The
Siege of Jerusalem in 614 AD was part of the final phase of the
Roman-Persian WarsThe Roman–Persian Wars were a series of conflicts between the Greco-Roman world and two successive Iranian empires. Contact between Parthia and the Roman Republic began in 92 BC; wars began under the late Republic, and continued through the Roman and Sassanid empires...
, as the Persian shah
Khosrau II250px|thumb|Khosrau II was the twenty-second Sassanid King of Persia, reigning from 590 to 628...
and his general Shahrbaraz conquered the Byzantine
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. Following the Persian advances into Syria in the previous year, Shahrbaraz's next target was
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
, the capital of Palestine and the Christian Empire's most holy city. Providing direct access to the
Mediterranean SeaThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is technically a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it...
, the city would also provide a strategic location for the Persian Empire to begin constructing a naval fleet, thereby threatening Byzantine hegemony in the Mediterranean.
The
Siege of Jerusalem in 614 AD was part of the final phase of the
Roman-Persian WarsThe Roman–Persian Wars were a series of conflicts between the Greco-Roman world and two successive Iranian empires. Contact between Parthia and the Roman Republic began in 92 BC; wars began under the late Republic, and continued through the Roman and Sassanid empires...
, as the Persian shah
Khosrau II250px|thumb|Khosrau II was the twenty-second Sassanid King of Persia, reigning from 590 to 628...
and his general Shahrbaraz conquered the Byzantine
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. Following the Persian advances into Syria in the previous year, Shahrbaraz's next target was
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
, the capital of Palestine and the Christian Empire's most holy city. Providing direct access to the
Mediterranean SeaThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is technically a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it...
, the city would also provide a strategic location for the Persian Empire to begin constructing a naval fleet, thereby threatening Byzantine hegemony in the Mediterranean. After 21 days of relentless siege warfare, Jerusalem's walls yielded and the conclusive Persian victory resulted in the territorial annexation of Jerusalem, and all of Palestine.
The Siege
Customary to military tradition, when the Persian force arrived outside Jerusalem, Shahrbaraz offered a peaceful transition of power should the city surrender without resistance. The Sassanid general's offer was however rebuffed, and he consequently prepared his troops for a blockade. Shahrbaraz, alongside fellow general Shahin, prepared for what would they believed would be a long and fierce
siegeA siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit"....
, given Jerusalem's powerful fortifications. For twenty non-stop days, the Persians army continually blasted the walls of Jerusalem with ballistas and other military engines. While the Byzantine city was composed primarily of civilians and priesthood, there is mention of a formidable Greek force, which was gathered by monk Abba Modestus to assist Jerusalem. However, once the
GreekThe Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors in direct and de jure succession to the ancient Roman Emperors...
troops caught eye of the overwhelming Persian army encamped outside the city's walls, they fled, fearing a suicidal battle preceding the siege. After the twenty-first day of
bombardmentA bombardment is an attack by artillery fire directed against fortifications, troops or towns and buildings. In its strict sense the term is only applied to the bombardment of defenceless or undefended objects, houses, public buildings, etc., by an assailant with the object of disheartening his...
, the city's walls finally broke, and due notably to the Jewish allies' assistance to the Persian army, the interior was quickly overrun. The Jews, who had long been marginalized and oppressed in their Roman-controlled homeland, viewed the Persian invaders favourably. Some 26,000 Jews betrayed the Byzantine Christian population and fought against them. Once the Sassanid army had breached the city's fortifications, the Jewish rebels joined the Persians, and Shahrbaraz ordered a swift razing and looting of Jerusalem. Having recognized the assistance of the Jews in the significant capture, he even gave them the opportunity to massacre personally their
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
enemies.
Aftermath
Shortly after the Persian army entered Jerusalem, unprecedented looting and sacrilege took place. Church after church was burned down alongside the innumerable Christian artifacts, which were stolen or damaged by the ensuing arson. But Persia's most devastating crime in the eyes of the Byzantines was the capture of the
True CrossThe True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a Christian tradition, are believed to be from the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified.According to post-Nicene historians, Socrates Scholasticus and others, the Empress Helena The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which,...
and its removal to
CtesiphonCtesiphon, the imperial capital of the Arsacids and of the Sassanids, was one of the great cities of ancient Mesopotamia.The ruins of the city are located on the east bank of the Tigris, across the river from the Hellenistic city of Seleucia. Today, the remains of both cities lie in Iraq,...
as a battle-captured holy
relicA relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial. Relics are an important aspect of some forms of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Shamanism, and many other religions....
. The human toll of Jerusalem's razing was also catastrophic, some 90,000 Christian citizens are said to have perished in the sacking, as a result not only of the Persian army's actions, but also of the free hand given to the Jews by Shahrbaraz. Given that Khosrau II generally practiced religious tolerance and did deem Christians respectfully, it is not known why Shahrbaraz ordered such a massacre. One reason could simply have been Shahrbaraz's rage at the resistance that had been offered by Jerusalem's Christian populace. The conquered city and the Holy Cross would remain in Sassanid hands for some fifteen years until Heraclius recovered them in
629-Persian and Byzantine Empires:*September – Jerusalem is reconquered by the Byzantine Empire from the Persian Empire.* The Battle of Mu'tah, the first Muslim expedition outside Arabia, fails to take the lands east of the Jordan River....
.
Sources