“BEFORE AND AFTER NISIBIS”: INTERNATIONAL LEGAL FEATURES OF THE PERSIAN-ROMAN PEACE TREATY OF 363 AD
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/klj/2024.1.1Keywords:
International Legal Personality, Nisibis Perso-Roman Peace Treaty of 363 AD, Roman Empire, Sasanian Ērānšahr, Great Armenia, Historical Rights, Political Rights, Right of Perpetual Possession, Deportation.Abstract
Abstract. The article presents the results of a comprehensive textual and narrative study of the Nisibis Perso-Roman Peace Treaty of 363 AD. The agreement was concluded between the authorized representatives of the Roman Empire and Sasanian Iran. It was the result of an unsuccessful military campaign of the Romans, which was carried out during 363 AD. The ideological basis for the march of the Roman forces to the borders of Persia was the desire to conquer a large part of the Iranian lands. Alexander the Great (336-323 BC) was considered an example of imitation in Roman aristocratic circles. Therefore, Imperial Rome aimed at the complete and irreversible defeat of the Sasanian Dynasty (like the destruction of the Achaemenid Dynasty by Alexander the Great in 330 BC). In the end, the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363) managed to approach the Persian capital (Ctesiphon) but was killed. As a result, the powerful Roman expeditionary corps retreated and was trapped by the main forces of the Persians. The military council quickly elected a new emperor. However, it was Jovian (363-364) who agreed with the Iranian ruler Shapur II (308-380) on the key terms of the Roman-Persian agreements. First, the Roman Empire renounced its “historical rights” to possession in Mesopotamia. Secondly, key fortification points of the borderline were handed over to the Persians, which significantly weakened the defense system of the empire. Thirdly, the agreement provided for the deportation of the Greco-Roman population from Mesopotamia to Syria. They were to be replaced by Iranian colonists. Fourthly, the Romans made Greate Armenia dependent on Iran for thirty years. In addition, the Roman emperor swore not to help Armenia in the event of an oral or written appeal by its basileus to official Constantinople. The article characterizes the key debate between Persian and Roman intellectuals regarding the Armenian dependence on Persia. The attitude of Roman commentators to the facts and circumstances of the conclusion of the agreement is depicted. The tricks used by Emperor Jovian in the case of interpretation of the legal status of Greate Armenia are emphasized. At the same time, the Nisibis Peace Treaty of 363 AD turned out to be a key document for the history of international law of the 4th century. In the end, the consequences of the accepted conditions for the foreign policy course of the successor emperors are specified.
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