Battle of Scardon. The Goths retreats to the city of Burnus. After Asinarius arrived with Suevic reinforcements Constantinianus noticed he couldn’t defeat the combined army and retreated. He ordered an extra ditch to be dug around Salona and prepared for a siege. The Gothic army under Uligisalus and Asinarius built a ditch and a stockade around the city to blockade it by land while the Gothic fleet moved to close the blockade by sea. In a sally the Gothic fleet was defeated allowing the Romans freedom of movement by sea but the siege continued on land.
The Battle of Nisibis was fought between Byzantine forces under Belisarius and Peter and the Sassanian garrison of the frontier fortress of Nisibis that was under Nabedes. It took place while the Sassanian king Khosrow I was invading the Roman base in Lazica. It was part of a Byzantine offensive led by Belisarius into Persian land. Upon arriving in the area, Belisarius stationed his troops a significant distance away from the fortified city. He hoped to drag the Sasanian garrison into a battle far from the city walls, and after defeating them, capture the undefended city, which seemed impregnable otherwise. The Byzantine commander Peter stationed his forces, together with those of John Troglita who was associated with him, closer to the city. Belisarius warned Peter that since the Byzantines did not normally eat until midday the garrison would sally out then so the Byzantines would have to fight while hungry. Peter ignored this and at midday, his man dispersed to eat. When the Sassanians sallied out his disorganized unit was routed losing 50 men and Peter's standard. He immediately called on Belisarius for help. When the message reached Belisarius he had already seen the dust clouds produced by the Sassanian sally and was well on his way. Despite the garrison being overwhelmed by the larger Byzantine army, they suffered only 150 casualties as they quickly retreated to the city, exactly what Belisarius had sought to avoid.
Simmas was a Hunnic general in the service of the Byzantine Empire, serving as dux. Active in the early 6th century, he fought at the Battle of Dara, commanding six hundred horseman along with fellow Hun commander Ascan, and played a fundamental role in the Byzantine victory.