King of Persia (590–628) who succeeded to the throne after the deposition of his father, Hormidz. After being unseated by a coup, he accepted Byzantine aid to regain his throne in return for most of Armenia. He recovered his territory, with Edessa and Caesarea, in 610. In 611 Jerusalem was taken and several thousand Christians massacred. In 616 Khosrau II simultaneously invaded Egypt, captured Ankara, and besieged Constantinople. A Byzantine counter-attack drove him back to Ctesiphon, where he was assassinated. He had overtaxed the resources of his empire, which fell to Arab conquest within a decade of his death.