User:HistoryofIran/Asfar ibn Shiruya

Sasanian Empire Ērānshahr
224–651
Derafsh Kaviani (Flag) Simurgh (Royal emblem)
The Sasanian Empire at its greatest extent c. 620, under Khosrow II
Capital	Gor (224–226) Ctesiphon (226–637)
Common languages	Middle Persian (official) Middle Aramaic (lingua franca) Regional / local languages
Religion	Zoroastrianism (official) Christianity Judaism Manichaeism Mazdakism
Government	Feudal monarchy
Notable shahanshahs
• 224–242	Ardashir I (first)
• 240–270	Shapur I
• 309–379	Shapur II
• 399–420	Yazdegerd I
• 420–438	Bahram V
• 488–531	Kavad I
• 531–579	Khosrow I
• 590–628	Khosrow II
• 632–651	Yazdegerd III (last)
Historical era	Late Antiquity
• Battle of Hormozdgan	28 April 224
• Climactic Roman–Sasanian War of 602-628	602–628
• Civil war	628-632
• Muslim conquest	633–651
• Empire collapses	651
Area
550	3,500,000 km2 (1,400,000 sq mi)
ISO 3166 code	IR
Preceded by Succeeded by Parthian Empire Kingdom of Iberia Kushan Empire Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity) Qarinvand dynasty Zarmihrids Rashidun Caliphate Dabuyid dynasty Masmughans of Damavand Bavand dynasty

The Sasanian Empire (/səˈsɑːniən, səˈseɪniən/), or Neo-Persian Empire (known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr, or Iran, in Middle Persian), was the last Iranian Empire before the rise of Islam. Ruled by the Shahanshah (King of Kings) and based in Western Asia, at its largest extent it stretched from Anatolia, the Aegean Sea and Libya in the west, to the Indus Valley and the Oxus River in the east, and from the North Caucasus in the north, to southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula in the south. Its capital was centered at Ctesiphon in Mesopotamia, which had also served as the capital of its predecessors, the Arsacid Empire. Although the founders of the empire were Persian natives of the Fars Province in southwestern Iran like the Achaemenid Empire (650-330 BC), they called their domains for Ērānshahr ("the Empire of the Iranians"), which shaped older concepts of an Iranian identity into a new political idea.

The Sasanian Empire was founded by Ardashir I after his victory at Hormozdgan over the last the Arsacid ruler, Artabanus V. His son and successor, Shapur I continued his father's vigorous campaigns, conquering most of the territories of the Kushan Empire, which was given to a prince from the Sasanian royal family, known as the Kushanshah. In the 3rd-century the Sasanians were generally occupied with war against the Roman Empire. At the start of the 4th-century the Roman emperor Constantine the Great and Sasanian ruler Shapur II acknowledged each other as equals. In the 5th-century, due to internal turmoil and incursions by the Hephthalites in the east, the Sasanian Empire was heavily weakened. The empire was reborn due to the reforms and campaigns of Kavad I and his son and successor Khosrow I Anushirvan.

In the 7th-century, the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628 under Khosrow II Parviz greatly exhausted the empire's resources and resulted in his eventual overthrow and death, which culminated in a chaotic civil war, resuming the centuries old hostilities between the Persian (Parsig) and Parthian (Pahlav) noble-families, which split up the wealth of the nation. The empire was not long after conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate during the Arab conquest of Iran.

Name

The term Sasanian is derived from Sasan, the grandfather of Ardashir I, a local dynast in Pars, who after killing Artabanus V declared himself "King of Kings of the Iranians." He called his domains for Ērānshahr as a "conscious re-employment of an ethnicon which was also political" in order to please the national pride of the diverse Iranian peoples living in the country, such as Persians, Parthians, Sakastanians, Aturpatakanians, Heratians, and other Iranians, surprisingly even the Armenians, who, although of non-Iranian stock were closely associated with the Iranians. Under Ardashir I's son and successor, Shapur I, the size of the empire increased further, and as a result the royal title was extended to "King of Kings of Iranians and non-Iranians" due to many non-Iranians now becoming part of the empire.

