Kawus
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Kawus, recorded as Caoses by Procopius of Caesarea and Kayus () by early Islamic sources, was the eldest son of Kavadh I, the Sasanian emperor of Iran. During the late reign of his father, Kawus was appointed as governor of Tabaristan, and was given the title of ''Padishkhwargar Shah'' (king of Padishkhwargar).


Etymology

Kawus was probably named after the mythical/legendary king Kay Kawus (
Avestan Avestan ( ) is the liturgical language of Zoroastrianism. It belongs to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family and was First language, originally spoken during the Avestan period, Old ...
: ''Kauui Usan''). The names of his father and his brothers also suggest a renewed late Sasanian interest in the Iranian legendary history and particularly the Kayanid Dynasty.


Biography

Kawus might have initially been the heir presumptive to the Sasanian throne. However, following the outbreak of the Mazdakite revolt, Kawus was accused of supporting Mazdak and adhering to his heresy. His younger brother Khosrau, who was known for his support of orthodox
Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religions, Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zoroaster, Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, ...
, was favoured by the nobles and the Zoroastrian clerics. As a result, Kawus was passed over as the heir and the throne was offered to Khosrau. During the late reign of his father, Kawus was appointed as governor of Tabaristan around 520 and was given the title of ''Padishkhwargar Shah'' (king of Padishkhwargar). In 532, Kawus aided Khosrau in defeating the Turks, and conquered
Ghazni Ghazni (, ), historically known as Ghaznayn () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana (), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan with a population of around 190,000 people. The city is strategica ...
. However, when Kawus returned to Tabaristan after his victory, he rebelled and claimed the Sasanian throne from Khosrau. In order to limit his brother’s base of power, Khosrau ordered the death of Mazdak and many of his prominent followers who supported Kawus. Kawus was defeated and brought to
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 ...
, where he was given the option to confess his sins or die. He chose death.Pourshariati (2008), p. 289


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 Sasanian princes 6th-century Iranian people Rulers of Tabaristan People executed by the Sasanian Empire Rebellions against the Sasanian Empire Governors of the Sasanian Empire