Yazdegerd III: Difference between revisions
→Early life: Solution to mystery in respect of age - References |
|||
| Line 27: | Line 27: | ||
==Early life== |
==Early life== |
||
There is no concensus over age of Yazdegerd III, [[al-Tabri]] gives age of 21 years<ref name="Tareekh-e-Tabri by Nafees Academy">{{cite book|last1= Habib-ur-Rehman Siddiqui (Devband) |first1= Syed Muhammad Ibrahim Nadvi |title=Tareekh-e-Tabri by Nafees Academy | location=Karachi [[Pakistan]]|pages= 248 Vol-II |language=Urdu from Arabic}}</ref> and [[Abu Hanifa Dinawari]] states that Yazdegerd was 16 years old when installed on the throne. Considering different version about age, figures provided by [[Washington Irving]] stating that "Yazdegerd was in the 34 years of his age, when killed on 23 August, 651 CE" appears to be most appropriate and compatible to events of history related to his period.<ref>{{cite book|last1= Irving|first1= Washington |title=Mahomet and His Successors (In two Volumes) | location=Philadelphia, |page= 282 (Title Othman) |language=English 1872 Edition}}</ref> |
|||
Yazdegerd III was son of the [[Shahriyar Bahar]] of Sasan and an unnamed woman from Baduraya.{{sfn|al-Tabari|1993|p=222}} Shahriyar was the son of [[Khosrau II]], and was killed in 628 by his brother [[Kavadh II]] who sought to secure the throne from any rebellion. After the death of Kavadh, a civil war began in Persia, which was fought between two factions, the Pahlav (Parthian) faction headed by the nephew of [[Vistahm]], [[Farrukh Hormizd]], and the Parsig (Persian) faction headed by the former Sasanian minister [[Piruz Khosrow]]. |
Yazdegerd III was son of the [[Shahriyar Bahar]] of Sasan and an unnamed woman from Baduraya.{{sfn|al-Tabari|1993|p=222}} Shahriyar was the son of [[Khosrau II]], and was killed in 628 by his brother [[Kavadh II]] who sought to secure the throne from any rebellion. After the death of Kavadh, a civil war began in Persia, which was fought between two factions, the Pahlav (Parthian) faction headed by the nephew of [[Vistahm]], [[Farrukh Hormizd]], and the Parsig (Persian) faction headed by the former Sasanian minister [[Piruz Khosrow]]. |
||
During the civil war, Yazdegerd III was hiding in [[Estakhr]]. However, on 16 June 632, Farrukh Hormizd's son and successor [[Rostam Farrokhzad]] and Piruz Khosrow agreed to collaborate with each other and chose Yazdegerd as the new Sasanian king. They had him crowned as king in the [[Zoroastrian]] temple of Anahita in [[Estakhr]] when he was |
During the civil war, Yazdegerd III was hiding in [[Estakhr]]. However, on 16 June 632, Farrukh Hormizd's son and successor [[Rostam Farrokhzad]] and Piruz Khosrow agreed to collaborate with each other and chose Yazdegerd as the new Sasanian king. They had him crowned as king in the [[Zoroastrian]] temple of Anahita in [[Estakhr]] when he was atleast 12 years old.{{sfn|Zarrinkub|1975|p=4}} Yazdegerd III was almost the last living member of the [[House of Sasan]]. One year after his ascension, the [[Muslim conquest of Persia|Muslim Arabs invaded Iran]]. |
||
==Reign== |
==Reign== |
||
Revision as of 19:33, 22 September 2015
| Yazdegerd III | |
|---|---|
| Shahanshah of Ērānshahr | |
 Coin of Yazdegerd III during his last year | |
| Reign | 16 June 632 – 651 |
| Coronation | Estakhr |
| Predecessor | Borandukht |
| Successor | Office abolished |
| Born | 624 |
| Died | 651 (aged 27) Merv |
| Issue | Peroz III Izdundad (Yazaddad) |
| Dynasty | Sasanid dynasty |
| Father | Shahriyar |
| Mother | Unknown |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Yazdegerd III or Yazdgerd III (Middle Persian: 𐭩𐭦𐭣𐭪𐭥𐭲𐭩 Yazdākird, meaning "made by God"; New Persian: یزدگرد), was the thirty-eighth and last king of the Sasanian Empire of Iran from 632 to 651.[1] His father was Shahriyar and his grandfather was Khosrau II (590–628).[2] Yazdegerd III ascended the throne on 16 June 632 when he was 8 years old[3] after a series of internal conflicts.
