What was the Lazic War?

The Lazic War was a twenty-year conflict fought between 541 and 562 AD by the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires for control over the Georgian region of Lazica. Also known as the Colchidian War or Great War of Egrisi, it concluded with a treaty requiring the Byzantines to pay annual tribute to Persia in exchange for recognizing Lazica as a Byzantine vassal. Detailed accounts of the war survive through the writings of historians Procopius and Agathias, including events like the siege of Phasis.

What we know

• The Lazic War was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Sasanian Empire from 541 to 562 for control of Lazica. [1, 2]
• The conflict is also known in Georgian historiography as the Great War of Egrisi and alternatively called the Colchidian War. [1, 2]
• The war ended with the Fifty-Year Peace Treaty, which required the Byzantine Empire to pay annual tribute to Persia for recognizing Lazica as a Byzantine vassal state. [2]
• Detailed historical narratives of the conflict were recorded by the 6th-century historians Procopius and Agathias. [2, 5]

Where to go next

• a case in pointWhat happened during the Siege of Phasis?
• what followedHow did the Fifty-Year Peace Treaty shape Byzantine-Persian relations?
• how we knowWhat role did historians Procopius and Agathias play in recording the war?
• the bigger pictureHow does the Lazic War fit into the broader Byzantine-Persian Wars?
• whoWho were the rulers of the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires during the conflict?
• an unexpected connectionHow does a 6th-century Caucasian war connect to a kinetic bomb named Lazy Dog?Both topics share the word lazy in common, linking the ancient Colchidian War over Lazica to a modern unguided projectile used by the U.S. Air Force.

Sources

• [1]Lazic War (Wikidata Q2082222) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Lazic War · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Lazy Dog (bomb) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Lazy Susan · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Siege of Phasis · CC BY-SA 4.0