Siege of Jerusalem (614)

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Siege of Jerusalem
partof=the Roman-Persian Wars
date=614
place=Jerusalem, Palestine
territory=Jerusalem and Palestine annexed to the Persian Empire.
result=Sassanid victory
combatant1=Byzantine Empire
combatant2=Sassanid Persian Empire,
Jewish allies
commander1=Patriarch Zacharias
commander2=Shahrbaraz
strength1=Unknown
strength2=Unknown
casualties1=~90,000 citizens
casualties2=MinimalThe Siege of Jerusalem in 614 AD was part of the final phase of the Roman-Persian Wars, as the Persian shah Khosrau II and his general Shahrbaraz conquered the Byzantine Middle East. Following the Persian advances into Syria in the previous year, Shahrbaraz's next target was Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine and the Christian Empire's most holy city. Providing direct access to the Mediterranean Sea, 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.Antiochus Strategos]

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 siege, 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 Greek 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 bombardment, 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. [All Empires - History Online Community, Sassanids vs. Byzantines.] 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 Christian 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 Cross and its removal to Ctesiphon as a battle-captured holy relic. 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.

References

Sources

* [http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/antiochus_strategos_capture.htm Antiochus Strategos, "The Capture of Jerusalem by the Persians in 614 AD", F.C. CONYBEARE, English Historical Review 25 (1910) pp. 502-517.]