Battle of Solachon
Battle of Solachon | |||||||
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Part of the Byzantine–Sassanid War of 572–591 | |||||||
Maurice (L), and angel (R) engraved on object | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Byzantine Empire Huns |
Sassanid Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Philippicus Heraclius the Elder Eiliphredas Vitalius Apsich |
Kardarigan Aphraates Mebodes |
The Battle of Solachon was fought in 586 CE in northern
In the days before the battle, Philippicus, newly assigned to the Persian front, moved to intercept an anticipated Persian invasion. He chose to deploy his army at Solachon, controlling the various routes of the Mesopotamian plain, and especially access to the main local watering source, the Arzamon River. Kardarigan, confident of victory, advanced against the Byzantines, but they had been warned and were deployed in battle order when Kardarigan reached Solachon. The Persians deployed as well and attacked, gaining the upper hand in the centre, but the Byzantine right wing broke through the Persian left flank. The successful Byzantine wing was thrown into disarray as its men headed off to loot the Persian camp, but Philippicus was able to restore order. Then, while the Byzantine centre was forced to form a
Background
In 572 the
Justin's refusal was tantamount to a declaration of war, the fourth fought between the two great powers of
Initial moves and dispositions
Following the failure of another round of peace negotiations, about which little is known, Maurice appointed his brother-in-law
In spring 586 Maurice rejected new Persian proposals involving the conclusion of peace in exchange for renewed payments in gold.
On the Persian side, Kardarigan was also eager to fight and confident of victory. He arranged to be escorted by many camels carrying water for his troops in case the Byzantines refused to engage but continued to block access to the Arzamon, and had allegedly prepared iron bars and chains for the prisoners he would take. His movements, however, were detected when the Byzantines' Arab foederati captured a few of his men, allowing Philippicus to counter his forces. This early warning was of particular importance since Kardarigan intended to attack on Sunday, a day of rest for the Christian Byzantines.[8]
Battle
Both armies appear to have been composed exclusively of cavalry, comprising a mix of
After a short halt to leave their baggage train behind and form a battle line the Persian army quickly advanced on the Byzantines, shooting arrows as they approached. The Byzantines responded in kind and then sallied forth to meet the oncoming enemy. On the Byzantine right Vitalius was quickly victorious, his heavy cavalry breaking through the Persian flank and pushing his opponents to the left behind their own main line. At this point, however, disaster threatened as many of Vitalius' troopers broke formation and headed towards the enemy camp, intending to loot it.[10] Philippicus, however, saw what had happened and reacted quickly. He gave his distinctive helmet to one of his bodyguards, Theodore Ilibinus, and sent him to rally the cavalry on pain of punishment by the army commander himself. The ruse worked: the men recognized the helmet and returned to order just in time to stop the Persians, who had regrouped in the centre and were pushing the numerically inferior Byzantines back.[11]
To counter this, Philippicus ordered the men of the central division to dismount and form a
The defeated army suffered greatly, not only from the Byzantine pursuit, but also due to lack of water: before the battle, Kardarigan had ordered the water supplies poured on the ground, trying to make his men fight harder to break through the Byzantine army and reach the Arzamon. In addition, the surviving Persians were refused entry into Dara since, according to Simocatta, Persian custom forbade entrance to fugitives. Simocatta also narrates that many Persians died of thirst or from
Aftermath
Following the battle, Philippicus rewarded the soldiers who had distinguished themselves and divided the spoils of the defeated Persians among them. He then proceeded to invade Arzanene again. However, his attempt to capture the fortress of Chlomaron was thwarted when Kardarigan arrived with reinforcements. The Byzantine army retreated to the fortress of Aphumon, fighting rear-guard actions with the shadowing Persians.[16]
The victory of Solachon allowed the Byzantines to regain the upper hand in the region of the
References
- ^ Greatrex & Lieu 2002, pp. 131–132, 136–142; Haldon 2001, p. 51.
- ^ Haldon 2001, p. 52; Greatrex & Lieu 2002, pp. 142–166.
- ^ a b Greatrex & Lieu 2002, p. 167.
- ^ Whitby & Whitby 1986, pp. 31
- ^ Greatrex & Lieu 2002, pp. 167–168; Whitby & Whitby 1986, pp. 38–41.
- ^ Greatrex & Lieu 2002, p. 168; Whitby & Whitby 1986, pp. 41–43.
- ^ Greatrex & Lieu 2002, p. 168; Haldon 2001, pp. 52–53; Whitby & Whitby 1986, pp. 43–44; Whitby 1988, pp. 280–281.
- ^ Haldon 2001, p. 53; Whitby 1988, p. 281.
- ^ a b Haldon 2001, p. 53.
- ^ Greatrex & Lieu 2002, p. 169; Haldon 2001, p. 53; Whitby & Whitby 1986, p. 47.
- ^ Haldon 2001, pp. 53, 56; Whitby & Whitby 1986, pp. 47–48.
- ^ a b Haldon 2001, p. 56; Whitby & Whitby 1986, p. 48.
- ^ Greatrex & Lieu 2002, p. 169; Haldon 2001, p. 56; Whitby & Whitby 1986, p. 49.
- ^ Greatrex & Lieu 2002, p. 169; Haldon 2001, p. 56; Whitby & Whitby 1986, pp. 48–49.
- ^ Haldon 2001, pp. 54–55.
- ^ Greatrex & Lieu 2002, p. 169; Whitby & Whitby 1986, pp. 51–55; Whitby 1988, pp. 281–283.
- ^ Whitby 1988, p. 284.
- ^ Greatrex & Lieu 2002, pp. 170–174.
Sources
- Haldon, John (2001). The Byzantine Wars: Battles and Campaigns of the Byzantine Era. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-1795-9.
- Greatrex, Geoffrey; Lieu, Samuel N. C. (2002). The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars (Part II, 363–630 AD). London, United Kingdom: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-14687-9.
- Whitby, Michael; Whitby, Mary (1986). The History of Theophylact Simocatta. Oxford, United Kingdom: Clarendon Press. ISBN 978-0-19-822799-1.
- Whitby, Michael (1988). The Emperor Maurice and his Historian – Theophylact Simocatta on Persian and Balkan Warfare. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-822945-3.