The Achaemenid Empire, also of Persian stock, had originally referred to their dominions as "Asia" or "this Empire" (ima xšassam), in the same sense of that of "das Reich" in German, or the "United Kingdom" in English. The empire, due to its vast population of non-Iranians, was unable to call their state for ariyānām xšaθra ("the Iranian Empire"). The eastern part of the empire, however, mainly populated by the same Iranian peoples of the later Sasanian era, was known as Ariana in Greek sources, derived from Old Persian usage of ariyānām xšaθra. After Alexander the Great's conquest of the Achaemenid Empire, the usage of the term ariyānām xšaθra was surpressed, later to be revived by the Arsacid dynasty, who called their domains in Parthia and Aria by the name.

Origins and early history

The Sasanian family may have originally been of Eastern Iranian stock; indeed, Papak along with his sons Ardashir and Shapur were seen as foreigners in Pars. The names of Papak and Sasan are unattested in Pars, with later Islamic sources even referring the family as "usurpers of the throne." They possibly had connections with the Indo-Parthians of Sakastan, however, this remains uncertain.

History

Bahram I

Following Bahram I's accession to the throne, the rise of the authority of the Zoroastrian priesthood, and the increasing influence of Kartir, this changed. When Mani arrived at the city of Gundishapur there was uproar, in the same fashion as Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. After protests from Kartir and the other Zoroastrian priests, Bahram I was persuaded to imprison Mani, who was sentenced to death in 274.

Mani's death was followed by the persecution of his followers by Kartir and the Zoroastrian clergy, who moved against the kingdom's religious minorities as a way to increase and spread their influence. To the Zoroastrian clergy, Mani had been seen as a heterogeneous philosopher and a threatening pagan, who presented an obscure perception of Zoroastrianism that was tainted by Jewish, Buddhist, and Christian ideas. With the backing of Bahram I, Kartir laid the foundations for a Zoroastrian state church, which led to Bahram becoming applauded in Sasanian-based sources as a "benevolent and worthy king". Bahram I was nevertheless, like his predecessors, a "lukewarm Zoroastrian".

Bahram I died in September 274 and was succeeded by his son Bahram II.

Bahram II

Bahram II was met with considerable challenges during his reign. His brother Hormizd I Kushanshah, who governed the eastern portion of the empire (i.e., the Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom), rebelled against him. Hormizd I Kushanshah was the first Kushano-Sasanian ruler to mint coins with the inscription of "Hormizd, the Great Kushan King of Kings" instead of the traditional "Great Kushan King" title. The Kushano-Sasanian king, now laying claims to the title of King of Kings, which had originally also been used by the Kushan Empire, displays a "noteworthy transition" (Rezakhani) in Kushano-Sasanian ideology and self-perception and possibly a direct dispute with the ruling branch of the Sasanian family. Hormizd I Kushanshah was supported in his efforts by the Sakastanis, Gilaks, and Kushans. Another revolt also occurred in Sakastan, led by Bahram II's cousin Hormizd of Sakastan, who has been suggested to be the same person as Hormizd I Kushanshah. However, according to the Iranologist Khodadad Rezakhani, this proposal must now be disregarded. At the same time, a revolt led by a high-priest (mowbed) occurred in the province of Khuzestan, which was seized by the latter for a period.

Meanwhile, the Roman emperor Carus, hearing of the civil war occurring in the Sasanian Empire, chose to take advantage of the situation by making a campaign into the empire in 283. He invaded Mesopotamia while Bahram II was in the east, and even besieged the Sasanian capital of Ctesiphon without much fighting. The Sasanians, due to severe internal problems, were unable to mount an effective coordinated defense at the time; Carus and his army may have captured Ctesiphon. However, Carus briefly died afterwards, reportedly being struck by lightning. The Roman army as a result withdrew, and Mesopotamia was re-captured by the Sasanians.

