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CHOSROES

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Originally appearing in Volume V06, Page 272 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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CHOSROES , in See also:

Middle and See also:Modern See also:Persian Khosrau (" with a See also:good name "), a very See also:common Persian name, See also:borne by a famous See also:king of the Iranian See also:legend (Kai Khosrau); by a See also:Parthian king, commonly called by the Greeks See also:Osroes (q.v.); and by the following two See also:Sassanid See also:kings. I. CHOSROES I., " the Blessed " (Anushirvan), 531-579, the favourite son and successor of See also:Kavadh I., and the most famous of the Sassanid kings. At the beginning of his reign he concluded an " eternal " See also:peace with the See also:emperor Justinian, who wanted to have his hands See also:free for the See also:conquest of See also:Africa and See also:Sicily. But his successes against the See also:Vandals and Goths caused Chosroes to begin the See also:war again in 540. He invaded See also:Syria and carried the inhabitants of See also:Antioch to his See also:residence, where he built for them a new See also:city near See also:Ctesiphon under the name of Khosrau-Antioch or Chosro-Antioch. During the next years he fought successfully in Lazica or Lazistan(the See also:ancient See also:Colchis, q.v.), on the See also:Black See also:Sea, and in See also:Mesopotamia. The See also:Romans, though led by See also:Belisarius, could do little against him. In 545 an See also:armistice was concluded, but in Lazica the war went on till 556. At last, in 562, a peace was concluded for 5o years, in which the Persians See also:left Lazistan to the Romans, and promised not to persecute the Christians, if they did not See also:attempt to make proselytes among the Zarathustrians; on the other See also:hand, the Romans had again to pay subsidies to See also:Persia. Meanwhile in the See also:east the Hephthalites had been attacked by the See also:Turks, who now appear for the first See also:time in See also:history. Chosroes See also:united with them and conquered See also:Bactria, while he left the See also:country See also:north of the See also:Oxus to the Turks.

Many other rebellious tribes were subjected. About 570 the dynasts of See also:

Yemen, who had been subdued by the Ethiopians of Axum, applied to Chosroes for help. He sent a See also:fleet with a small See also:army under Vahriz, who expelled the Ethiopians. From that time till the conquests of See also:Mahomet, Yemen was dependent on Persia, and a Persian See also:governor resided here. In 571 a new war with See also:Rome See also:broke out about See also:Armenia, in which Chosroes conquered the fortress Dara on the See also:Euphrates, invaded Syria and See also:Cappadocia, and returned with large See also:booty. During the negotiations with the emperor Tiberius Chosroeg died in 579, and was succeeded by his son See also:Hormizd IV. Although Chosroes had in the last years of his See also:father extirpated the heretical and communistic Persian See also:sect of theMazdakites (see KAVADH) and was a sincere adherent of Zoroastrian orthodoxy, he was not fanatical or prone to persecution. He tolerated every See also:Christian See also:confession. When one of his sons had rebelled about 550 and was taken prisoner, he did not execute him; nor did he punish the Christians who had supported him. He introduced a rational See also:system of See also:taxation, based upon a survey of landed possessions, which his father had begun, and tried in every way to increase the welfare and the revenues of his See also:empire. In Babylonia he built or restored the canals. His army was in discipline decidedly See also:superior to the Romans, and apparently was well paid.

He was also interested in literature and philosophical discussions. Under his reign See also:

chess was introduced from See also:India, and the famous See also:book of Kalilah and Dimnah was translated. He thus became renowned as a See also:wise See also:prince. When Justinian in 529 closed the university of See also:Athens, the last seat of paganism in the See also:Roman empire, the last seven teachers of See also:Neoplatonism emigrated to Persia. But they soon found out that neither Chosroes nor his See also:state corresponded to the Platonic ideal, and Chosroes, in his treaty with Justinian, stipulated that they should return unmolested. 2. CHOSROES II., " the Victorious " (Parvez), son of Hormizd IV., See also:grandson of Chosroes I., S9o-628. He was raised to the See also:throne by the magnates who had rebelled against Hormizd IV. in 590, and soon after his father was blinded and killed. But at the same time the See also:general Bahram Chobin had proclaimed himself king, and Chosroes II. was not able to maintain himself. The war with the Romans, which had begun in 571, had not yet come to an end. Chosroes fled to Syria, and persuaded the emperor See also:Maurice (q.v.) to send help. Many leading men and See also:part of the troops acknowledged Chosroes, and in 591 he was brought back to Ctesiphon.

Bahram Chobin was beaten and fled to the Turks, among whom he was murdered. Peace with Rome was then concluded. Maurice made no use of his See also:

advantage; he merely restored the former frontier and abolished the subsidies which had formerly been paid to the Persians. Chosroes IL was much inferior to his grandfather. He was haughty and cruel, rapacious and given to luxury; he was neither a general nor an See also:administrator. At the beginning of his reign he favoured the Christians; but when in 602 Maurice had been murdered by See also:Phocas, he began war with Rome to avenge his See also:death. His armies plundered Syria and See also:Asia See also:Minor, and in 6o8 advanced to See also:Chalcedon. In 613 and 614 See also:Damascus and See also:Jerusalem were taken by the general Shahrbaraz, and the See also:Holy See also:Cross was carried away in See also:triumph. Soon after, even See also:Egypt was conquered. The Romans could offer but little resistance, as they were torn by See also:internal dissensions, and pressed by the See also:Avars and Slays. At last, in 622, the emperor See also:Heraclius (who had succeeded Phocas in 61o) was able to take the See also:field. In 624 he advanced into See also:northern See also:Media, where he destroyed the See also:great See also:fire-See also:temple of Gandzak (Gazaca); in 626 he fought in Lazistan (Colchis), while Shahrbaraz advanced to Chalcedon, and tried in vain, united with the Avars, to conquer See also:Constantinople.

In 627 Heraclius defeated the Persian army at See also:

Nineveh and advanced towards Ctesiphon. Chosroes fled from his favourite residence, Dastagexcl (near See also:Bagdad), without offering resistance, and ashis despotism and indolence had roused opposition everywhere, his eldest son, Kavadh II., whom he had imprisoned, was set free by some of the leading men and proclaimed king. Four days afterwards, Chosroes was murdered in his See also:palace (See also:February 628). Meanwhile, Heraclius returned in triumph to Constantinople, in'629 the Cross was given back to him and Egypt evacuated, while tne Persian empire, from the apparent greatness which it had reached ten years ago, sank into hopeless anarchy. See PERSIA: Ancient History. For the Roman See also:wars see authorities quoted under MAURICE and HERACLIUS. (En.

End of Article: CHOSROES

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