Lazic War
Encyclopedia
The Lazic War or Colchic War, also known as the Great War of Egrisi (Georgian
: ეგრისის დიდი ომი, Egrisis Didi Omi) in Georgian historiography, was fought between the Byzantine Empire
and Sassanid Persia
for control of the region of Lazica, in what is now western Georgia
. The Lazic War lasted for twenty years, from 541 to 562, with varying success and ended in a relative victory for the Byzantines, who kept their control of the country. The Lazic War is narrated in detail in the works of Procopius of Caesarea and Agathias
.
Lazica, situated at the Black Sea
and controlling important mountain passes to the Caucasus
, had a key strategic importance for both empires. For Byzantines, it was a barrier against a Persian advance through Iberia
to the coasts of the Black Sea.
The Persian Sassanids recognized Lazica (Egrisi) as the Byzantine
sphere of influence by the "Eternal Peace
" Treaty of 532. However, Byzantine encroachment and efforts to establish its own administration resulted in a Lazic uprising in 541. In the same year, responding to the Lazic
king Gubazes
’ appeal for help, the Persian king Chosroes I entered Lazica and captured the Byzantine main stronghold Petra on the Black Sea
establishing a protectorate over the country. However, the Shah’s attempt to establish a direct Persian control over the country and the missionary zeal of the Zoroastrian priests soon caused discontent in Christian
Lazica and King Gubazes revolted in 548, this time against the Persians. Gubazes II requested aid from Emperor Justinian I
and brought Alans
and Sabirs to an alliance. Justinian sent 7,000 Roman and 1,000 Tzani (relatives of the Laz
) auxiliaries under Dagisthaeus to assist Gubazes, and invested the Petra fortress. Persian reinforcements under Mermeroes defeated a small Byzantine force guarding the mountain passes and relieved the besieged Petra. Mermeroes garrisoned 3,000 men in the fortress and marched to Armenia
leaving 5,000 soldiers to plunder Lazica. This force was destroyed by Dagisthaeus at the Phasis river
in 549. The next Persian offensive also proved to be unsuccessful with the commander Chorianes killed in a decisive battle at the river Hippis (now the Tskhenistskali). The new Byzantine commander Bessas quelled a pro-Persian revolt of the Abasgi tribe, took Petra and defeated Mermeroes at Archaeopolis in 551
. However, the latter managed to capture the town Kutatisi
and the Uchimerion fortress blocking the important roads to the mountains. In the summer of 555
, he won an impressive victory at Telephis and forced the Byzantine-Lazic forces to retreat to Nesos.
After the death of Mermeroes, Nachoragan was appointed the Persian commander-in-chief in 555. He repulsed the Byzantine attack on the Persian positions at Onoguris and forced the enemy out of Archaeopolis, a city which Mermeroes had twice tried and failed to take. These defeats caused a bitter feud between the Lazic and Byzantine generals. King Gubazes quarreled with Byzantine commanders Bessas, Martin, and Rusticus, complaining to emperor Justinian. Bessas was recalled, but Rusticus and his brother John eventually murdered Gubazes. The Lazi
people got the Emperor to nominate Tzathes
, the younger brother of Gubazes, as their new king, and Senator Athanasius investigated the assassination. Rusticus and John were arrested, tried, and executed. In 556, the allies retook Archaeopolis and routed the Persian general Nachoragan in his abortive attack on Phasis
. In the autumn and winter of the same year, the Byzantines suppressed a rebellion staged by the mountain tribe of the Misimians, and finally expelled the Persians from the country.
The 557 a truce ended the hostilities between the Byzantines and Persians, and by the Fifty Years Peace of 562, Chosroes I recognized Lazica as a Byzantine vassal state for an annual payment of gold.
Georgian language
Georgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 4 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...
: ეგრისის დიდი ომი, Egrisis Didi Omi) in Georgian historiography, was fought between the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
and Sassanid Persia
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
for control of the region of Lazica, in what is now western Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. The Lazic War lasted for twenty years, from 541 to 562, with varying success and ended in a relative victory for the Byzantines, who kept their control of the country. The Lazic War is narrated in detail in the works of Procopius of Caesarea and Agathias
Agathias
Agathias or Agathias Scholasticus , of Myrina , an Aeolian city in western Asia Minor , was a Greek poet and the principal historian of part of the reign of the Roman emperor Justinian I between 552 and 558....
.
Lazica, situated at the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
and controlling important mountain passes to the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
, had a key strategic importance for both empires. For Byzantines, it was a barrier against a Persian advance through Iberia
Caucasian Iberia
Iberia , also known as Iveria , was a name given by the ancient Greeks and Romans to the ancient Georgian kingdom of Kartli , corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia...
to the coasts of the Black Sea.
