The Battle of Singara was fought in 344 between
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
and
Sasanian Persian forces. The Romans were led in person by Emperor
Constantius II, while the Persian army was led by King
Shapur II of Persia
Shapur II ( pal, 𐭱𐭧𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭩 ; New Persian: , ''Šāpur'', 309 – 379), also known as Shapur the Great, was the tenth Sasanian King of Kings (Shahanshah) of Iran. The longest-reigning monarch in Iranian history, he reigned f ...
. It is the only one of the nine pitched battles recorded to have been fought in a war of over twenty years, marked primarily by indecisive siege warfare, of which any details have been preserved. Although the Persian forces prevailed on the battlefield, both sides suffered heavy casualties.
Background
When
Shapur II
Shapur II ( pal, 𐭱𐭧𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭩 ; New Persian: , ''Šāpur'', 309 – 379), also known as Shapur the Great, was the tenth Sasanian King of Kings (Shahanshah) of Iran. The longest-reigning monarch in Iranian history, he reigned fo ...
, who ascended to the throne of the
Sasanian Empire
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...
in 309 (at the time an unborn infant), came of age and took in hand the administration of his kingdom, he dedicated himself to a lifelong mission of restoring his country's military power, and avenging its recent defeats by the Romans and Saracens. After thoroughly subduing the
Lakhmid Arabs rebellion in the south, he directed his attention towards Rome, his main enemy, in 337. The sacking of a Sasanian city and the deportation of its population may have led to the intervention of Shapur II. He began by recapturing
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
. and then advanced in his first campaign against
Constantius II in the following year, however, the Roman defensive lines resisted and the Persian forces made limited progress.
Battle
The Persian troops initially retreated and broke into the Persian camp. They inflicted heavy casualties including Shapur's son Prince Narseh. However, the Persians counter-attacked and drove the Romans away with heavy losses.
Outcome and aftermath
The death of Shapur's son did not facilitate an amicable settlement of the conflict, and the war dragged on for several years. Shapur, notwithstanding the extent of his victory, proved unable to utilize the event to any further advantage. Two years later, he became bogged down in another siege of
Nisibis
Nusaybin (; '; ar, نُصَيْبِيْن, translit=Nuṣaybīn; syr, ܢܨܝܒܝܢ, translit=Nṣībīn), historically known as Nisibis () or Nesbin, is a city in Mardin Province, Turkey. The population of the city is 83,832 as of 2009 and is ...
, but was then obliged to break off the war to meet the threat of nomadic barbarian invasions in
Sogdiana in the far east.
The war resumed in 359 CE, but ended with no conclusive result. In 363 it was taken up energetically by
Julian
Julian may refer to:
People
* Julian (emperor) (331–363), Roman emperor from 361 to 363
* Julian (Rome), referring to the Roman gens Julia, with imperial dynasty offshoots
* Saint Julian (disambiguation), several Christian saints
* Julian (give ...
, who was successful but died during the campaign. After his death, the Roman army suffered a decisive defeat. His successor,
Jovian
Jovian is the adjectival form of Jupiter and may refer to:
* Jovian (emperor) (Flavius Iovianus Augustus), Roman emperor (363–364 AD)
* Jovians and Herculians, Roman imperial guard corps
* Jovian (lemur), a Coquerel's sifaka known for ''Zoboomafo ...
, was forced to cede extensive Roman territory in the
treaty of Dura, and thus Shapur's ambitions were accomplished.
See also
*
Perso-Roman wars of 337–361
*
Siege of Amida Siege of Amida may refer to:
*Siege of Amida (359) during the Persian–Roman wars
* Siege of Amida (502–503) during the Persian–Roman wars
See also
*Ferret Music
Ferret Music was an American independent record label turned Warner Music G ...
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siege Of Singara
4th-century conflicts
Singara
Singara
Singara
340s in the Roman Empire
4th century in Iran
History of Mesopotamia
Constantinian dynasty
344
Shapur II
Constantius II