Shapur I vs Wang Mang

Shapur I defeated the Roman emperor Gordian III at Misiche in Mesopotamia. Gordian died during or shortly after the battle, and his successor Philip the Arab signed a peace treaty favorable to the Sassanids, paying a large ransom.

Shapur I captured the Roman emperor Valerian in battle near Edessa. Valerian was taken prisoner and spent the rest of his life in Persian captivity, a humiliation unprecedented in Roman history. Shapur used this victory to extract tribute and territory.

Following the capture of Valerian, Shapur I invaded Syria and sacked the city of Antioch, a major Roman center. The Sassanid army plundered the city and deported many inhabitants to Persia, demonstrating the empire's military reach.

Shapur I commissioned rock reliefs and inscriptions at Naqsh-e Rostam, depicting his victories over Roman emperors. The trilingual inscription (Middle Persian, Parthian, Greek) details his campaigns and the extent of his empire, serving as a key historical source.

Shapur I founded the city of Bishapur in Fars province, modeled partly on Roman urban planning. The city featured a palace with mosaics and reliefs celebrating his victories, becoming a major Sassanid administrative and cultural center.

Wang Mang introduced a series of complex and frequently changing currency systems, including new coinages and the demonetization of older coins. These reforms caused severe economic disruption, inflation, and widespread hardship.

Wang Mang nationalized all land, declaring it 'king's land' (wangtian), and abolished private land ownership. He redistributed land to peasant families in an attempt to reduce inequality and stabilize the economy.

Wang Mang issued an edict abolishing slavery, declaring that all slaves were to be freed and their sale prohibited. This radical measure was met with resistance from the elite and was poorly enforced, contributing to social instability.

Wang Mang, a Han dynasty regent, forced the child emperor Liu Ying to abdicate and proclaimed himself emperor, founding the Xin dynasty. This ended the Western Han dynasty and began a period of radical reform.

Widespread peasant revolts, most notably the Red Eyebrows (Chimei), erupted across China in response to Wang Mang's failed reforms, famine, and conscription. These rebellions rapidly grew into a massive insurgency that destabilized the Xin dynasty.

A Han loyalist army led by Liu Xiu (later Emperor Guangwu) decisively defeated a much larger Xin dynasty force at Kunyang. This victory broke the back of Wang Mang's military power and paved the way for the restoration of the Han dynasty.

As rebel forces stormed the capital Chang'an, Wang Mang was killed in a melee in the Weiyang Palace. His head was taken and displayed, and the Xin dynasty was extinguished, ending his 14-year reign.