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The Siege of Constantinople in 626 by the Avars, aided by large numbers of allied Slavs and the Sassanid Persians, ended in a strategic victory for the Byzantines. The failure of the siege saved the Empire from collapse, and, combined with other victories achieved by Emperor Heraclius (r. 610–641) the previous year and in 627, enabled Byzantium to regain her territories and end the destructive Roman-Persian Wars by enforcing a favorable treaty with borders status quo circa 590.

Background
At the turn of the seventh century several military coups tried to capture the throne of the Roman Empire. In 602, Phocas overthrew Maurice (r. 582–602). The Sassanid king Khosrau II attacked, using the coup as a pretext for war. The incumbent Byzantine emperor, and established a reign of terror and incompetence, leading the Empire into anarchy. Laws were passed condemning Jews whilst religious and administrative mishandling left the Empire in a sorry state when the Sassanid king Khosrau II (r. 590–628) attacked, using the coup as a pretext for war. The Persians military expeditions were successfu, until only Anatolia remained in Roman hands. Later, Phocas was overthrown by the son of the then Exarch of Carthage, Heraclius. A general of astounding energy yet limited experience, Heraclius immediately began undoing much of Phocas's damaging work that he had procured whilst Emperor. Yet, despite his offensives into Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) Heraclius was unable to stop his Persian enemies from laying siege to his capital where from Chalcedon they were able to launch their attack. From 14–15 May 626, riots in Constantinople against John Seismos occurred because he wanted to cancel the bread rations of the scholae or imperial guards and raise the cost of bread from 3 to 8 folles. He did this conserve government resources, but he was removed. However, there were further disturbances in the city.

Siege
Also assisting in the siege was a host of 80,000 Avars, bent on removing all Roman/Byzantine imperial rule over Europe. The Persians had arrived in Chalcedon before Phocas was overthrown. However, it was only when the Avars began moving forward heavy siege equipment towards the Theodosian Walls that a siege became clear.

Fortunately for the defenders, the soldiers of the capital numbered some 12,000 and consisted of cavalry - normally a well-trained arm of the Greco-Roman army at the time. Adding no small bonus was the Patriarch of Constantinople whose cries for religious zeal among the peasantry around Constantinople was made ever more effective by the fact that they were facing heathens. Consequently, every assault became a doomed effort. When the Avar fleet and the Persian fleet were sunk in two different naval engagements, the attackers panicked and fled abandoning the siege apparently under the belief that divine intervention had won the day for Byzantium.

Religious Interpretation
Shortly after the Siege of 626, historians started attributing the victory to the aid of Mother Mary, the Virgin Mother of God. The fact that the Church of St. Mary of Blachernae was across from where the Byzantine fleet defeated the Slavs has led historians such as the author of the Chronicon Paschale to speculate that the Slavic ships were sank by the mercy of the Virgin Mary. The anonymous author of the Chronicon Paschale wrote, “God by the welcome intercession of his undefiled Mother, who is in truth our Lady Mother of God and ever-Virgin Mary, with his mighty hand saved this humble city of his from the utterly godless enemies who encircled it.” The author of the Chronicon Paschale records the Avar ruler as having said, “I see a woman in stately dress running about on the wall all alone.” The context implies that it was the Virgin Mary defending the city. The ninth century historian, Theophanes the Confessor, wrote, “For ten days they besieged the city by land and sea, but were defeated by God’s power and cooperation and intercession of His immaculate Virgin Mother.” The importance placed on the role of the Virgin Mary in the defense of the city has led modern historians to contemplate the role that religious symbols played in the city’s defenses. Historian Bissera V. Pentcheva argues that at the time of the Avar siege of 626, worshipers of the Virgin Mary placed importance on religious relics, not images. In opposition, historian Paul Speck argues that images of the Virgin Mary were used in the cities defenses during the Siege of 626.

Aftermath
The loss came just after news had reached them of yet another Byzantine victory, where Heraclius's brother Theodore scored well against the Persian general Shahin. Following this, Heraclius led an invasion into Mesopotamia once again, defeating another Persian army at Nineveh. Afterwards, he marched on to Ctesiphon where anarchy reigned allowing Heraclius to extract ever more favorable terms as one Persian king was overthrown by another. Eventually, the Persians were obliged to withdraw all armed forces and return Egypt, the Levant and whatever imperial territories of Mesopotamia and Armenia were in Roman hands at the time of an earlier peace treaty in circa 595. The war over, neither the Persians nor the Byzantines would cross swords again until the Arab-Islamic invasion broke the power of both Empires.

Assessment
The siege of 626 failed because the Avars did not have the patience or technology to conquer the city. The walls of Constantinople easily defended against the siege towers and engines. Furthermore, the Persians and Slavs did not have a strong enough navy to ignore the sea walls and establish a channel of communication. The lack of supplies for the Avars eventually caused them to abandon the siege.