Xerxes (Sasanian prince)

Xerxes was a 6th-century Sasanian prince who distinguished himself in his war against the Byzantine Empire.

Biography

He was the nephew of the Sasanian king Kavadh I, and is first mentioned as a Sasanian general during the Iberian War between the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires. In 528, Xerxes under an army numbering 30,000 men, fought the Byzantine at the Battle of Thannuris, where the Byzantines suffered a heavy defeat. Ca. 800 Byzantines along with their general Coutzes were captured by the Sasanians.

However, the victory was costly, and the army of Xerxes had lost ca. 502 of his Immortal units. These losses enraged Kavadh I, who had Coutzes imprisoned and disgraced Xerxes.

Sources

• 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.
• Martindale, John Robert; Jones, Arnold Hugh Martin; Morris, J., eds. (1992). The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Volume III: A.D. 527–641. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-20160-5.