The Roman Empire in the East did not long remain at the
pinnacle of greatness to which Justinian had raised it. His conquests, indeed,
weakened rather than strengthened the empire, since now there were much more
extensive frontiers to defend. Within half a century after his death it was
attacked both in Europe and in Asia. The Lombards soon seized Italy, and in
the East the Persians renewed their contest against the Roman power.
PERSIANS
The struggle with the Persians was an inheritance from
earlier times. Under an ambitious king, Chosroes II, the Persians overran
all the Asiatic provinces of the empire. A savior arose, however, in the person
of the Roman emperor, Heraclius (610-641 A.D.). His brilliant campaigns against
Chosroes partook of the nature of a crusade, or "holy war," for the
Persians had violated the Holy Sepulcher at Jerusalem and had stolen away the
True Cross, the most sacred relic of Christendom. Heraclius recovered all his
provinces, but only at the cost of a bloody struggle which drained them of men
and money and helped to make them fall easy victims to foes still more terrible
than the Persians. These were the Arabs.
