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12 December in military history: Battle of Nineveh, 627

Military history · 12 December · Roman-Persian War of 602 to 628Full calendar

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Detail of a Renaissance fresco of a crowded battle: horsemen and foot soldiers in armor and bright tunics fight with swords and lances under banners bearing an eagle, a white cross on red and a lion, while a man is stabbed in the foreground and a white horse rears in the center.
The Battle between Heraclius and Chosroes, from Piero della Francesca's fresco cycle of the Legend of the True Cross in the church of San Francesco, Arezzo, painted in the 1450s and 1460s. The scene shows the legend of Heraclius's war with Persia, not the battlefield of Nineveh. Public domain. Reproduction from The Yorck Project, via Wikimedia Commons.
Quick answer

On 12 December 627, by the date of the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes, the East Roman emperor Heraclius defeated the Persian army of Rhahzadh near the ruins of Nineveh, on the Tigris in modern Iraq. The battle lasted eleven hours, and the Persian commander was killed. Early in 628 King Khosrow II was overthrown and Persia made peace.1

The Battle of Nineveh, 627: Heraclius breaks Persia

12 December 627 · 1398 years ago

At the Battle of Nineveh on 12 December 627, the East Roman emperor Heraclius defeated a Sasanian Persian army near the ruins of Nineveh in Mesopotamia. The victory crowned Heraclius's counteroffensive deep into Persian territory; early in 628 Khosrow II was overthrown and his son made peace.

Read the full story of The Battle of Nineveh, 627: Heraclius breaks Persia ›

Battle of Tolvajärvi, 1939: Finland's first victory of the Winter War

12 December 1939 · 86 years ago

Finnish troops met an advancing Red Army division near Lake Tolvajärvi in Ladoga Karelia during the Winter War. The fighting lasted over a week and ended in the first major Finnish victory of the war.

Read the full story of Battle of Tolvajärvi, 1939: Finland's first victory of the Winter War ›

Frequently asked questions

Who won the Battle of Nineveh in 627?

The East Roman (Byzantine) emperor Heraclius. His army defeated the Persian army of Rhahzadh near the ruins of Nineveh, and the Persian commander was killed.2

Where does the date 12 December come from?

From the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes the Confessor, who dates the battle to Saturday, 12 December. The date is in the Julian calendar.3

What happened after the battle?

Heraclius's troops took the Persian royal palace at Dastagird, and early in 628 King Khosrow II was overthrown by his son, who made peace and returned the True Cross.4

Notes

A number in the text points to a note; each note names the works that paragraph draws on, listed in full under Sources.

  1. Theophanes the Confessor, “The Campaigns of Emperor Herakleios, according to the Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor”; Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Heraclius”; Livius, “Heraclius”. ↩
  2. Theophanes the Confessor, “The Campaigns of Emperor Herakleios, according to the Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor”; Livius, “Heraclius”. ↩
  3. Theophanes the Confessor, “The Campaigns of Emperor Herakleios, according to the Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor”. ↩
  4. Theophanes the Confessor, “The Campaigns of Emperor Herakleios, according to the Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor”; Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Heraclius”; Livius, “Heraclius”. ↩

Sources

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