Editing Khosrow I (section)

===War with the Byzantine Empire, 572–591===

{{further|Byzantine–Sasanian War of 572–591}}
Justinian died in 565 and left [[Justin II]] to succeed the throne. In 555, the Sasanian governor of Armenia and a relative of Khosrow, [[Chihor-Vishnasp]] (also known as Suren), built a fire temple at the Armenian capital [[Dvin (ancient city)|Dvin]] and put to death a popular and influential member of the [[Mamikonian|Mamikonian family]]. This execution created tremendous civil unrest and led to a revolt and massacre of the governor including the capture of Dvin in 572. Justin II took advantage of this revolt and used it as an excuse to stop paying annual payments to Khosrow, effectively putting an end to the 51 year peace treaty that was established ten years earlier. Khosrow, who tried to avoid another war, sent a Christian diplomat named Sebokht to Constantinople in order to try to persuade Justin to change his mind. Justin, however, refused to listen to the diplomat, and prepared to help the Armenians, whom he considered his allies, in their war against Khosrow.{{sfn|Greatrex|Lieu|2002|p=141}} A Byzantine army was sent into Sasanian territory and besieged Nisibis in the same year.{{sfn|Frye|1984}}

Meanwhile, Khosrow sent an army under [[Golon Mihran]] to Armenia, but the latter was defeated in [[Taron (historic Armenia)|Taron]] by the Armenian rebel leader Vardan III Mamikonian, who captured his war elephants as war booty. Sometime later, however, Golon Mihran managed to seize [[Angl]]. During the same time, the [[Siunia dynasty|Siunian]] prince Vahan asked for Khosrow's permission that he could move his court from Dvin to the capital of [[Paytakaran]], a region in eastern Armenia. Furthermore, Vahan also requested that Paytakaran should be merged with the [[Adurbadagan]] province. Khosrow accepted, and did what he asked.{{sfn|Greatrex|Lieu|2002|p=149}}

In 573, Khosrow sent an army under [[Adarmahan]] to invade [[Syria (Roman province)|Syria]], while he himself along with the three [[House of Mihran|Mihranid]] military officers [[Izadgushasp]], [[Fariburz]] and [[Bahram Chobin]]{{sfn|Shahbazi|1988|pp=514–522}}{{sfn|Pourshariati|2008|pp=102}} led an army towards [[Dara (Mesopotamia)|Dara]], where they captured the city after four months, while Adarmahan sacked several cities in Syria, which included [[Apamea, Syria|Apamea]].<ref>{{harvnb|Greatrex|Lieu|2002|pp=146–149, 150}}</ref> Justin reportedly lost his mind after these Byzantine disasters, and abdicated.

He was succeeded by [[Tiberius II Constantine|Tiberius]], a high-ranking military officer in 578.{{sfn|Farrokh|2007|p=240}} Khosrow invaded Armenia once again feeling that he had the upper hand, and was initially successful. Soon after, the tables turned and the Byzantines gained a lot of local support. This made the Sasanians attempt another truce. However, sometime later, Khosrow, with an army consisting of 12,000 Iranian soldiers including a combined of [[Sabir people|Sabir]]-[[Arabs|Arab]] soldiers numbering 8,000 sent by his allies, ravaged the places around [[Resaina]] and [[Viranşehir|Constantia]] in Syria, thus turning the tables once more.{{sfn|Greatrex|Lieu|2002|p=160}} During the same time, one of Khosrow's chief generals, [[Tamkhosrau]], managed to trick Maurice by faking an invasion of Theodosiopolis, and then plundered the countryside of [[Silvan, Diyarbakır|Martyropolis]] and [[Amida (Mesopotamia)|Amida]].{{sfn|Greatrex|Lieu|2002|p=161}}

However, the tables of the war quickly turned again when the newly appointed Byzantine supreme-commander [[Maurice (emperor)|Maurice]] entered the field and captured many Sasanian settlements.{{sfn|Frye|1984}} The revolt came to an end when Khosrow gave amnesty to Armenia and brought them back into the Sasanian empire. Peace negotiations were once again brought back up, but abruptly ended with the death of Khosrow in 579,{{sfn|Farrokh|2007|pp=240–241}} who was succeeded by his son [[Hormizd IV]].