Caucasian Iberia (Roman Empire)

This article is about the specific polity Caucasian Iberia (Roman Empire) and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.

If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics

Was the Georgian kingdom of Kartli which during Classical Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages was a significant monarchy in the Caucasus, either as an independent state or as a dependent state of larger empires, notably the Sassanid and Roman empires.

Establishment

January 64 BC: Fearing imminent invasion Artoces (probably the Artag of Georgian history) king of the Iberians turned to diplomacy and promised the Romans unconditional friendship. Pompey accepted the terms but because he was alerted by his intelligence service that the Iberians were secretly planning an attack, in the spring of 65 BC he marched his forces into Iberia.

Chronology

Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation

1. Mithridatic Wars

Were three conflicts fought by Rome against the Kingdom of Pontus and its allies between 88 BC and 63 BC. They are named after Mithridates VI, the King of Pontus during the course of the wars.

1.1.Third Mithridatic War

Was the last and longest of the three Mithridatic Wars, fought between Mithridates VI of Pontus and the Roman Republic. The conflict ended in defeat for Mithridates, ending the Pontic Kingdom, ending the Seleucid Empire (by then a rump state), and also resulting in the Kingdom of Armenia becoming an allied client state of Rome.

1.1.1.Caucasian campaign of Pompey

Was a succesful Roman military campaign led by Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the Caucasus during the Third Mithridatic War.

2. Pontic War

Was a military campaign waged by Julius Caesar (at the same time of his war against Pompeius) that lead to the Roman submission of the Kingdom of Pontus.

January 47 BC: Pharnace of Pontus moved to the southeast along the Black Sea coast and without difficulty subjugated Colchis and all of Armenia.

August 47 BC: Caesar decisively defeated Pharnaces of Pontus at the Battle of Zela. Pharnaces was killed and Caesar conquered Pontus. In addition, the territories occupied by Pharnaces were freed.

3. Iberian-Armenian War

Was a war between the ancient Kingdoms of Iberia and Armenia.

January 52: Iberia subdues Armenia.

January 54: However, faced with this upset of the regional balance and fearing that Armenia and Iberia would unite as a single powerful kingdom in the hands of Rhadamistus, Tiridates entered Armenia with Parthian support in 53 AD.

4. Roman-Persian Wars

Were a series of Wars between Rome (first the Roman Republic then the Roman Empire and finally the Eastern Roman Empire) and Persia (the Parthian Empire, and then its successor, the Sasanian Empire). The wars were ended by the early Muslim conquests, which led to the fall of the Sasanian Empire and huge territorial losses for the Byzantine Empire.

4.1.Sasanian Campaign of Galerius

Was a military campaign by Roman Emperor Galerius against the Sasanian Empire.

January 299: In the Peace of Nisibis while the Roman empire obtained control of Caucasian Iberia becomes again a vassal state.

4.2.Sasanian Campaign of Julian

Was a military campaign by Roman Emperor Julian against the Sasanian Empire.

4.2.1.Perso-Roman Peace Treaty of 363

Was a peace treaty between the Romans and Sasanians in 363 AD.

January 364: After the emperor Julian was slain during his failed campaign in Persia in 363, Rome ceded control of Iberia to Persia.

4.3.Iberian War

Was a war between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Sasanian Empire over the eastern Georgian kingdom of Iberia - a Sasanian client state that had defected to the Byzantines.

January 526: Iberia, a Sasanian client state, defected to the Byzantines.

January 528: By 527 the Iberian revolt had been crushed.

5. Further events (Unrelated to Any War)

January 117: The next two centuries saw a continuation of Roman influence over the area, but by the reign of King Pharsman II Iberia had regained some of its former power.