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