The Persian Sassanids recognized Lazica (Egrisi) as the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
sphere of influence by the "Eternal Peace
Eternal Peace (532)
The Eternal Peace , signed in 532 between the East Roman Empire and Sassanid Persia, was a peace treaty of indefinite duration, which concluded the Iberian War between the two powers...
" Treaty of 532. However, Byzantine encroachment and efforts to establish its own administration resulted in a Lazic uprising in 541. In the same year, responding to the Lazic
Laz people
The Laz are an ethnic group native to the Black Sea coastal regions of Turkey and Georgia...
king Gubazes
Gubazes II of Lazica
Gubazes II was king of Lazica from ca. 541 until his assassination in 555. He was one of the central personalities of the Lazic War, first as a Sassanid Persian vassal and after 548 as an ally of the Eastern Roman Empire....
’ appeal for help, the Persian king Chosroes I entered Lazica and captured the Byzantine main stronghold Petra on the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
establishing a protectorate over the country. However, the Shah’s attempt to establish a direct Persian control over the country and the missionary zeal of the Zoroastrian priests soon caused discontent in Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
Lazica and King Gubazes revolted in 548, this time against the Persians. Gubazes II requested aid from Emperor Justinian I
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
and brought Alans
Alans
The Alans, or the Alani, occasionally termed Alauni or Halani, were a group of Sarmatian tribes, nomadic pastoralists of the 1st millennium AD who spoke an Eastern Iranian language which derived from Scytho-Sarmatian and which in turn evolved into modern Ossetian.-Name:The various forms of Alan —...
and Sabirs to an alliance. Justinian sent 7,000 Roman and 1,000 Tzani (relatives of the Laz
Laz people
The Laz are an ethnic group native to the Black Sea coastal regions of Turkey and Georgia...
) auxiliaries under Dagisthaeus to assist Gubazes, and invested the Petra fortress. Persian reinforcements under Mermeroes defeated a small Byzantine force guarding the mountain passes and relieved the besieged Petra. Mermeroes garrisoned 3,000 men in the fortress and marched to Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
leaving 5,000 soldiers to plunder Lazica. This force was destroyed by Dagisthaeus at the Phasis river
Rioni River
The Rioni or Rion River is the main river of western Georgia. It originates in the Caucasus Mountains, in the region of Racha and flows west to the Black Sea, entering it north of the city of Poti...
in 549. The next Persian offensive also proved to be unsuccessful with the commander Chorianes killed in a decisive battle at the river Hippis (now the Tskhenistskali). The new Byzantine commander Bessas quelled a pro-Persian revolt of the Abasgi tribe, took Petra and defeated Mermeroes at Archaeopolis in 551
551
Year 551 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 551 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* Beirut is destroyed by an...
. However, the latter managed to capture the town Kutatisi
Kutaisi
Kutaisi is Georgia's second largest city and the capital of the western region of Imereti. It is 221 km to the west of Tbilisi.-Geography:...
and the Uchimerion fortress blocking the important roads to the mountains. In the summer of 555
555
Year 555 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 555 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* The Nan Liang Dynasty begins; the first ruler...
, he won an impressive victory at Telephis and forced the Byzantine-Lazic forces to retreat to Nesos.
After the death of Mermeroes, Nachoragan was appointed the Persian commander-in-chief in 555. He repulsed the Byzantine attack on the Persian positions at Onoguris and forced the enemy out of Archaeopolis, a city which Mermeroes had twice tried and failed to take. These defeats caused a bitter feud between the Lazic and Byzantine generals. King Gubazes quarreled with Byzantine commanders Bessas, Martin, and Rusticus, complaining to emperor Justinian. Bessas was recalled, but Rusticus and his brother John eventually murdered Gubazes. The Lazi
Laz people
The Laz are an ethnic group native to the Black Sea coastal regions of Turkey and Georgia...
people got the Emperor to nominate Tzathes
Tzath II of Lazica
Tzath II was King of Lazica from 556 to an unknown date. He was the younger brother of Gubazes II, who was assassinated by Byzantine generals in autumn 555. At the time, Tzath resided at the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, and the Lazi sent a delegation to the Byzantine emperor Justinian I Tzath...
, the younger brother of Gubazes, as their new king, and Senator Athanasius investigated the assassination. Rusticus and John were arrested, tried, and executed. In 556, the allies retook Archaeopolis and routed the Persian general Nachoragan in his abortive attack on Phasis
Siege of Phasis
The Siege of Phasis took place in 555–556 during the Lazic War between the Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Persia. The Persians besieged the town of Phasis in Lazica, held by the Byzantines, but failed to take it...
. In the autumn and winter of the same year, the Byzantines suppressed a rebellion staged by the mountain tribe of the Misimians, and finally expelled the Persians from the country.
The 557 a truce ended the hostilities between the Byzantines and Persians, and by the Fifty Years Peace of 562, Chosroes I recognized Lazica as a Byzantine vassal state for an annual payment of gold.