Early life
There is no concensus over age of Yazdegerd III, al-Tabri gives age of 21 years[4] and Abu Hanifa Dinawari states that Yazdegerd was 16 years old when installed on the throne. Considering different version about age, figures provided by Washington Irving stating that "Yazdegerd was in the 34 years of his age, when killed on 23 August, 651 CE" appears to be most appropriate and compatible to events of history related to his period.[5]
Yazdegerd III was son of the Shahriyar Bahar of Sasan and an unnamed woman from Baduraya.[6] Shahriyar was the son of Khosrau II, and was killed in 628 by his brother Kavadh II who sought to secure the throne from any rebellion. After the death of Kavadh, a civil war began in Persia, which was fought between two factions, the Pahlav (Parthian) faction headed by the nephew of Vistahm, Farrukh Hormizd, and the Parsig (Persian) faction headed by the former Sasanian minister Piruz Khosrow.
During the civil war, Yazdegerd III was hiding in Estakhr. However, on 16 June 632, Farrukh Hormizd's son and successor Rostam Farrokhzad and Piruz Khosrow agreed to collaborate with each other and chose Yazdegerd as the new Sasanian king. They had him crowned as king in the Zoroastrian temple of Anahita in Estakhr when he was atleast 12 years old.[7] Yazdegerd III was almost the last living member of the House of Sasan. One year after his ascension, the Muslim Arabs invaded Iran.
Reign
Early clash with the Muslim Arabs
Yazdegerd later negotiated with fourteen Arab negotiators, and asked them about the reasons for their aggressive behavior towards his Empire. One of the fourteen Arabs shortly replied, "Allah commanded us, by the mouth of His Prophet, to extend the dominion of Islam over all nations." [8] On May, the Muslims defeated a Sasanian force under the Azadbeh near the important strategic Sasanian city of Hira, which was shortly afterwards occupied. After the fall of Hira, Yazdegerd began to pay greater attention to the Muslims; Rostam Farrokhzad sent an army under the Persian military officer Bahman Jadhuyih and the Armenian military officer Jalinus against the Muslims. Rostam is known to have secretly to have told Bahman that: "if Jalinus returns to the like of his defeat, then cut off his head."[9] The Sasanian army managed to defeat the Muslims at the Battle of the Bridge.
In 636, Yazdegerd III ordered Rostam Farrokhzad to subdue the invading Arabs and then told him: "Today you are the [most prominent] man among the Iranians. You see that the people of Iran have not faced a situation like this since the family of Ardashir I assumed power."[9] Envoys then came to Yazdegerd III asking him to consider the dismissal of Rostam in order to replace him with someone around whom the people would rally.[10]
Yazdegerd III asked Rostam for an assessment of the Arab forces since they had camped at Qadisiyyah.[11] Rostam Farrokhzad stated that the Arabs were "a pack of wolves, falling upon unsuspecting shepherds and annihilating them."[11] Yazdegerd III responds to Rostam by saying,
It is not like that. The Arabs and the Persians are comparable to an eagle who looked upon a mountain where birds take shelter at night and stay in their nests at the foot of it. When morning came, the birds looked around and saw that he was watching them. Whenever a bird became separated from the rest, the eagle snatched him. The worst thing that could happen to them would be that all would escape save one.[12]
Last stand
