Farrukhzad (;
New Persian
New Persian (), also known as Modern Persian () is the current stage of the Persian language spoken since the 8th to 9th centuries until now in Greater Iran and surroundings. It is conventionally divided into three stages: Early New Persian (8th ...
: ) was an
Iranian
Iranian () may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Iran
** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran
** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia
** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...
aristocrat from the
House of Ispahbudhan and the founder of the
Bavand dynasty
The Bavand dynasty () (also spelled Bavend), or simply the Bavandids, was an Iranian dynasty that ruled in parts of Tabaristan (present-day Mazandaran province) in what is now northern Iran from 651 until 1349, alternating between outright inde ...
, ruling from 651 to 665. Originally a powerful servant of the
Sasanian
The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, the length of the Sasanian dynasty's reign ...
king
Khosrow II
Khosrow II (spelled Chosroes II in classical sources; and ''Khosrau''), commonly known as Khosrow Parviz (New Persian: , "Khosrow the Victorious"), is considered to be the last great Sasanian King of Kings (Shahanshah) of Iran, ruling from 590 ...
(r. 590–628), he, along with several other powerful aristocrats made a conspiracy against the latter and ended his tyrannical rule. They thereafter put Khosrow's son
Kavadh II (r. 628) on the throne, whose rule lasted only a few months, before he was killed by a plague, being succeeded by his son
Ardashir III (r. 628–629), who was only after one year murdered by the rebellious former Sasanian army chief (''
spahbed
''Spāhbad'' (also spelled ''spahbod'') is a Middle Persian title meaning "army chief" used chiefly in the Sasanian Empire. Originally there was a single ''spāhbad'', called the , who functioned as the generalissimo of the Military of the Sasani ...
'')
Shahrbaraz
Shahrbaraz (also spelled Shahrvaraz or Shahrwaraz; New Persian: ) was shah (king) of the Sasanian Empire from 27 April 630 to 9 June 630. He usurped the throne from Ardashir III, and was killed by Iranian nobles after forty days. Before usurp ...
, who usurped the throne.
These events greatly weakened the Sasanian Empire, but by 632, when Khosrow's grandson
Yazdegerd III
Yazdegerd III (also Romanized as ''Yazdgerd'', ''Yazdgird'') was the last Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings from 632 to 651. His father was Shahriyar (son of Khosrow II), Shahriyar and his grandfather was Khosrow II.
Ascending the throne a ...
(r. 632–651) ascended the throne, order was somewhat restored. However, just as peace was about to come,
the Sasanian Empire was invaded by Muslim Arabs, which resulted in the death of many Sasanian veterans, including Farrukhzad's brother
Rostam Farrokhzad
Rostam Farrokhzād () was a dynast from the Ispahbudhan family, who served as the '' spahbed'' ("military marshal") of the northwestern quarter (''kust'') of Adurbadagan under the Sasanian monarchs Boran () and Yazdegerd III (). Rostam is rem ...
himself. Farrukhzad thereafter succeeded the latter as the ''spahbed'' and the leader of the ''Pahlav'' (
Parthia
Parthia ( ''Parθava''; ''Parθaw''; ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Medes during the 7th century BC, was incorporated into the subsequent Achaemeni ...
n) faction, which had been formed by their father
Farrukh Hormizd, who was murdered in 631.
However, Farrukhzad was unable to defeat the Arabs, from one place to another until in 650, when Farrukhzad mutinied against his king, who was shortly killed by one of his servants. Farrukhzad later became the ruler of
Tabaristan in 651, and would rule the region until his murder in 665 by
Valash, a
Karenid aristocrat, who thereafter conquered his domains.
Name
Although his real name was "Farrukhzad" (meaning "the son of Farrukh" or "born with luck and happiness"), he is also known in other sources by various other names, such as Khurrazad, Zad Farrukh, Zinabi Abu'l-Farrukhan and Bav.
Family
Farrukhzad was the son of
Farrukh Hormizd, a prominent aristocrat from the
Ispahbudhan family, who served as the army chief (''
spahbed
''Spāhbad'' (also spelled ''spahbod'') is a Middle Persian title meaning "army chief" used chiefly in the Sasanian Empire. Originally there was a single ''spāhbad'', called the , who functioned as the generalissimo of the Military of the Sasani ...