Consolidation of the empire

"Victory" of Bahram II over Roman Emperor Carus is depicted in the top panel, and the victory over Hormizd I Kushanshah is depicted in the bottom panel at Naqsh-e Rostam

The following year, Bahram II made peace with the Romans, now ruled by Diocletian, who was faced with internal issues of his own. The terms of the peace was reportedly that Armenia was to be divided between the two empires, with Western Armenia being ruled by the pro-Roman Arsacid prince Tiridates III, and the remaining greater portion being kept by Narseh. However, this division is dismissed by the modern historian Ursula Weber, who argues that it conflicts with other sources, and that the Sasanians most likely kept control over Armenia until the later Peace of Nisibis (299). In the same year, Bahram II secured the Iberian throne for Mirian III, an Iranian nobleman from the House of Mihran, one of the Seven Great Houses of Iran. The motive behind was to strengthen Sasanian authority in the Caucasus and utilize the position of the Iberian capital Mtskheta as an entrance to the important passes through the Caucasus Mountains. This was of such importance to Bahram II, that he allegedly himself went to Mtskheta in order to secure Mirian III's position. He also sent one of his grandees named Mirvanoz (also a Mihranid) to the country in order to act as the guardian of Mirian III, who was then aged seven.

By the time of Bahram II's death in 293, the revolts in the east had been suppressed, with his son and heir Bahram III being appointed the governor of Sakastan, receiving the title of sakanshah ("King of the Saka"). Following Bahram II's death, Bahram III, against his own will, was proclaimed shah in Pars by a group of nobles led by Wahnam and supported by Adurfarrobay, governor of Meshan. After four months of reigning, however, he was overthrown by Narseh, who had Wahnam executed. The line of succession was thus shifted to Narseh, whose descendants continued to rule the empire until its fall in 651.

Shapur III

The Roman–Sasanian dispute over Armenia was renewed at Shapur III's accession; his father had conquered the province, along with Iberia and Caucasian Albania. Shapur II had allowed the Arsacid dynasty to continue ruling Armenia as a Sasanian vassal. A small part of Armenia, however, remained under Roman rule. In 383 or 384, with the intention to increase Roman holdings in Armenia, Emperor Theodosius I sent an army to the Roman-Sasanian border. However, a war was averted when the two powers agreed to come to terms through diplomacy.

An agreement was made to partition Armenia. The boundary stretched through Theodosiopolis in the north and Amida in the south, which meant that most of Armenia remained in Sasanian hands. When this treaty exactly took place is unsure; most scholars believe the treaty was made in 387, whilst a few others state 384 or even in 389 or 390. Both sides were to cooperate in the defense of the Caucasus, with the Romans agreeing to pay the Iranians roughly 500 lbs (226 kg) of gold at irregular intervals. While the Romans saw this payment as political allocations, the Iranians saw it as tribute.

Besides the dispute over Armenia, Shapur III seems to have clashed with the Alchon Huns to the east; coinage indicates that the Alchon Huns seized Kabul from him sometime before 388. They duplicated the same coin mints issued by Shapur III, with the only difference being the newly added Bactrian inscription "αλχοννο" (alxanno), added to display their takeover of Sasanian territory. The loss of the city was a major blow, as it had been a center of coin manufacture since the 360s.

Shapur III died in 388, after reigning for five years. He died when some nobles cut the ropes of a large tent that he had erected in one of his palace courts, so that the tent fell on top of him. He was succeeded by his son Bahram IV.

Yazdegerd I

Yazdegerd I's largely-uneventful reign is seen in Sasanian history as a period of renewal. Although he was periodically known as "the Sinner" in native sources, Yazdegerd was more competent than his recent predecessors. He enjoyed cordial relations with the Eastern Roman Empire and was entrusted by Arcadius with the guardianship of the latter's son Theodosius. Yazdegerd I is known for his friendly relations with the Jews and Christians of the Church of the East, which he acknowledged in 410. Because of this, he was praised by Jews and Christians as the new Cyrus the Great (r. 550 – 530 BC, king of the Iranian Achaemenid Empire who liberated the Jews from captivity in Babylon).

