What was the Eternal Peace treaty of 532?

The Perpetual Peace, also known as the Eternal Peace, was a peace treaty of indefinite duration signed in 532 between the East Roman Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Persia. It successfully concluded the Iberian War and heralded a period of relatively cordial relations, though it ultimately lasted only until 540 when hostilities resumed. Under the terms of the agreement, the Byzantine emperor Justinian I paid 11,000 pounds of gold to the Sasanian Empire.

What we know

• The Perpetual Peace, or Treaty of Eternal Peace, was signed in 532 between the East Roman Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Persia. [3]
• The treaty was of indefinite duration and concluded the Iberian War that had lasted from 527 to 531. [3]
• As part of the arrangements, Byzantine emperor Justinian I paid 11,000 pounds of gold to the Sasanians. [5]
• The peace lasted only until 540, when Khosrow I violated the treaty and declared war against the Byzantines. [3, 5]

Where to go next

• what caused itWhy did the Iberian War start?
• what followedHow did Khosrow I break the peace in 540?
• how it workedWhat were the financial terms of the Byzantine-Persian treaties?
• the bigger pictureWhat was the broader context of the Roman-Persian wars?
• whoWho was Khosrow I?
• an unexpected connectionHow did an Italian envoy help collapse a peace treaty?Ostrogoth envoys from Italy actively encouraged Sasanian King Khosrow I to violate the Eternal Peace and declare war on the Byzantines.

Sources

• [1]Sasanian Empire (Wikidata Q83891) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Sasanian Empire · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Perpetual Peace (532) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Roman–Persian wars · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Khosrow I · CC BY-SA 4.0