The War of the Three Gods

July 28, 2014
Over three decades in the seventh century (610–641 C.E.), Mediterranean power shifted away from the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly known as the Byzantine Empire, first to the Persian Sassanid state and then to the newly formed Islamic Arabia. In this dry and plodding military history, historian Crawford dutifully chronicles the various swings in the balance of power, the shadowy political intrigues in each empire, and the several major battles decisive to the eventual triumph of Islamic Arabia over the Byzantine power. Along the way, Crawford introduces readers to Heraclius, the emperor in Constantinople who gained the throne by political maneuverings but faced daunting battles with the Persian state, and to the Persian leader Khurso, who led his armies to decisive victory in Constantinople in 626 only to lose the advantage four years later. By 634, the already frayed fabric of the Eastern Roman Empire unraveled almost entirely in the face of Muslim armies, and Crawford meticulously, though tiresomely, provides a day-to-day chronicle of the battles of Yarmuk and Qadisiyyah. Crawford’s book fails to live up to its title: while he briefly discusses Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and Islam, he fails to make the case that these battles were motivated by religious concerns or disagreements over religious beliefs.