416 Sassanid Empire desert During wars between Iran and Rome, Heraclius found his way to the throne in Byzantine following a revolt; however, he was not able to overcome the chaotic situation The vigorous Sassanid army conquered Antioch and Damascus (613), and Shahrbaraz, the Sassanid commander, joined by 26,000 messianic Jews, conquered Jerusalem He burned the churches of the city and deported 35,000 captives to Ctesiphon, the Sassanid capital, along with the patriarch of Jerusalem and the relic of the True Cross Then Shahrbaraz invaded Alexandria (619) and the rest of Egypt Another Iranian commander, Shahin, also conquered Asia Minor Sassanid territory was at this point comparable to Persia of the Achaemenids Khosrow’s victories, especially conquering Egypt, which was a major source of food for Constantinpole, forced Heraclius to move his capital to Carthage, an ancient city on the coast of North Africa near Tunis Using the property and treasurers of the churches, the Roman army was again well equipped and able to defend Rome against Iran In this phase of the war the Byzantine army, enjoying an effective navy, crossed the Black Sea and took the war to the Asian arena In 622 Heraclius invaded Armenia and Adharbaydjan in 626 The Byzantines allied with the Khazars north of the Caucasus Heraclius advanced into the Mesopotamia plains and descended into the Tigris Valley, where he defeated Sassanid forces at Nineveh Khosrow fled to Ctesiphon, leaving Dastagered, his royal palace and animal preserve, for Heraclius to capture in 627 Although weakened, Khosrow obstinately rejected the peace proposal suggested by Heraclius At the same time he killed and imprisoned many people, including some of his own army officers Furious at his behavior and rejection of the peace proposal, in 628 a group of generals and high-ranking officials entered the capital and revolted against him, captured and imprisoned Khosrow, and proclaimed his son Kubadh II as king They later asked Kubadh to execute Khosrow In the ancient history of Iran Khosrow is famous for his luxurious lifestyle Some experts believe that his interest in such a lifestyle promoted and expanded fine arts, music, and architecture in his reign After the execution of Khosrow Parwiz, the Sassanid dynasty lost its power and started to collapse YAZDADJIRD III During the four-year period between Khursaw’s execution and the enthroning of Yazdadjird III, the last king of the Sassanids (628–632), more than 10 people took power and claimed to be king, none of them exceeding two months in their reign The real and absolute governors were the priests and nobles to whom the kings were nothing but a pawn Shiruya, Khosrow’s son, who was enthroned and entitled as Kubadh Firuz (victorious), did not reign more than eight months He started peace talks with Heraclius and accepted the peace proposal, being aware of Iran’s political instability Shahrbaraz, the most famous Sassanid general, broke with Khosrow II by the end of his reign and refused to abdicate his provinces, Egypt and Syria In the summer of 629 he negotitated with Heraclius on his own and left Syria and Egypt Kubadh II remitted taxes for three years and released many prisoners, in an effort to be unlike his father, Khosrow, but to stabilize his reign and kingdom he killed all of his adult brothers Leaving only sisters and children, he created subsequent dynastic problems Kubadh was succeeded by Ardashir III, just a child (628); Sharbaraz was dissatisfied with the chaotic situation and revolted and killed Ardashir III and made himself king He reigned for only 42 days before being killed by his own guards This was followed by a dynastic crisis, with 11 rulers taking the throne in two years Khosrow III, who had made himself king in the eastern lands of the Sassanid Empire, was killed, and Jawanshir’s reign was also brief Since none of Khosrow Parwiz’s sons were alive, his daughter Buran (who was Kubadh II’s wife) was enthroned by the support of the nobles in 630 She struck coins, built bridges, and completed peace negotiations with the Byzantines before being deposed in 631 Her successors were Firuz II, Adhar Midukht, Hurmuz V, and Khosrow IV At the end of 632 a grandson of Khosrow II, Yazdadjird III (632–651) was proclaimed king He was the last Sassanid monarch The Sassanid position in the Arabian Peninsula had already been weakened by widespread revolts Arab Muslims formed their own alliances and Sassanid governors acknowledged the prophet Muhammad and converted to Islam The Muslim forces claimed “equality” and “justice” and promised a “better life” for people and were respected and received warmly in the frontiers and even the capital Yazdadjird III, who hoped to reinvigorate his army, fled to Marw and was killed in 652 by a rogue who coveted his elegant clothes and jewelry Yazdadjird III’s death put an end to the Sassanid monarchy in its known frontiers His son Firuz took refuge in Tang China and was permitted to establish a fire temple See also Byzantine-Persian wars; Medes, Persians, and Elamites; Persian invasions; Persian myth