Yazdegerd III

Yazdegerd III or Yazdgerd III (Middle Persian: 𐭩𐭦𐭣𐭪𐭥𐭲𐭩 Yazadgērd, meaning "made by God"; New Persian: یزدگرد; Izdegerdes in classical sources), was the thirty-eighth and last king of the Sasanian Empire of Iran from 632 to 651. His father was Shahriyar and his grandfather was Khosrow II (590–628). Yazdegerd III ascended the throne on 16 June 632 when he was 8 years old after a series of internal conflicts.

Early life

There is no consensus over the age of Yazdegerd III, al-Tabri gives age of 21 years and Abu Hanifa Dinawari states that Yazdegerd was 16 years old when installed on the throne. Considering different versions about age, figures provided by Washington Irving stating that "Yazdegerd was in the 34 years of his age, when killed on 23 August, 651 CE" appears to be most appropriate and compatible to events of history related to his period.

Yazdegerd III was son of the Shahriyar Bahar of Sasan and an unnamed woman from Baduraya. Shahriyar was the son of Khosrau II, and was killed in 628 by his brother Kavadh II who sought to secure the throne from any rebellion. After the death of Kavadh, a civil war began in Persia, which was fought between two factions, the Pahlav (Parthian) faction headed by the nephew of Vistahm, Farrukh Hormizd, and the Parsig (Persian) faction headed by the former Sasanian minister Piruz Khosrow.

Kavadh II

Shērōē (also spelled Shīrūya, شیرویه), better known by his dynastic name of Kavadh II (New Persian: قباد‎‎ Qobād or Qabād), was king of the Sasanian Empire briefly in 628. He was the son of Khosrau II (590–628). He became king after orchestrating a coup d'état against his father.

Biography

Kavadh II was the son of Khosrau II, the king of the Sasanian Empire, and Maria, daughter of Maurice, the emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Kavadh was later imprisoned by his father who wanted to ensure his succession to his favorite son Mardanshah, the son of his favorite wife, Shirin. His father's reputation had been ruined during the last phase of the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628.

In 627, the Sasanian general Rhahzadh was slain and Dastgerd, the king's favorite residence, had been sacked by Heraclius, who was advancing towards Ctesiphon. In 628, Kavadh was released by the feudal families of the Sasanian Empire, which included: The Ispahbudhan spahbed (army chief) Farrukh Hormizd and his two sons Rostam Farrokhzad and Farrukhzad. Shahrbaraz of Mihran family, the Armenian faction represented by Varaztirots II Bagratuni and finally the Kanarang.

Khosrow II

Khosrow II (Chosroes II in classical sources; Middle Persian: Husrō(y)), entitled "Aparvēz" ("The Victorious"), also Khusraw Parvēz (New Persian: خسرو پرویز), was the last great king of the Sasanian Empire, reigning from 590 to 628. He was the son of Hormizd IV (reigned 579–590) and the grandson of Khosrow I (reigned 531–579). He was the last king of Persia to have a lengthy reign before the Muslim conquest of Iran, which began five years after his death by execution. He lost his throne, then recovered it with Roman help, and, a decade later, went on to emulate the feats of the Achaemenids, conquering the rich Roman provinces of the Middle East; much of his reign was spent in wars with the Byzantine Empire and struggling against usurpers such as Bahram Chobin and Vistahm.

During the climactic Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628, Khosrau expanded deep into western Asia Minor, eventually besieging the Byzantine capital of Constantinople in 626 alongside Avar and Slavic allies. Following the failure of the siege, Heraclius started a counterattack, undoing all territorial gains by Khosrau in the Levant, most of Anatolia, the western Caucasus, and Egypt, eventually marching into the Sassanian capital of Ctesiphon. This also marked the Byzantine regain of the True Cross, which Khosrau had captured following his conquest of the Levant during the same 602-628 war.

Rostam Farrokhzād

Rostam Farrokhzād (Persian: رستم فرّخزاد) was an Iranian nobleman from the Ispahbudhan family, who served as the spahbed ("army chief") of Adurbadagan and Khorasan during the reign of Boran (r. 631–632) and Yazdegerd III (r. 632–651). Rostam is remembered as an historical figure, a character in the Persian epic poem Shahnameh, and as a touchstone of most Iranian nationalists.

Family

Rostam was a member of the House of Ispahbudhan, one of the seven Parthian clans; his father was Farrukh Hormizd, the spahbed of Adurbadagan and Khorasan, who was the son of Vinduyih, who had served as the treasurer and minister during the early reign of Khosrau II (r. 591–628), until he was killed in 590/1 or 594/5 by the latter, who wanted free himself of his influence. Vistahm, who was the brother of Vinduyih and the spahbed of Khorasan, was also targeted by Khosrau II, but managed to escape to the east, where he started a revolt, which encompassed most of the empire, lasting from 590/1–596 or 594/5–600. Rostam had a brother named Farrukhzad, who was active in Ctesiphon and enjoyed a great status there, reportedly being a favourite of Khosrau II.

Heraclius

Heraclius (Latin: Flavius Heraclius Augustus, Greek: Φλάβιος Ἡράκλειος, Armenian: Հերակլես Փլավիոս, c. 575 – February 11, 641) was Byzantine Emperor from 610 to 641.

He was responsible for introducing Greek as the Eastern Empire's official language. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, led a revolt against the unpopular usurper Phocas.

Heraclius's reign was marked by several military campaigns. The year Heraclius came to power, the empire was threatened on multiple frontiers. Heraclius immediately took charge of the Byzantine–Sassanid War of 602–628. The first battles of the campaign ended in defeat for the Byzantines; the Persian army fought their way to the Bosphorus but Constantinople was protected by impenetrable walls and a strong navy and Heraclius was able to avoid total defeat. Soon after, he initiated reforms to rebuild and strengthen the military. Heraclius drove the Persians out of Asia Minor and pushed deep into their territory, defeating them decisively in 627 at the Battle of Nineveh. The Persian king Khosrau II was overthrown and executed by his son Kavadh II, who soon sued for a peace treaty, agreeing to withdraw from all occupied territory. This way peaceful relations were restored to the two deeply strained empires.