The War of the Three Gods: Romans Persians and the Rise of Islam

About this book

The War of the Three Gods is a military history of the Near and Middle East in the seventh centurywith its chief focus on the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Heraclius (AD 610641)a pivotal and dramatic time in world history. The Eastern Roman Empire was brought to the very brink of extinction by the Sassanid Persians before Heraclius managed to inflict a crushing defeat on the Sassanids with a desperate final gambit. His conquests were short-lived however for the newly converted adherents of Islam burst upon the region administering the coup de grace to Sassanid power and laying siege to Constantinople itself ushering in a new era. Peter Crawford skillfully narrates the three-way struggle between the Christian Roman Zoroastrian Persian and Islamic Arab empires a period of conflict peopled with fascinating characters including Heraclius Khusro II and the Prophet Muhammad himself. Many of the epic battles of the periodNineveh Yarmuk Qadisiyyah and Nahavandand sieges such as those of Jerusalem and Constantinople are described in as rich detail. The strategies and tactics of these very different armies are discussed and analyzed while plentiful maps allow the reader to follow the events and varying fortunes of the contending empires. This is an exciting and important study of a conflict that reshaped the map of the world. Skyhorse Publishing as well as our Arcade imprint are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II the Third Reich Hitler and his henchmen the JFK assassination conspiracies the American Civil War the American Revolution gladiators Vikings ancient Rome medieval times the old West and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.