'') of the
kusts of
Adurbadagan
Adurbadagan (Middle Persian: ''Ādurbādagān/Āδarbāyagān'', Parthian: ''Āturpātākān'') was a northwestern province in the Sasanian Empire, corresponding almost entirely to the present-day Azerbaijan region in Iran. Governed by a ''marzba ...
and
Khorasan—he was one of the generals who led the Sasanian army during the
Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628
The Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628, also called the Last Great War of Antiquity, was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Sasanian Empire. It was the final and most devastating conflict of the Roman–Persian wars (54 BCAD&n ...
, but in 626 along with his comrade
Shahrbaraz
Shahrbaraz (also spelled Shahrvaraz or Shahrwaraz; New Persian: ) was shah (king) of the Sasanian Empire from 27 April 630 to 9 June 630. He usurped the throne from Ardashir III, and was killed by Iranian nobles after forty days. Before usurp ...
rebelled against the Sasanian king
Khosrow II
Khosrow II (spelled Chosroes II in classical sources; and ''Khosrau''), commonly known as Khosrow Parviz (New Persian: , "Khosrow the Victorious"), is considered to be the last great Sasanian King of Kings (Shahanshah) of Iran, ruling from 590 ...
(r. 590–628). Farrukhzad had one brother named
Rostam Farrokhzad
Rostam Farrokhzād () was a dynast from the Ispahbudhan family, who served as the '' spahbed'' ("military marshal") of the northwestern quarter (''kust'') of Adurbadagan under the Sasanian monarchs Boran () and Yazdegerd III (). Rostam is rem ...
, who at that time resided in the Adurbadagan province.
The war with the Byzantines and the overthrow of Khosrow II

Farrukhzad is first mentioned during the reign of Khosrow II, where he occupied high offices and according to the Iranian poet
Ferdowsi
Abu'l-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi (also Firdawsi, ; 940 – 1019/1025) was a Persians, Persian poet and the author of ''Shahnameh'' ("Book of Kings"), which is one of the world's longest epic poetry, epic poems created by a single poet, and the gre ...
was "so close to Khusrow II that none dared to approach him without his permission". In 626, Shahrbaraz and Farrukhzad's father and brother rebelled. In 627, Khosrow then sent Farrukhzad to negotiate with Shahbaraz, who was camping near the Sasanian capital of
Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon ( ; , ''Tyspwn'' or ''Tysfwn''; ; , ; Thomas A. Carlson et al., “Ctesiphon — ܩܛܝܣܦܘܢ ” in The Syriac Gazetteer last modified July 28, 2014, http://syriaca.org/place/58.) was an ancient city in modern Iraq, on the eastern ba ...
. However, Farrukhzad secretly mutinied against Khosrow and joined Shahrbaraz. He then encouraged to remain undivided and not fear the fury of Khosrow. Furthermore, he also said that there were not any grandees (''
wuzurgan
''Wuzurgān'' (, meaning "grandees" or the "great ones"), also known by its Modern Persian form of (), was the name of the high nobility and the third class-rank of the four of the Sasanian aristocracy. After the fall of the Sasanian Empire, the ...
'') who supported him.
Khosrow, however, began suspecting Farrukhzad of treachery but kept it to himself, because he did not want to make the situation worse than it already was. At the same time, Farrukhzad was assembling more people who opposed Khosrow in order to stage a
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup
, is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
. In 628, Farrukhzad freed Khosrow's eldest son
Sheroe from prison and along with several feudal families of the Sasanian Empire, captured Ctesiphon and imprisoned Khosrow. Sheroe was then crowned as the new king and became known by his dynastic name of "Kavadh II".
The feudal families which overthrew Khosrow included: Shahrbaraz, who represented the
Mihran family; the House of Ispahbudhan represented by Farrukh Hormizd and his two sons Rostam Farrokhzad and Farrukhzad; the
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
faction represented by
Varaztirots II Bagratuni; and finally the
Kanarang
The ''kanārang'' () was a unique title in the Sasanian military, given to the commander of the Sasanian Empire's northeasternmost frontier province, Abarshahr (encompassing the cities of Nishapur, Tus and Abiward). In Byzantine sources, it is ...
iyan faction represented by
Kanadbak. Kavadh II thereafter ordered his ''
vizier
A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...
