Ardashir I of Persia: Encyclopedia II - Ardashir I of Persia - War With Rome

Ardashir I of Persia - War With Rome

In the latter years of his reign, Ardashir engaged in a series of armed conflicts with Persia's great rival to the west - the Roman Empire.

Ardashir's expansionist tendencies had been frustrated by his failed invasions of Armenia, where a relative of the former Arsacid rulers of Parthia sat on the throne. Given Armenia's traditional position as an ally of the Romans, Ardashir may have seen his primary opponent not in the Armenian and Caucasian troops he had faced, but in Rome and her legions.

In 230 CE, Ardashir led his army into the Roman province of Mesopotamia, unsuccessfully besieging the fortress town of Nisibis. At the same time, his cavalry ranged far enough past the Roman border to threaten Syria and Cappadocia. It seems that the Romans saw fit to attempt a diplomatic solution to the crisis, reminding the Persians of the superiority of Roman arms, but to no avail. Ardashir campaigned unsuccessfully against Roman border outposts again the following year. As a result, the Roman emperor Severus Alexander moved to the east, establishing his headquarters at Antioch, but experienced difficulties in bringing his troops together and thus made another attempt at diplomacy, which Ardashir rebuffed.

Finally, in 232 CE, Severus Alexander led his legions in a three-pronged assault on the Persians. However, the separate army groups did not advance in a coordinated fashion, and Ardashir was able to take advantage of the disorder and concentrate his forces against the enemy advancing through Armenia, where he was able to halt the Roman advance. However, hearing of the Roman plans to march on his capital at Ctesiphon, Ardashir left only a token screening force in the north and met the enemy force that was advancing to the south, apparently defeating it in a decisive manner. However, one can discern that the Persians must have suffered considerable losses as well, as no attempt was made to pursue the fleeing Romans. Both leaders must have had reason to avoid further campaigning, as Severus Alexander returned to Europe in the following year and Ardashir did not renew his attacks for several years, probably focusing his energies in the east.

Ardashir was an energetic king, responsible for the resurgence of Persia, the strengthening of Zoroastrianism, and the establishment of a dynasty that would endure for four centuries. While his campaigns against Rome met with only limited success, he was able to do what no Persian had been able to do for a long while – force a serious response from the Roman government and military, and in doing so prepared the way for the substantial successes his son and successor would enjoy against the same enemy.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "War With Rome", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki