Heraclius’ Second Counteroffensive

A calm interlude followed. Back in Constantinople, Heraclius took stock and prepared for a joint Turkish-Roman offensive planned for 627. The Turks seem to have struck first, invading with a huge host of their own. They broke through the Persian defences at the Caspian Gates, occupied Part’aw, the regional capital of Albania, and marched west into Iberia. There, before the walls of Tiflis, Heraclius and the khagan staged a ceremonial meeting and agreed on a plan of action. The two armies besieged Tiflis and devastated the country around. At the approach of winter, they parted, the Turks withdrawing across the Caucasus, the Romans embarking on a bold march across the Zagros. After defeating a pursuing Persian army near Nineveh, Heraclius struck south. His presence in the metropolitan region helped precipitate a coup against Khusro, timed to coincide with his return march across the Zagros on 24 February 628.