'' (''
wuzurg framadar'')
Piruz Khosrow to execute all his brothers and half-brothers, including Khosrow II's favorite son and heir
Mardanshah
Mardanshah () was a Sassanian Persians, Persian general, the Arabs referred him to as Dhul Hājib (, the "owner of bushy eyebrows") as was Bahman Jadhuyih.
See also
*Battle of Muzayyah
*Battle of the Bridge
*Islamic conquest of Iran
*Early Muslim ...
. Three days later, Kavadh ordered
Mihr Hormozd to execute his father. With the agreement of the nobles of the Sasanian Empire, Kavadh then made peace with the Byzantine emperor
Heraclius
Heraclius (; 11 February 641) was Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the Exarch of Africa, led a revolt against the unpopular emperor Phocas.
Heraclius's reign was ...
. Furthermore, he also took all the properties of Farrukhzad and put him under arrest in
Istakhr.
The Sasanian civil war of 628-632
Following the loss of territory required for the peace treaty, the embittered aristocracy started forming independent states within the Sasanian Empire, thus starting the
Sasanian civil war of 628-632. This divided the resources of the country. Furthermore, dams and canals became derelict, and a devastating plague erupted in the western provinces of Iran, killing half of the population along with Kavadh II, who was succeeded by his 8-year-old son
Ardashir III. Meanwhile, Farrukh Hormizd formed a faction in northern Iran known as the ''Pahlav'' (Parthian) faction, a faction of
Parthia
Parthia ( ''Parθava''; ''Parθaw''; ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Medes during the 7th century BC, was incorporated into the subsequent Achaemeni ...
ns from several families who had rallied under him. During the time same time, however, Piruz Khosrow also formed a faction in southern Iran, known as the ''Parsig'' (Persian) faction.
On 27 April 629, Ardashir was overthrown and killed by Shahrbaraz, who then usurped the throne. Forty days later, however, Farrukh Hormizd killed him and made Khosrow's daughter
Boran the new monarch of the Sasanian Empire. Boran then appointed Farrukh Hormizd as the minister of the empire. She, was, however, quickly deposed by Shahrbaraz's son
Shapur-i Shahrvaraz, who after a brief reign was replaced by
Azarmidokht, the sister of Boran. Azarmidokht, under the advice of the Sasanian nobles, recalled Farrukhzad from his arrest and invited him to serve the Sasanians once again. Farrukhzad, however, declined the invitation and refused to serve under a woman. He then retired in a
fire temple at Istakhr.
In 631, Farrukh Hormizd, in order to seize power, asked Azarmidokht to marry him. Not daring to refuse, Azarmidokht had him killed with the aid of the Mihranid aristocrat
Siyavakhsh
Siyavakhsh (also spelled Siyavash) was an Iranian aristocrat from the House of Mihran who was descended from Bahram Chobin, the famous ''spahbed'' of the Sasanian Empire.
Biography
Siyavakhsh was the son of Mihran Bahram-i Chubin, whose fath ...
, who was the grandson of
Bahram Chobin
Bahrām Chōbīn () or Wahrām Chōbēn (Middle Persian: ; died 591), also known by his epithet Mehrbandak ("servant of Mithra"), was a nobleman, general, and political leader of the late Sasanian Empire and briefly its ruler as Bahram VI ().
So ...
, the famous ''
spahbed
''Spāhbad'' (also spelled ''spahbod'') is a Middle Persian title meaning "army chief" used chiefly in the Sasanian Empire. Originally there was a single ''spāhbad'', called the , who functioned as the generalissimo of the Military of the Sasani ...
'' and briefly ''
shah
Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...
anshah''. She was however, shortly killed by Rostam Farrokhzad, who then restored Boran to the throne. Later in 632, Farrukhzad was once again invited to serve the Sasanians, this time by the newly crowned king
Yazdegerd III
Yazdegerd III (also Romanized as ''Yazdgerd'', ''Yazdgird'') was the last Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings from 632 to 651. His father was Shahriyar (son of Khosrow II), Shahriyar and his grandfather was Khosrow II.