However, the Sasanian army suffered a heavy defeat at the battle of al-Qādisiyyah, and Rostam Farrokhzad, Bahman, Jalinus, Shahriyar bin Kanara (who was the son of the kanarang Kanadbak), and two Armenian princes named Grigor II Novirak and Musel III Mamikonian, were killed during the battle. The Arabs then marched towards the Sasanian capital of Ctesiphon without any resistance. Yazdegerd, however, took his treasury, and along with 1,000 of his servants fled to Hulwan in Media, and left Rostam Farrokhzad's brother Farrukhzad in charge of the city, who, however, did not put any resistance and also went to Hulwan. The Arabs subsequently reached Ctesiphon, besieged the western parts of the city, and soon occupied all of it.[13][2] In April 637, the Arabs defeated another Sasanian army at the Battle of Jalula. After this defeat, Yazdegerd fled deeper into Media.[14]
He subsequently raised a new army and sent it to Nahavand to retake Ctesiphon and prevent any further Muslim advances.[15] The army that Yazdegerd sent seemed a threat so big that it led Umar to combine the Arab forces of Kufa and Basra under Al-Nu'man ibn Muqrin and send them against the Sasanians with reinforcements from Syria and Oman. The battle is said to have lasted several days, it resulted in major losses on both sides, including the death of Al-Nu'man ibn Muqrin and the Persian general Mardanshah and Piruz Khosrow. The battle of Nahāvand in 642 was the second military disaster for the Sasanians after the battle of al-Qādisiyyah.[15]
Flight
After the Sasanian disaster, Yazdegerd fled to Isfahan, and raised a small army under a certain military officer named Siyah, who had lost his property to the Arabs. However, Siyah and the rest of the army mutinied against Yazdegerd, and agreed to help the Arabs in return for places to live.[16] Meanwhile, Yazdegerd had arrived in Estakhr, where he tried organizing a base for resistance in the province of Pars. However, in 650, Abdullah ibn Aamir, the governor of Basra, invaded Pars and put an end to the Persian resistance. Estakhr was made into ruins after the battle and a force of 40,000 defenders including many Persian nobles were killed. After the Arab conquest of Pars, Yazdegerd fled to Kerman while being pursued by an Arab force.[15] Yazdegerd managed to flee from the Arab force in a snowstorm at Bimand.
After arriving at Kerman, Yazdegerd became unfriendly with the Marzban of Kerman, and then left Kerman for Sistan. Another Basran army later arrived which defeated and killed the Marzban of Kerman in a bloody fight. When Yazdegerd arrived at Sistan he lost the support of the governor of Sistan by demanding tax from him.[15] Yazdegerd then headed for Merv to join the leader of the Turks. However, when he arrived in Khorasan the people of Khorasan did not agree with Yazdegerd's decision and told him that it was better if he made peace with the Arabs; Yazdegerd, however, refused. Sistan was also later taken by the Arab forces after a bloody fight around 650-652.[15] Yazdegerd was also supported by the Principality of Chaghaniyan, which sent him troops to aid him against the Arabs.
When Yazdegerd arrived in Merv he demanded tax from the Marzban of Merv, losing also his support and making him ally with Nezak Tarkan, the Hephthalite ruler of Badghis, who helped him defeat Yazdegerd and his followers. After his defeat, Yazdegerd was killed by a local miller for his purse while he was trying flee from Merv in 651.[1]
The legend is that he was killed by a miller who robbed him of his clothes and jewellery, but there is a strong suspicion that the governor of Merv was the real culprit.[17]
Ferdowsi, a contemporary of Mahmud of Ghazni, recounts the killing of Yazdegerd III by the miller at the behest of Mahuy Suri.
