Chosroes I

   Persian king (531-579) whose long reign was a glorious counterpart to Justinian I's (q.v.) reign. He was a reformer, like Justinian I, who revamped the internal administration of his kingdom, made the army (q.v.) more efficient and battle-ready, and patronized scholarly works. Yet it was his wars with Byzantium (q.v.) that overshadowed all else. His first war (527-532) resulted in an "everlasting" peace (requiring annual tribute to Persia [q.v.]) that allowed Justinian I the freedom to pursue his conquest of the West. However, war resumed in 540 when he invaded Syria and captured Antioch (qq.v.). A struggle over Lazika (q.v.) dragged on until a general treaty, pledging peace for 50 years, was signed in 561. Byzantine control over Lazika was confirmed, but there was little else to show for decades of intermittent warfare. War erupted in 572 when Justin II (q.v.) refused tribute to the Persians. The main theater of war was Armenia (q.v.), which Byzantium was unable to retain.