The king's religious, peaceful policies were disliked by the nobility and Zoroastrian clergy, whose power and influence he strove to curb. This eventually backfired, and Yazdegerd I met his end at the hands of the nobility in the remote northeast. The nobles then sought to stop Yazdegerd's sons from the ascending the throne; his eldest son, Shapur IV, was quickly killed after his accession and replaced with Khosrow. Another son, Bahram V, hurried to the Sasanian capital of Ctesiphon with an Arab army and pressured the nobility to acknowledge him as shah.

Bahram V

Bahram V's reign was generally peaceful, with two brief wars—first against his western neighbours, the Eastern Roman Empire, and then against his eastern neighbours, the Kidarites, who were disturbing the Sasanian eastern provinces. It was also during his reign that the Arsacid line of Armenia was replaced by a marzban (governor of a frontier province, "margrave"), which marked the start of a new era in Armenia, known in Armenian historiography as the "Marzpanate period".

Bahram V is a central figure in several of the most famous works in Persian literature. He is mentioned in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh ("Book of Kings") written between 977 and 1010, and he is the protagonist of Nizami Ganjavi's romantic epic Haft Peykar (also known as the "Bahramnameh"), written in 1197. The Seven Beauties were princesses, which—in Nizami's imagination—became Bahram's wives and received each their own residence in his palace. He visited them on a rotating basis, and they entertained him with exciting stories. He is also the focal point in the Hasht-Behesht ("Eight Paradises"), written by Amir Khusrow in ca. 1302.

Bahram V is remembered as one of the most famous kings in Iranian history, due to his cancellation of taxes and public debt at celebratory events, his encouragement of musicians, and his enjoyment of hunting. He was succeeded by his son Yazdegerd II (r. 438–457).

Peroz I

His reign was marked by war and famine. At his accession, he successfully quelled a rebellion in Caucasian Albania in the west, and put an end to the Kidarites in the east, briefly expanding Sasanian rule into Tokharistan, where he issued gold coins of himself at Balkh. However, he soon clashed with the former subjects of the Kidarites, the Hephthalites, who had previously helped him to gain his throne. He was defeated and captured twice by the Hephthalites and lost his recently acquired possessions. Simultaneously, Iran was suffering from a seven-year famine.

In 482, revolts broke out in the provinces of Armenia and Iberia, led by Vahan Mamikonian and Vakhtang I respectively. Before Peroz could quell the unrest there, he was defeated and killed in his third war with the Hephthalites, who seized the main Sasanian cities of the eastern region of Khorasan−Nishapur, Herat and Marw. Taking advantage of the weakened Sasanian authority in the east, the Nezak Huns subsequently seized the region of Zabulistan. Peroz was the last shahanshah to mint unique gold coins in the Indian region Sindh, which indicates that the region was lost around the same period.

Peroz's wars against the Hephthalites have been described as "foolhardy" in both contemporary and modern historiography. His defeat and death introduced a period of political, social and religious tumult. The empire reached its lowest ebb; the shahanshah was now a client of Hephthalites and was compelled to pay tribute, while the nobility and clergy exerted great influence and authority over the nation, being able to act as king-makers.

The magnates—most notably Sukhra and Shapur Mihran—elected Peroz's brother, Balash, as the new shahanshah.

Kavad I

Inheriting a declining empire where the authority and status of the Sasanian kings had largely ended, Kavad tried to reorganize his empire by introducing many reforms whose implementation was completed by his son and successor Khosrow I. They were made possible by Kavad's use of the Mazdakite preacher Mazdak leading to a social revolution that weakened the authority of the nobility and the clergy. Because of this, and the execution of the powerful king-maker Sukhra, Kavad was imprisoned in the Castle of Oblivion ending his reign. He was replaced by his brother Jamasp. However, with the aid of his sister and an officer named Siyawush, Kavad and some of his followers fled east to the territory of the Hephthalite king who provided him with an army. This enabled Kavad to restore himself to the throne in 498/9.

