Geiseric vs Khosrow II

Geiseric captured Carthage from the Roman Empire, making it the capital of the Vandal Kingdom. This conquest gave the Vandals control of North Africa's grain supply and a powerful naval base, enabling Mediterranean raids.

Geiseric signed a treaty with the Roman Empire that recognized Vandal control over North Africa. The treaty granted the Vandals legitimacy and a period of peace, allowing Geiseric to consolidate his kingdom.

Geiseric led the Vandal fleet to Rome and sacked the city for 14 days. Unlike earlier barbarian sacks, the Vandals systematically looted treasures, including the spoils of the Temple of Jerusalem, and took hostages. This event symbolized the decline of Roman power.

Geiseric defeated a massive Roman fleet at Cape Bon using fireships. The victory destroyed the Roman attempt to reconquer North Africa, securing Vandal independence for decades.

Khosrow II's Sassanid forces captured Jerusalem after a three-week siege. The Persians took the True Cross and other Christian relics to Ctesiphon, causing a major psychological and religious shock to the Byzantine Empire.

Khosrow II's armies completed the conquest of Egypt, a vital grain-producing province of the Byzantine Empire. This gave the Sassanids control over the eastern Mediterranean and severely weakened Byzantine resources.

Khosrow II coordinated a joint Sassanid-Avar siege of Constantinople. The city was defended by the Byzantines under Emperor Heraclius. The siege failed, marking a turning point in the war and beginning the Sassanid decline.

The Byzantine Emperor Heraclius defeated the Sassanid army at the Battle of Nineveh. Khosrow II's forces were routed, and the Byzantines advanced toward Ctesiphon, forcing the Sassanids to sue for peace.

Khosrow II was overthrown in a coup led by his son Kavadh II and the Sassanid nobility. He was imprisoned and executed shortly after. His death ended the Sassanid golden age and plunged the empire into a period of civil war and decline.