Shahriyar IV (), also known by his honorific title Husam al-Dawla (), was the king 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 ...
of
Mazandaran
Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is border ...
, ruling from 1074 to 1114.
After having succeeded his father
Qarin II in 1074, Shahriyar IV immediately moved the capital to
Sari
A sari (also called sharee, saree or sadi)The name of the garment in various regional languages include:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* is a drape (cloth) and a women's garment in the Indian subcontinent. It consists of an un-sti ...
, which it would remain till 1210. A few decades later, he briefly waged a war against his overlords, the
Seljuk Empire
The Seljuk Empire, or the Great Seljuk Empire, was a High Middle Ages, high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian tradition, Turco-Persian, Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, established and ruled by the Qiniq (tribe), Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. ...
. Peace was made, and Shahriyar IV's son
Qarin III married a daughter of the Seljuk Sultan
Muhammad I.
Shahriyar IV's rule was shortly usurped by Qarin III, who, however, eventually restored him as king. Shahriyar, old and ill, spent the rest of his reign as a figurehead, whilst Qarin III was the ''
de facto'' ruler of the kingdom, and finally ascended the throne after Shahriyar IV's death in 1114.
Reign

Shahriyar was born in 1039, and in 1074, he ascended the Bavandid throne, taking the traditional title of ''
ispahbadh
''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 Sasanian army. From th ...
'' of
Mazandaran
Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is border ...
. He also moved the Bavand capital to
Sari
A sari (also called sharee, saree or sadi)The name of the garment in various regional languages include:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* is a drape (cloth) and a women's garment in the Indian subcontinent. It consists of an un-sti ...
. Like his father, Shahriyar IV was a vassal of the
Seljuk Empire
The Seljuk Empire, or the Great Seljuk Empire, was a High Middle Ages, high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian tradition, Turco-Persian, Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, established and ruled by the Qiniq (tribe), Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. ...
.
In 1106, the Seljuk Sultan
Muhammad I conquered the
Ismaili
Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept ...
fortress of Shahdiz, and ordered Shahriyar to participate in the campaign against Ismailis. Shahriyar, greatly angered and feeling offended by the message Muhammad sent him, refused to aid him against the Ismailis. Shortly after the sultan sent an army headed by Amir Chavli into Mazandaran. Shahriyar shortly called upon the aid of his vassals, which included the
Qarinvand
The Qarinvand dynasty (also spelled Karenvand and Qarenvand), or simply the Karenids, was an Iranian dynasty that ruled in parts of Tabaristan (Mazandaran) in northern Iran from the 550s until the 11th-century. They considered themselves as the i ...
ruler Amir Mahdi. Shahriyar was also joined by his son
Qarin III. He shortly defeated the army of Amir Chavli. Muhammad then sent a letter, which requested Shahriyar to send one of his sons child to the Seljuk court in
Isfahan
Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...
. He sent his son
Ali I, who impressed Muhammad so much that he offered him his daughter in marriage, but Ali refused and told him to grant the honor to his brother and heir of the Bavand dynasty, Qarin III. Qarin III then went to Isfahan court and married her. After his return to Sari, however, he began claiming the Bavand throne for himself, and started abusing his father Shahriyar and his servants. Shahriyar then moved to
Amol
Amol ( ; ) is a city in the Central District (Amol County), Central District of Amol County, Mazandaran province, Mazandaran province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Amol is located on the Haraz River bank. It is ...
and later
Rudsar
Rudsar () is a city in the Central District (Rudsar County), Central District of Rudsar County, Gilan province, Gilan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Etymology
The word ''Rudsar'' comes from the wor ...
, where he built a
Khanqah
A Sufi lodge is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood or ''tariqa'' and is a place for spiritual practice and religious education. They include structures also known as ''khānaqāh'', ''zāwiya'', ''ribāṭ'' ...
, and devoted himself to religion. However, when he got sick, Qarin III apologized and restored him as the ruler of the Bavand dynasty.
Qarin III's refusal to submit to the Seljuk
atabeg
Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic language, Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince. The first instance of the ti ...
of
Ray, made the atabeg offer Ali an opportunity to conquer Mazandaran, to which he agreed. Shahriyar quickly sided with Qarin III and convinced Ali to withdraw. Nevertheless, the strife continued among the two brothers. Ali later went to
Marw
Merv (, ', ; ), also known as the Merve Oasis, was a major 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 BC until the ...
and joined the Seljuk prince
Ahmad Sanjar
Sanjar (, ; full name: ''Muizz ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Adud ad-Dawlah Abul-Harith Ahmad Sanjar ibn Malik-Shah'') (6 November 1086 – 8 May 1157) was the Seljuq ruler of Khorasan from 1097 until 1118,[Khorasan
KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West and Central Asia that encompasses western and no ...]
. Ahmad Sanjar was preparing for an expedition to the west in order to take control of
Gorgan
Gorgan (; ) is a city in the Central District (Gorgan County), Central District of Gorgan County, Golestan province, Golestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It lies approximately to the nor ...
, but an attack made by Muhammad Khan on the Seljuk borders, forced Ahmad Sanjar to move east in order to repel Muhammad Khan. This allowed Qarin III to capture Gorgan while Shahriyar stayed in Tamisha. Shahriyar later fell ill and died in 1114 at Tamisha and was officially succeeded by his son
Qarin III, who already held power over the Bavand kingdom, while Shahriyar was a
figurehead
In politics, a figurehead is a practice of who ''de jure'' (in name or by law) appears to hold an important and often supremely powerful title or office, yet '' de facto'' (in reality) exercises little to no actual power. This usually means that ...
.
Offspring
Shahriyar IV had a least five sons;
*
Qarin III, Bavandid king from 1114 to 1117.
*
Ali I, Bavandid king from 1118 to 1142.
* Rustam
* Yazdagird
*
Bahram
Bahram may refer to:
People
* Bahram (name)
Other uses
* Bahram (''Shahnameh''), a heroic character in the Iranian epic poem
* Bahram (horse)
Bahram (1932–1956) was an Irish-bred, English-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was undefeated ...
, Bavandid pretender, murdered in 1121 at
Nishapur
Nishapur or Neyshabur (, also ) is a city in the Central District (Nishapur County), Central District of Nishapur County, Razavi Khorasan province, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Ni ...
.
References
Sources
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shahriyar 04
Bavand dynasty
11th-century monarchs in Asia
12th-century monarchs in Asia
12th-century Iranian people
11th-century Iranian people
1114 in Asia
1039 births
1114 deaths