Rhazates

Rhazates († December 12, 627 in the vicinity of Nineveh ) was a Sassanid general in the 7th century AD. His real name was Roch Vehan ; He was called Rhazates by his (Greek-speaking) Eastern Roman opponents.

Rhazates served in the last and largest Roman-Persian war that the Sassanid great king Chosrau II had started in 603. At first the Sassanids had fabulous successes; until 619 the Roman Orient was under Persian control. Then, however, in 622 the counteroffensive of the Eastern Roman emperor Herakleios began , who penetrated deep into Persian territory and caused the Persians some defeats.

In September 627 Herakleios marched south with a large army from Tbilisi . Chosrau II, whose state of mind seemed to have suffered from the defeats and who no longer trusted his generals, sent Rhazates with his army to stop the enemy. Chosrau had also given Rhazates the ill-fated order to fight the Romans at any time, no matter where he found them and regardless of any consequences. However, Rhazates had misjudged the emperor's route, who eventually penetrated the heart of ancient Assyria . At the beginning of December 627 there were some skirmishes near the ruins of Nineveh. Rhazates wanted to wait for reinforcements to arrive, but Herakleios had learned this from prisoners and acted quickly. Rhazates eventually trapped Herakleios by following him onto an open plain. The battle took place here on December 12th .

Our few sources do not allow for a clear picture of the events, but the Eastern Romans seem to have maneuvered deliberately while the Persians were unprepared for the battle. The Persians suffered heavy losses, and Rhazates was also killed in battle. The victory of Herakleios at Nineveh paved the way for him to the south and in retrospect should mean the decision in the centuries-long struggle between the two late ancient great powers Rome and Persia.

literature

• Walter E. Kaegi: Heraclius. Emperor of Byzantium . Cambridge 2003, p. 158ff. [with discussion of the sources]