Bankrupted by this hiatus, Kavad applied for subsidies from the Byzantine emperor Anastasius I. The Byzantines had originally paid the Iranians voluntarily to maintain the defense of the Caucasus against attacks from the north. Anastasius refused the subsidies, which led Kavad to invade his domains, thus starting the Anastasian War. Kavad first seized Theodosiopolis and Martyropolis respectively, and then Amida after holding the city under siege for three months. The two empires made peace in 506, with the Byzantines agreeing to pay subsidies to Kavad for the maintenance of the fortifications on the Caucasus in return for Amida. Around this time, Kavad also fought a lengthy war against his former allies, the Hephthalites; by 513 he had re-taken the region of Khorasan from them.

In 528, war between the Sasanians and Byzantines erupted again, because of the Byzantines refusal to acknowledge Khosrow as Kavad's heir, and a dispute over Lazica. Although Kavad's forces suffered two notable losses at Dara and Satala, the war was largely indecisive, with both sides suffering heavy losses. In 531, while the Iranian army was besieging Martyropolis, Kavad died from an illness. He was succeeded by Khosrow I, who inherited a reinvigorated and mighty empire that equaled that of the Byzantines.

Because of the many challenges and issues Kavad successfully overcame, he is considered one of the most effective and successful kings to rule the Sasanian Empire. In the words of the Iranologist Nicholas Schindel, he was "a genius in his own right, even if of a somewhat Machiavellian type."

Khosrow I

Inheriting a reinvigorated empire at war with the Byzantines, Khosrow I made a peace treaty with them in 532, known as the Perpetual Peace, in which the Byzantine emperor Justinian I paid 11,000 pounds of gold to the Sasanians. Khosrow then focused on consolidating his power, executing conspirators, including his uncle Bawi. Dissatisfied with the actions of the Byzantine clients and vassals, the Ghassanids, and encouraged by the Ostrogoth envoys from Italy, Khosrow violated the peace treaty and declared war against the Byzantines in 540. He sacked the city of Antioch, bathed in the Mediterranean Sea at Seleucia Pieria, and held chariot races at Apamea where he made the Blue Faction—which was supported by Justinian—lose against the rival Greens. In 541, he invaded Lazica and made it an Iranian protectorate, thus initiating the Lazic War. In 545, the two empires agreed to halt the wars in Mesopotamia and Syria, while it waged on in Lazica. A truce was made in 557, and by 562 a Fifty-Year Peace Treaty was made.

In 572, Justin II, the successor of Justinian, broke the peace treaty and sent a Byzantine force into the Sasanian region of Arzanene. The following year, Khosrow besieged and captured the important Byzantine fortress-city of Dara, which drove Justin II insane. The war would last till 591, outliving Khosrow. Khosrow's wars were not only based in the west. To the east, Khosrow, in an alliance with the Göktürks finally put an end to the Hephthalite Empire, which had inflicted a handful of defeats on the Sasanians in the 5th-century, killing Khosrow's grandfather Peroz I. To the south, Iranian forces led by Wahrez defeated the Aksumites and conquered Yemen.

Khosrow I was known for his character, virtues and knowledge. During his ambitious reign, he continued his father's project of making major reforms in the social, military, and economic aspects of the empire, increasing the welfare and the revenues, establishing a professional army, and founding or rebuilding many cities, palaces, and infrastructures. He was interested in literature and philosophy, and under his reign, art and science flourished in Iran. Khosrow was the most distinguished of the Sasanian kings, and his name became, like that of Caesar in the history of Rome, a designation of the Sasanian kings. Due to his accomplishments, he has been hailed as the new Cyrus.

At the time of his death, the Sasanian Empire had reached its greatest extent since Shapur II, stretching from Yemen in the west to Gandhara in the east. He was succeeded by his son Hormizd IV.

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