What happened in 538?

In 538, a big kingdom changed hands because of a clever plan by a general.

Imagine you're playing a game of capture the flag with your friends. You’re on one team, and your friend is on the other. Suddenly, your friend sneaks around to take your flag while you’re distracted, poof, you lose! That’s kind of what happened in 538.

There was a kingdom called Persia, and it had been ruled by a family for a long time. But one day, a general named Belisarius came with his army from another kingdom called the Byzantine Empire. He didn’t attack head-on, instead, he went around the city and took its capital, like stealing your flag in the middle of the game.

After that, the Persian king had to give up his throne, and a new ruler from the Byzantine Empire got to be king instead. It was like winning the game because you were clever, not just strong.

So, 538 was the year when one kingdom lost its capital, and another gained it, all thanks to a smart general who played the game just right.