Ascending the throne a ...
, who was a puppet king of Farrukhzad's brother, Rostam Farrokhzad. Farrukhzad accepted and all his properties were restored to him.
The Arab invasion of Iran
The invasion of western Iran

In that same year the
Arabs
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...
, united under the banner of
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
,
invaded the Sasanian Empire. By 636, the Arabs were at
al-Qadisiya, a town close to Ctesiphon, which made Rostam Farrokhzad take action himself. However, Farrukhzad was unable to take part, because he was serving as the ''
marzban
Marzbān, or Marzpān (Middle Persian: 𐭬𐭫𐭱𐭰𐭠𐭭𐭯 transliteration: mrzwpn, derived from Middle Persian: 𐭬𐭫𐭱 ''marz'' "border, boundary" and the Middle Persian suffix: 𐭡𐭭𐭯 ''-pān'' "guardian"; Modern Persian: ...
'' (general of a frontier province, "
margrave
Margrave was originally the Middle Ages, medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or a monarchy, kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain Feudal ...
") of
Balasagan
Balāsagān (an Iranian toponym meaning "country of Balas"; Armenian: ''Bałasakan'', the inhabitants known as '' Bałasičkʻ,'' Arabic: ''Balāsajān''/''Balāšajān''), also known as Bazgan, was a region located in the area of the Kura and A ...
, a province far away from Ctesiphon.
While preparing to face the Arabs, he wrote a letter to Farrukhzad, which said that he should raise an army and go to Adurbadagan, while reminding him that Yazdegerd III was the only heritage left from the Sasanians. Rostam then set out from Ctesiphon in command of a large Sasanian force to confront the Arabs. The battle lasted three days, Rostam being defeated and killed during the last day.
After the death of his brother, Farrukhzad succeeded him as the ''spahbed'' of Khorasan and Adurbadagan, and as the new leader of the Ispahbudhan family and the ''Pahlav'' faction. He then raised an army at Adurbadagan, and went to Ctesiphon, where he was appointed as its commander by Yazdegerd III, who fled to
Hulwan with his property, family and 1,000 servants. Farrukhzad, however, also fled to Hulwan after a small and disheartening clash with the Arabs. In 637, Ctesiphon was captured by the Arabs. Meanwhile, Farrukhzad, along with Yazdegerd III, the Mihranid officer
Mihran Razi, Piruz Khosrow, and
Hormuzan, left Hulwan for Adurbadagan, but while they were moving to the place, they were ambushed by an Arab army at
Jalula, where they were defeated. Mihran Razi was killed during the battle, while Hormuzan had fled to
Khuzestan
Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...
and Piruz Khosrow to
Nahavand
Nahavand () is a city in the Central District of Nahavand County, Hamadan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is south of the city of Hamadan, west of Malayer and northwest of Borujerd.
Inhabited ...
. In 642, the Arabs captured Nahavand and
Spahan, killing Piruz Khosrow including other Sasanian officers such as
Shahrvaraz Jadhuyih and
Mardanshah
Mardanshah () was a Sassanian Persians, Persian general, the Arabs referred him to as Dhul Hājib (, the "owner of bushy eyebrows") as was Bahman Jadhuyih.
See also
*Battle of Muzayyah
*Battle of the Bridge
*Islamic conquest of Iran
*Early Muslim ...
. During the same year (or in 643), Farrukhzad raised another army with his son
Isfandyadh and the
Dailamite general
Muta. They were, however,
defeated at Waj Rudh, a village in
Hamadan
Hamadan ( ; , ) is a mountainous city in western Iran. It is located in the Central District of Hamadan County in Hamadan province, serving as the capital of the province, county, and district. As of the 2016 Iranian census, it had a po ...
. Meanwhile, Yazdegerd III fled to southern Iran and stayed there until 648. It is not known if Farrukhzad was with Yazdegerd III during his stay in southern Iran.
