Shapur Mihran
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Shapur Mihran (), known in
Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
n sources as Shapuh Mihran (
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 ...
: Շապուհ Միհրան), was a
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 ...
nobleman from the
House of Mihran The House of Mihrān or House of Mehrān (Middle Persian: 𐭬𐭨𐭥𐭠𐭭; New Persian: ), was a leading Iranian noble family (''šahrdārān''), one of the Seven Great Houses of the Sasanian İranian Empire which claimed descent from the ...
. He served 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: ...
of
Persian Armenia Sasanian Armenia, also known as Persian Armenia and Persarmenia ( – ''Parskahayastan''), may either refer to the periods in which Armenia ( – ''Armin'') was under the suzerainty of the Sasanian Empire or specifically to the parts of Armeni ...
briefly in 482.


Biography

Shapur belonged to the
House of Mihran The House of Mihrān or House of Mehrān (Middle Persian: 𐭬𐭨𐭥𐭠𐭭; New Persian: ), was a leading Iranian noble family (''šahrdārān''), one of the Seven Great Houses of the Sasanian İranian Empire which claimed descent from the ...
, one of the
Seven Parthian clans The Seven Great Houses of Iran, also known as the seven Parthian clans, were seven aristocracies of Parthian origin, who were allied with the Sasanian Empire, Sasanian court. The Parthian clans all claimed ancestry from Achaemenid Persians. The se ...
; he was the son of a certain Mihran. He was a foster brother of the Sasanian
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 ...
Peroz I Peroz I () was the Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings () of History of Iran, Iran from 459 to 484. A son of Yazdegerd II (), he disputed the rule of his elder brother and incumbent king Hormizd III (), eventually seizing the throne after a ...
, who was himself married to a princess from the Mihran family. During the reign of Peroz, the Mihran family enjoyed a high status, and played an important role in Sasanian politics. Shapur, during his youth, was raised in Armenia, which made him, unlike other Sasanian nobles, act more tolerant towards
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
. In 475, the
Mamikonian Mamikonian or Mamikonean () was an Armenian aristocratic dynasty which dominated Armenia between the 4th and 8th centuries—through the late antique kingdom, Sasanian, Byzantine, and Arab dominations. They were the most notable noble house in ...
princess Shushanik was murdered by her husband Prince Varsken, who was a convert to
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, ...
, and related to the Mihran family. The reason for this murder was because she had refused to convert to Zoroastrianism and wanted to stay Christian. Varsken, because of his actions, was in 482 executed by Vakhtang I, king of
Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...
. Peroz I sent an army to punish Vakhtang for intervening. However, Vakhtang was joined by the Armenians, and a revolt broke out in Armenia, led by Vahan I Mamikonian. Peroz I, eager to avenge Varsken, sent his general Shapur Mihran to Iberia. To defend himself, Vakhtang appealed to the
Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was par ...
and the Armenian nobles, citing solidarity between Christians. After carefully weighing the decision,
Vahan Mamikonian Vahan Mamikonian (; 440/445503/510) was an Armenians, Armenian nobleman from the Mamikonian, Mamikonian family. In 481 he rebelled against the Sasanian Empire that controlled the eastern part of Armenia known as Persian Armenia. He was appointed a ...
agreed to revolt against the Sasanians. He defeated the marzban Adhur Gushnasp, and declared Sahak II Bagratuni as the new marzban. He also kept defeating several Sasanian counter-attacks. In 482, Shapur Mihran began to become a big threat to the security of Iberia, which made Vakhtang request Armenian help. Vahan and Sahak shortly arrived to Iberia at the head of a big army, but were defeated in Akesga, where Sahak was killed. Vahan fled with the remnants of the Armenian army into the mountains, where he led guerrilla actions against the Sasanians, while Shapur managed to regain control of Armenia. However, Shapur was shortly ordered to return to 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 ...
. Vahan quickly used the opportunity to regain control of Armenia. In the spring of 484, however, Shapur Mihran returned as the head of a new army and forced Vahan to flee to refuge near the
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
frontier, at
Tao The Tao or Dao is the natural way of the universe, primarily as conceived in East Asian philosophy and religion. This seeing of life cannot be grasped as a concept. Rather, it is seen through actual living experience of one's everyday being. T ...
and Taron. During the same period, the Sasanian noble Zarmihr Karen from the Karenid family, was also successful in a campaign against the Armenians, and managed to capture several of them, including nobles from the
Kamsarakan The House of Kamsarakan () was an Armenian noble family that was an offshoot of the House of Karen, also known as the Karen-Pahlav. The Karens were one of the Seven Great Houses of Iran and were of Parthian origin. In the Byzantine-Sasanian era ...
family. Zarmihr shortly delivered the Armenian captives to Shapur, who delivered them to Izad Gushnasp, and promised the Armenian captives to make Peroz spare them. During the same period, several of Shapur's relatives, including his father Mihran, were summoned by Peroz to aid him in his campaigns against in
Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
against the
Hephthalites The Hephthalites (), sometimes called the White Huns (also known as the White Hunas, in Iranian languages, Iranian as the ''Spet Xyon'' and in Sanskrit and Prakrit as the ''Sveta-huna''), were a people who lived in Central Asia during the 5th to ...
. However, the campaign ended disastrously, and all of the Sasanian army, including Peroz and Mihran, were exterminated. After hearing about the death of Peroz I, Shapur left Caucasus and returned to Ctesiphon, in order to protect the Sasanian Empire from the Hephthalites and to elect a new king.
Balash Balash (Middle Persian: 𐭥𐭥𐭣𐭠𐭧𐭱𐭩, ) was the Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 484 to 488. He was the brother and successor of Peroz I (), who had been Hephthalite–Sasanian War of 484, defeated and killed by ...
, the brother of Peroz I, was crowned as the new king of the Sasanian Empire. However, it was in reality the father of Zarmihr Karen,
Sukhra Sukhra (also spelled Sufaray, Sufray, Surkhab, Sarafra'i) was an Iranian nobleman from the House of Karen, who was the '' de facto'' ruler of the Sasanian Empire from 484 to 493. He was active during the reign of shah Peroz I (r. 457-484), Balas ...
who exercised real power over the
Sasanian Empire The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...
.Schindel (2013), pp. 136-141 After this event, Shapur is no longer mentioned in any sources.


References


Sources

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Further reading

* * * * {{Marzbans of Persian Armenia 5th-century births Year of death unknown Sasanian governors of Armenia 5th-century Iranian people House of Mihran Generals of Peroz I