KHOSRU II., the Lrandson of Khosru I., was elevated to the throne of Persia, A.D. 590, on the deposition of his father Hormisdas by Bindoes, a noble of the royal blood. In the first year of his reign Khosru was obliged to leave his native country to escape from the treachery of Bahram, who rebelled against his sovereign and seized upon the royal power. Khosru took refuge in the dominions of Maurice, the emperor of Constantinople, who assisted the Persian 'monarch with a numerous army, with which he was enabled to defeat Bahram, and again to obtain possession of the sovereignty. The 1 friendship of Maurice was however purchased by the surrender of some of the most important towns of Mesopotamia and the payment of a large sum of money. During the life of Maurice, peace was pre served between the two nations ; but on his assassination by P.hocas lin 602, Khosru took up arms to revenge the death of his benefactor, and in the space of fourteen years subdued almost all the provinces of the Oreek empire, In 611 Antioch' was taken ; iu the following year Caesarea, the capital of Cappadocia, fell into the hands of the Persians; in 614 the whole of Palestine was subdued ; in 616 Egypt was conquered, and Alexandria taken by Khosru himself; while another Persian army subdued the whole of Asia Minor, and advanced as far as the Bosporus. The Roman empire was on the brink of
ruin ; the capture of Alexandria had deprived the inhabitants of Constantinople of their usual supply of corn ; the northern barbarians ravaged the European ) rovinces ; while the powerful l'ersian army on the Bosporus was making preparation. for the siege of the imperial city. Peace wee earn• stly solicited by Heraclius, who had succeeded Phoeiu in 610, but without /excess. Khoarn however did not cross the Bosporus, and at length, in 621, ho dictated the terms of an ignominious peace to the emperor. But lleraclitus who had hitherto made very few efforts for the defence of his dominions, rejected these term; and in a series of brilliant campaigns (A.D. 622.627) recovered all the provinces be bad lost, repeatedly defeated the Persian monarch, and advanced in his victorious career as far as the Tigris. Khosrn was murdered In the spring of the following year, 623, by his son Sirora.