Isfandyadh (

Middle Persian Middle Persian, also known by its endonym Pārsīk or Pārsīg ( Inscriptional Pahlavi script: , Manichaean script: , Avestan script: ) in its later form, is a Western Middle Iranian language which became the literary language of the Sasania ...

: ''Spandiyār'') 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 Ispahbudhan family, who was the ruler 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 ...

province 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 ...

. He was the son of the powerful

general

Farrukhzad Farrukhzad (; New Persian: ) was an Iranian aristocrat from the House of Ispahbudhan and the founder of the Bavand dynasty, ruling from 651 to 665. Originally a powerful servant of the Sasanian king Khosrow II (r. 590–628), he, along with severa ...

, who was the brother of

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 ...

and the son of

Farrukh Hormizd Farrukh Hormizd or Farrokh Hormizd (), also known as Hormizd V, was an Iranian prince, who was one of the leading figures in Sasanian Iran in the early 7th-century. He served as the military commander (''spahbed'') of northern Iran. He later came ...

Biography

Isfandyadh first appears in 642/643, where he is mentioned as the prince of

, who at the head of a big army along with Muta and Varaztirots, fought the Muslim Arabs 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 ...

. However, he along with the Sasanian commanders were defeated. Some years later, in 651, the Arabs invaded Adurbadagan, the domains of Isfandyadh and his brother Bahram. Isfandyadh once again made a stand against the Arabs, where a battle was fought. He was, however, once again defeated and this time captured. While Isfandyadh was in captivity, he told the Arab general

Bukayr ibn Abdallah Bukayr ibn Abdallah () was an Arab military leader, who served the Rashidun Caliphate and is known for the conquest of the Sasanian The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that was f ...

, that if he sought to conquer Adurbadagan easily and peacefully, he should make peace with him. According to

Bal'ami Abu Ali Muhammad Bal'ami (, died 992/997 CE), also called Amirak Bal'ami () and Bal'ami-i Kuchak (, "Bal'ami the Younger"), was a 10th-century Persian historian, writer, and vizier to the Samanids. He was from the influential Bal'ami family. ...

, Isfandyadh is known to have said that: "If you ere tokill me all of Adurbadagan

ill ILL, or Ill, or ill may refer to: Places * Ill (France), a river in Alsace, France, tributary of the Rhine * Ill (Vorarlberg), a river in Vorarlberg, Austria, tributary of the Rhine * Ill (Saarland), a river of Saarland, Germany, tributary o ...

rise in avenging my blood, and will wage war against you." The Arab general listened to Isfandyadh's advice and made peace with him. However, Bahram, the brother of Isfandyadh, refused to submit to the Arab forces and kept resisting them. He was, however, shortly defeated by the Arabs, and was forced to flee from Adurbadagan.Pourshariati (2008), p. 279 Nothing more is known about Isfandyadh.

Family tree

References

Sources

*{{cite book, last=Pourshariati, first=Parvaneh, title=Decline and Fall of the Sasanian Empire: The Sasanian-Parthian Confederacy and the Arab Conquest of Iran, location=London and New York, publisher=I.B. Tauris, year=2008, isbn=978-1-84511-645-3, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I-xtAAAAMAAJ 7th-century births Year of death unknown Generals of Yazdegerd III House of Ispahbudhan 7th-century Iranian people