Peace of Nisibis

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As Peace of Nisibis modern research means the agreement, which in the year 298 between Romans and Sassanid was closed. Sometimes it is referred to as the “First Peace of Nisibis ” to distinguish it from the Peace of 363 . In older (and occasionally in more recent) research it was sometimes also dated to the year 299.

prehistory

The 3rd century had been marked by fierce fighting between the Imperium Romanum and the Neupersian Empire of the Sassanids since 231 (see Roman-Persian Wars ). Emperor Diocletian had stabilized the Roman Empire again since 284 and commissioned his lower emperor ( Caesar ) Galerius in 296 with a campaign against the Persians under their great king Narseh , who had provoked the Romans. A first attack by the Romans ended in a heavy defeat in 297; but in 298 Galerius succeeded in defeating Narseh decisively in the battle of Satala and in bringing the great king's harem into his power along with the entourage . Under these conditions, Narseh had to ask for peace.

The contract

The best source for the agreement is a fragment that has survived from Petros Patrikios (fr. 13f.). Petros wrote more than 250 years after the events, but had access to the imperial archives, which is why his report is usually considered reliable.

Galerius conducted the negotiations with Apharban, a high Persian dignitary and commander of the life guard. The Caesar , the actual talks soon his magister memoriae left Sicorius Probus, was in a position of strength; The agreements ultimately made were therefore shameful for the Sassanids: Above all, it was stipulated that from now on the Tigris should in principle mark the border between the two late ancient great powers, but that areas east of this river should also be subject to Roman control (the so-called regiones Transtigritanae ).

The areas Ingilene , Sophene , Arzanene , Gordyene and Zabdikene , "that is, the area north of Roman Mesopotamia, thus north of the Izalas Mountains and east of the Euphrates on both sides of the upper Tigris over the Nymphios and with Korduene eastwards to the border of Atropatene ”, were thus ceded to Rome. However, these were evidently not ruled directly from Rome, but in the form of the satrap administration customary in the Orient . All of northern Mesopotamia was to be under Roman rule again and the Tigris to be the natural border. Armenia received the fortified place Zintha on the border of Media as compensation for the Armenian territories ceded to Rome. The Sassanid Empire had to recognize Roman sovereignty over Armenia. The Kingdom of Iberia , located in the Caucasus north of Armenia, became a clientele of Rome, which received the insignia of its kingship from the Roman emperor. This gave Rome control of the strategically important Caucasus passes, which could be closed in an emergency. Furthermore, from now on Nisibis was to be the only trading center for trade between the two empires. Only on the last point did Narseh object. When Sicorius Probus declared that he was not empowered to change the imperial terms, Narseh finally accepted. The Treaty apparently only imposed on Rome the safe transfer of the royal family. The negotiations dragged on for a long time, so that the peace agreement probably came about late in the year 298 (if not only in 299).

Older research often emphasized the supposed moderation of the Roman side and emphasized that in view of the desperate situation of the king - his wives and children were also in the hands of Galerius - the Romans could have asked for much more. This position is still represented (e.g. by Engelbert Winter). Today, however, it is not uncommon to assume that the Treaty of Nisibis was viewed by the Persians as a deep disgrace, was also intended by the Romans as a humiliation and contained the germ of new conflicts. In any case, Diocletian suspected that the Sassanids would try to revise the treaty, since they could not be satisfied with it. He began to strengthen the border fortifications , built the Strata Diocletiana and had the border troops increased. Therefore one can speak of a postponed war rather than of a real peace, although this situation lasted until 337, i.e. until the death of Constantine I : In the decades after 300 Persia went through a phase of weakness that initially made a war of revenge impossible. Above all, the existence of Roman areas east of the Tigris was unacceptable to the Sassanids, and so King Shapur II waged war against the Romans for several years in the 4th century until he actually regained the areas lost in 298/99 in the peace of 363 (and more) should succeed.

literature

  • Roger C. Blockley : East Roman Foreign Policy . Leeds 1992, pp. 5-7.
  • Karin Mosig-Walburg: Romans and Persians from the 3rd century to the year 363 AD Computus, Gutenberg 2009.
  • Ursula Weber: Narseh, King of the Kings of Ērān and Anērān. In: Iranica Antiqua 47 (2012), pp. 153-302, especially p. 231ff.
  • Engelbert Winter , Beate Dignas: Rome and the Persian Empire. Two world powers between confrontation and coexistence . Berlin 2001, pp. 144–155.

Remarks

  1. ^ Wilhelm Enßlin : Valerius Diocletianus. In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume VII A, 2, Stuttgart 1948, Col. 2444.