Mahui sends the miller to cut off his head on pain of losing his own, and having none of his race left alive. His chiefs hear this and cry out against him, and a Mobed of the name of Radui tells him that to kill a king or prophet will bring evil upon him and his son, and is supported in what he says by a holy man of the name of Hormuzd Kharad Shehran, and Mehronush. The miller most unwillingly goes in and stabs him with a dagger in the middle. Mahui's horsmen all go and see him and take off his clothing and ornaments, leaving him on the ground. All the nobles curse Mahui and wish him the same fate.[18]
Zoroastrian calendar
The Zoroastrian religious calendar, which is still in use today, uses the regnal year of Yazdegerd III as its base year,[19] and its calendar era (year numbering system) is accompanied by a Y.Z. suffix. Magians took Yazdegerd III's death as end of the millennium of Zoroaster and the beginning of the millennium of Oshedar.[15]
Family
Yazdegerd's sons Peroz III and Bahram VII fled to China. According to a Shiite tradition, his daughter Shahrbanu[20] married Hussein ibn Ali.[3] Shahrbanu's son was Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, the fourth Shi'ite imam.[20] Some Bahá'í writers have claimed that Bahá'u'lláh's ancestry can be traced back to Yazdegerd III, which was promoted to encourage Zoroastrians to convert to the Bahá'í religion.[21][22] The Muslim scholar Al-Masudi provides different information, claiming Yazdegerd III had two sons, Bahram and Peroz, and three daughters, Shahrbanu, Adrag and Mardawand.[23]
References
- ^ a b Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art (October 2003). "The Sasanian Empire (224-651 A.D.)". Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York.
- ^ a b Bearman, P.; Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van. Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs (2013). "Yazdajird III". Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Shapur Shahbazi 2005.
- ^ Habib-ur-Rehman Siddiqui (Devband), Syed Muhammad Ibrahim Nadvi. Tareekh-e-Tabri by Nafees Academy (in Urdu from Arabic). Karachi Pakistan. pp. 248 Vol-II.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ Irving, Washington. Mahomet and His Successors (In two Volumes) (in English 1872 Edition). Philadelphia,. p. 282 (Title Othman).
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ al-Tabari 1993, p. 222.
- ^ Zarrinkub 1975, p. 4.
- ^ Karaka 1884, p. 15
- ^ a b Pourshariati 2008, p. 217.
- ^ al-Tabari 1992, p. 44.
- ^ a b Pourshariati 2008, p. 224.
- ^ al-Tabari 1992, p. 43.
- ^ Zarrinkub 1975, p. 12.
- ^ Pourshariati 2008, p. 235.
- ^ a b c d e f Morony 1986, pp. 203–210.
- ^ Pourshariati 2008, p. 239.
- ^ Katouzian, Homa, Iranian history and politics: The dialectic of state and society, p. 33.
- ^ The Shah-Namah of Fardusi, trans. Alexander Rogers (LPP Publication), p. 547.
- ^ "The Lalis". Zoroastrian Calendar. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ a b Boyce, Mary (December 1989). "Bibi Sahrbanu". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ Smith, Peter (2000). "Zoroastrianism". A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 369. ISBN 1-85168-184-1.
- ^ Balyuzi, H.M. (1985). Eminent Bahá'ís in the time of Bahá'u'lláh. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. pp. 309–312. ISBN 0-85398-152-3.
- ^ Comparetti, Mateo (July 2009). "Chinese-Iranian Relations xv. The Last Sasanians in China". Encyclopaedia Iranica.
Sources
- Pourshariati, Parvaneh (2008). Decline and Fall of the Sasanian Empire: The Sasanian-Parthian Confederacy and the Arab Conquest of Iran. London and New York: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84511-645-3.
- Shapur Shahbazi, A. (2005). "SASANIAN DYNASTY". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Karaka, Dosabhai Framji (1884), History of the Parsis: including their manners, customs, religion, and present position, vol. I, Macmillan and co., ISBN 0-404-12812-2
- Kennedy, Hugh N. (2004). The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates: The Islamic Near East from the 6th to the 11th Century (Second ed.). Harlow, UK: Pearson Education Ltd. ISBN 0-582-40525-4.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Zarrinkub, Abd al-Husain (1975). "The Arab conquest of Iran and its aftermath". The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 4: From the Arab Invasion to the Saljuqs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–57. ISBN 978-0-521-20093-6.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Morony, M. (1986). "ʿARAB ii. Arab conquest of Iran". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. II, Fasc. 2. pp. 203–210.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - al-Tabari (1993). The Challenge to the Empires. Translated by Khalid Yahya Blankinship. State University of New York Press. p. 222. ISBN 0-7914-0852-3.
- al-Tabari (1992). The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah and the Conquest of Syria and Palestine. Translated by Yohanan Friedmann. Albany: State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-0734-9.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
