Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
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A Roman Emperor Falls in Battle!
On March 5, 363, the Roman Emperor Julianus...
... starts with an army of probably 65,000 men according to the old sources...
...from the city of Antioch to a campaign against the Sassanids (Persians).
People are still puzzling over the motives for this carelessly started war.
Those who attribute Julian's rational motives argue that "border security" may have played a role. However, this seems nonsensical against the background that the Sassanids had started peace negotiations with Julian's predecessor, Constantius, and would have liked to continue them with Julian, but the emperor refused.
Other historians are of the opinion that the emperor was simply concerned with "glory"; he wanted to become a "second Alexander the Great".
What is guaranteed is that Julian, along with Trajan (the victor over the Parthians) and Marcus Aurelius, also counted Alexander among his role models.
However:
At first the advance of the Romans goes smoothly, but the further one penetrates into the Sassanid Empire, the more the resistance of the Persian troops increases, which are led by the Shah-in-Shah (Great King) Shapur II. by his brother Ardashir.
In addition, the Persians use "scorched earth" tactics, which makes it impossible to supply the Roman army from the country.
The mood of the Roman troops is already worrying!
Emperor Julian had been a fierce persecutor of the Christian religion since his time as sole ruler (since 361) and many of the Roman soldiers secretly professed this sect! They follow Julian only very reluctantly.
Nevertheless, Julian achieves a military success!
Very close to the Sassanid capital Ctesiphon, the Romans are victorious over a Persian army...:
While Emperor Julian now wants to go straight for the Sassanid capital, his generals strongly advise him to retreat given the overall circumstances!
The emperor reluctantly submits and gives the order to march back.
On the return march, the second major battle of the campaign took place near Maranga (near today's Samarra on the Tigris) on June 22, 363 - it ended in a draw...:
Four days later, however, a detachment of the Roman army, with which the emperor was stationed, was ambushed by the Persians.
According to the old sources, Julian, who had taken off his armor because of the heat, is said to have ventured too far in the fray - a soldier rams a spear through his stomach...:
Whether it was actually a member of the Persian army or a revenge-thirsty (Christian) Roman soldier is unclear - both versions have their advocates and arguments.
In any case, Julian is one of the few emperors who fell in battle at the head of a troop.
This Persian relief was created at the time when the Sassanid commander himself became Great King as Ardashir II. He stands in the middle and under his feet lies - difficult to see - a dead man in Roman clothing, identified as Julian by his clearly visible diadem...:
Although the generals succeed in bringing the Roman army back from Persia relatively unscathed, Julian's successor, Emperor Jovianus...
...has to make an unfavorable peace with Shapur II and thus pay the price for Julian's adventures in the Orient.
For the Sassanids, the peace agreement means not only a strategic success, but also a significant gain in prestige - the Romans see the treaty as a disgrace!
Julianus does not go down in history as the "second Alexander", but as the emperor who had advanced the furthest east ever with an army...
Only he didn't have much of it...
On March 5, 363, the Roman Emperor Julianus...
... starts with an army of probably 65,000 men according to the old sources...
...from the city of Antioch to a campaign against the Sassanids (Persians).
People are still puzzling over the motives for this carelessly started war.
Those who attribute Julian's rational motives argue that "border security" may have played a role. However, this seems nonsensical against the background that the Sassanids had started peace negotiations with Julian's predecessor, Constantius, and would have liked to continue them with Julian, but the emperor refused.
Other historians are of the opinion that the emperor was simply concerned with "glory"; he wanted to become a "second Alexander the Great".
What is guaranteed is that Julian, along with Trajan (the victor over the Parthians) and Marcus Aurelius, also counted Alexander among his role models.
However:
At first the advance of the Romans goes smoothly, but the further one penetrates into the Sassanid Empire, the more the resistance of the Persian troops increases, which are led by the Shah-in-Shah (Great King) Shapur II. by his brother Ardashir.
In addition, the Persians use "scorched earth" tactics, which makes it impossible to supply the Roman army from the country.
The mood of the Roman troops is already worrying!
Emperor Julian had been a fierce persecutor of the Christian religion since his time as sole ruler (since 361) and many of the Roman soldiers secretly professed this sect! They follow Julian only very reluctantly.
Nevertheless, Julian achieves a military success!
Very close to the Sassanid capital Ctesiphon, the Romans are victorious over a Persian army...:
While Emperor Julian now wants to go straight for the Sassanid capital, his generals strongly advise him to retreat given the overall circumstances!
The emperor reluctantly submits and gives the order to march back.
On the return march, the second major battle of the campaign took place near Maranga (near today's Samarra on the Tigris) on June 22, 363 - it ended in a draw...:
Four days later, however, a detachment of the Roman army, with which the emperor was stationed, was ambushed by the Persians.
According to the old sources, Julian, who had taken off his armor because of the heat, is said to have ventured too far in the fray - a soldier rams a spear through his stomach...:
Whether it was actually a member of the Persian army or a revenge-thirsty (Christian) Roman soldier is unclear - both versions have their advocates and arguments.
In any case, Julian is one of the few emperors who fell in battle at the head of a troop.
This Persian relief was created at the time when the Sassanid commander himself became Great King as Ardashir II. He stands in the middle and under his feet lies - difficult to see - a dead man in Roman clothing, identified as Julian by his clearly visible diadem...:
Although the generals succeed in bringing the Roman army back from Persia relatively unscathed, Julian's successor, Emperor Jovianus...
...has to make an unfavorable peace with Shapur II and thus pay the price for Julian's adventures in the Orient.
For the Sassanids, the peace agreement means not only a strategic success, but also a significant gain in prestige - the Romans see the treaty as a disgrace!
Julianus does not go down in history as the "second Alexander", but as the emperor who had advanced the furthest east ever with an army...
Only he didn't have much of it...
