The War of the Three Gods : Romans, Persians and the Rise of Islam

War of the Three Gods is a military history of the first half of seventh century, with heavy focus on the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Heraclius (AD 610-641). This was a pivotal time in world history as well as a dramatic one. The Eastern Roman Empire was brought to the very brink of extinction by the Sassanid Persians, before Heraclius managed to inflict a crushing defeat on the Sassanids with a desperate, final gambit. His conquests were short-lived, however, for the newly converted adherents of Islam burst upon the region, administering the coup de grace to Sassanid power and laying siege to Constantinople itself to usher in a new era. Peter Crawford skillfully narrates the three-way struggle between the Christian Byzantine, Sassanid Persian and Islamic empires, a period peopled with fascinating characters, including Heraclius, Khusro II and the Prophet Muhammad himself. Many of the epic battles and sieges are described in as much detail as possible including Nineveh, Yarmouk, Qadisiyyah and Nihawand, Jerusalem and Constantinople. The strategies and tactics of these very different armies are discussed and analyzed, while maps allow the reader to place the events and follow the varying fortunes of the contending empires. This is an exciting and important study of a conflict that reshaped the map of the world. The War of the Three Gods is a military history of the Near and Middle East in the seventh century—with its chief focus on the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Heraclius (AD 610–641)—a pivotal and dramatic time in world history. The Eastern Roman Empire was brought to the very brink of extinction by the Sassanid Persians before Heraclius managed to inflict a crushing defeat on the Sassanids with a desperate, final gambit. His conquests were short-lived, however, for the newly converted adherents of Islam burst upon the region, administering the coup de grace to Sassanid power and laying siege to Constantinople itself, ushering in a new era. Peter Crawford skillfully narrates the three-way struggle between the Christian Roman, Zoroastrian Persian, and Islamic Arab empires, a period of conflict peopled with fascinating characters, including Heraclius, Khusro II, and the Prophet Muhammad himself. Many of the epic battles of the period—Nineveh, Yarmuk, Qadisiyyah and Nahavand—and sieges such as those of Jerusalem and Constantinople are described in as rich detail. The strategies and tactics of these very different armies are discussed and analyzed, while plentiful maps allow the reader to follow the events and varying fortunes of the contending empires. This is an exciting and important study of a conflict that reshaped the map of the world. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home. Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 List of Illustrations 7 List of Plates 9 List of Rulers 10 Acknowledgements 11 Introduction 12 Chapter 1: The Participants and Their Road to 600 16 Chapter 2: The War of the Usurper and the Revolt of Heraclius 40 Chapter 3: ‘It Has Come to the Triarii’ 53 Chapter 4: ‘The Ram Has Touched the Wall’ 75 Chapter 5: A New Challenger Approaches 92 Chapter 6: The Islamic Eruption 118 Chapter 7: 636 – The Year of the Muslim Beast 140 Chapter 8: A Farewell to Syria and Mesopotamia 169 Chapter 9: Stealing Roman Bread and Persian Heart 190 Chapter 11: The Feast Continues: From the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean 231 Epilogue 244 Notes 250 Bibliography 262 Index 269 'The War of the Three Gods' is a military history of the Near and Middle East in the seventh century, with heavy focus on the Eastern Roman Emperor Heraclius (AD 610-641). Peter Crawford skilfully narrates the three-way struggle between the Christian Roman, Zoroastrian Persian and Islamic Arab empires, a period peopled with fascinating characters, including Heraclius, Khusro II and the Prophet Muhammad himself. Many of the epic battles and sieges are described in as much detail as possible including Nineveh, Yarmuk, Qadisiyyah and Nahavand, Jerusalem and Constantinople Epic three-way struggle for survival between three empires and three religions These events changed the map of the world, ensuring the success of Islam Clear text supported by 44 maps