Battles of December 12 including descriptions of the battles, geographic locations, associated artwork, and museums where a person can find associated artifacts and artwork.
Date: December 12, 627 AD
War: Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628 (The final climactic battle of the Roman–Persian Wars).
Cause: Byzantine Emperor Heraclius launched a bold, high-risk winter invasion directly into the Persian heartland of Mesopotamia to force a conclusion to the decades-long conflict, bypassing major Persian armies to threaten the capital.
Result: Decisive Byzantine Victory. The Persian army was shattered, leading to the overthrow of King Khosrow II by his son, who sued for peace. The Byzantines regained all lost territories and the True Cross, restoring the empire’s boundaries.
Location: The plains near the ancient city of Nineveh, modern-day Mosul, Iraq.
Coordinates: 36°21′34″N 43°09′10″E
Paintings:
Battle of Heraclius and Chosroes by Piero della Francesca (c. 1452). This famous fresco is part of the History of the True Cross cycle.
Museums & Collections:
Basilica of San Francesco (Arezzo, Italy): Houses the original Piero della Francesca frescoes.
The British Museum (London, UK): Holds extensive collections of Assyrian reliefs and artifacts from the site of Nineveh (though predating the 627 battle, they define the location’s history).
The Louvre (Paris, France): Contains Sasanian and Byzantine artifacts relevant to the period.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, USA): Features Sasanian era silver plates and weaponry.
Date: December 12, 1782
War: American Revolutionary War.
Cause: The British Royal Navy ship HMS Mediator, commanded by Captain James Luttrell, intercepted a French and American convoy off the coast of Spain that was transporting military supplies to the American colonies.
Result: British Victory. Despite being outnumbered, HMS Mediator successfully cut off and captured the American privateer Alexander and the French transport Ménagère.
Location: In the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Ferrol, Spain.
Coordinates: 43.471°N 8.252°W
Paintings:
HMS ‘Mediator’ engaging French and American vessels, 11-12 December 1782 by Thomas Luny (1783).
HMS Mediator in action, 12 December 1782 by Thomas Wishart (1798).
Museums & Collections:
National Maritime Museum (Greenwich, London, UK): Holds the original Thomas Luny painting and other naval records from the engagement.
Date: December 12, 1917
War: World War I (The North Sea Campaign).
Cause: A flotilla of German destroyers launched a raid against a British convoy in the North Sea to disrupt the vital flow of coal and supplies between the UK and Scandinavia.
Result: German Victory. The German destroyers sank the British destroyer HMS Partridge, damaged HMS Pellew, and destroyed the entire convoy of six merchant ships.
Location: The North Sea, approximately 25 nautical miles off the coast of Bergen, Norway.
Coordinates: 56°00′00″N 03°00′00″E
Paintings:
Note: No famous fine art painting specifically depicting this exact engagement is widely recognized. Visual records primarily consist of period naval photography and technical sketches of the vessels involved (HMS Partridge, SMS G101).
Museums & Collections:
Chatham Naval Memorial (Kent, UK): Commemorates the crew members of HMS Partridge lost during the action who have no known grave.
Portsmouth Naval Memorial (Hampshire, UK): Honors additional naval casualties from the engagement.
Imperial War Museum (London, UK): Holds vast archives of WWI naval history, including logs and reports of the North Sea convoys.
Date: December 12, 1939
War: The Winter War (World War II).
Cause: Following the Soviet invasion of Finland, Finnish forces under Colonel Paavo Talvela launched a counter-offensive in Ladoga Karelia to halt the Soviet 139th Rifle Division’s advance.
Result: Finnish Victory. This was the first major offensive victory for Finland in the war. It provided a critical morale boost, proving the Red Army could be defeated despite their superior numbers.
Location: Near Lake Tolvajärvi, formerly Finland, now in the Republic of Karelia, Russia.
Coordinates: 62°17′17″N 31°29′24″E
Paintings & Art:
While specific canvas masterpieces are rare, the battle is immortalized in the SA-kuva (Finnish Wartime Photograph Archive), which contains iconic images of the frozen battlefield.
Winter War Monument (Sculpture) by Pekka Kauhanen (2017, Helsinki). Though not a painting of this specific battle, it is the primary artistic tribute to the conflict.
Museums & Collections:
Winter War Museum (Kuhmo, Finland): Dedicated entirely to the history of the Winter War, featuring artifacts, maps, and dioramas of the battles in Karelia.
Military Museum of Finland (Helsinki, Finland): Houses weaponry, uniforms, and extensive historical accounts of the battle.
Books for sale
WarScholar Press
Contact Information
For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify
Tags: military museum, military artwork, battles, Byzantine history, American Revolution, WWI, WWII
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