Flight to Khorasan, rule and death
Around 650, Yazdegerd III, along with Farrukhzad, arrived to Khorasan. Yazdegerd III then appointed Farrukhzad as the governor of
Merv
Merv (, ', ; ), also known as the Merve Oasis, was a major Iranian peoples, Iranian city in Central Asia, on the historical Silk Road, near today's Mary, Turkmenistan. Human settlements on the site of Merv existed from the 3rd millennium& ...
and ordered Baraz, the son of
Mahoe Suri, to give absolute control of the city over to him. Mahoe, however, disobeyed him. Farrukhzad then advised Yazdegerd III to take refugee in
Tabaristan. Yazdegerd III, however, did not accept his advice. Farrukhzad later made a mutiny against Yazdegerd III and left for
Ray, to avenge his father against
Siyavakhsh
Siyavakhsh (also spelled Siyavash) was an Iranian aristocrat from the House of Mihran who was descended from Bahram Chobin, the famous ''spahbed'' of the Sasanian Empire.
Biography
Siyavakhsh was the son of Mihran Bahram-i Chubin, whose fath ...
, who was the ruler of the city. On his way to Ray, he met his ally
Kanadbak, who was part of the conspiracy against Khosrow II and had taken part in Rostam's clash with the Arabs, but after the defeat had fled to
Tus, a city which was part of his domains. Farrukhzad then continued his journey to Ray, but before reaching the city met the Arab general Nu'aym near
Qazvin
Qazvin (; ; ) is a city in the Central District (Qazvin County), Central District of Qazvin County, Qazvin province, Qazvin province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the largest city in the provi ...
in 651, whom he made peace with.

He then agreed to aid the Arabs against Siyavakhsh. The combined Ispahbudhan-Arab
then engaged in a night battle against Siyavakhsh's army at the foot of the mountain just outside Ray. Farrukhzad led some of Nu'aym's cavalry by a little-known way into the city, from where they attacked the Mihranid army's rear, causing great bloodshed. Siyavakhsh's army was in the end defeated and he was himself killed. To set an example, Nu'aym then ordered the destruction of the aristocratic quarter of Ray. However, the town was later rebuilt by Farrukhzad, who became the ruler of Ray.
Farrukhzad then went to Tabaristan, but at his arrival, he heard about the death of Yazdegerd under the orders of Mahoe Suri, which made him shave his hair and live as a monk in a fire temple at Kusan. When the Arabs invaded Tabaristan, Farrukhzad was requested by the locals to become their king, which he gladly accepted and which marked the foundation of the
Bavand dynasty
The Bavand dynasty () (also spelled Bavend), or simply the Bavandids, was an Iranian dynasty that ruled in parts of Tabaristan (present-day Mazandaran province) in what is now northern Iran from 651 until 1349, alternating between outright inde ...
. He then gathered an army, defeated the Arabs, and made a peace treaty with them. Farrukhzad would rule Tabaristan including some parts of
Abarshahr
Abarshahr ( Persian: اَبَرشهر) or Nishapur ( Persian: نیشاپور) was a Sasanian satrapy (province) in Late Antiquity, that lay within the kust of Khorasan. The province bordered Media in the west, Hyrcania in the north west, Margia ...
peacefully in 14 years, until he was murdered around 665 by a
Karenid nobleman named
Valash, whose family was at war with Farrukhzad's family.
After Farrukhzad's death, his son
Surkhab I fled to an Ispahbudhan/Bavand stronghold named Kula. Later in 673, Surkhab avenged his father by killing Valash, and then reconquered his fathers realm. He thereafter crowned himself as ''
ispahbadh'' (ruler) of the Bavand dynasty at his capital in
Perim.
Family tree
References
Sources
*Ahmad Hasan Dani, B. A. Litvinsky, Vadim Mikhaĭlovich Masson, ''History of Civilizations of Central Asia: The Crossroads of Civilizations'', p. 228.
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{{Bavand dynasty
Generals of Khosrow II
665 deaths
Year of birth unknown
House of Ispahbudhan
Spahbeds
Rulers of Tabaristan
Murdered Persian monarchs
Bavand dynasty
Zoroastrian monarchs
Governors of the Sasanian Empire
Generals of Yazdegerd III
7th-century murdered monarchs
7th-century Iranian people
History of Dagestan