 - 484
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| Name |
Peroz I |
| Suffix |
King of Sasanian Empire |
| Gender |
Male |
| Death |
484 |
| Notes |
- «b»http://www.rpi.edu/~holmes/Hobbies/Genealogy/ps31/ps31_268.htm«/b»
Peroz , the elder son of Yazdgird, defeated the usurper Hormizd with the help of the Hephthalites. His reign was marked by a severe famine and the renewed enmity of the Hephthalites who in 469? captured Peroz and forced him to give his son as hostage and to pay tribute. National resistance in Iberia and Armenia led to a revolt led by Vahan (481\endash 483). Persian forces were withdrawn from Armenia to aid Peroz's campaign against the Hephthalites in which he was killed in 484. He was succeeded by his brother Balash.
Balash, Peroz's brother, was selected by the nobles. The Persians agreed to pay tribute to the Hephthalites. After Vahan had aided Balash in civil war, the king permitted Armenians to practice Christianity and ended Zoroastrian practice in the province. With royal approval, Bar-Sauma established Nestorianism (two natures of Christ) as the sole doctrine of the Persian Christian Church (484\endash 489). Balash was assassinated and succeeded by the son of Peroz, Kavad.
«u»«b»<http://www.bartleby.com/67/273.html>«/u»«/b»
«b»http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peroz_I
Peroz I«/b» (Pirooz, Peirozes, Priscus, fr. 33; Perozes, Procop. Pers. I. 3 and Agath. iv. 27; the modern form of the name is Perooz, Piruz, or the Arabized Ferooz, Firuz; «u»Persian «/u» "the Victor"), was the seventeenth «u»Sassanid «/u» King of Persia, who ruled from 457 to 484. Peroz I was the eldest son of «u»Yazdegerd II of Persia «/u» (438\endash 457).
«b»War of Succession
«/b»On the death of Peroz I's father, «u»Yazdegerd II «/u», the younger son of the deceased Emperor, Hormizd seized the throne in the absence of his elder brother Peroz who had been posted as the Governor of distant «u»Sistan «/u» forcing Peroz to seek the protection of the Hephthalites. The «u»Hephthalite «/u» monarch, «u»Khush-Nevaz «/u» was only too glad to welcome him and aid him in his war against Hormizd. So, with Hephthalite assistance, Peroz led an army against Hormizd, defeated him and held him captive. Sources differ as to what happened to Hormizd after his capture. Some say that he was put to death. However, the Persian historian, Mirkhond says that Peroz pardoned his younger brother and amicably spared his life.
«b»Reign
«/b»Peroz ruled from 457 to 484. He is said to have favored «u»Nestorianism «/u» and persecuted «u»Chalcedonians «/u». Historians regard him as a fearless monarch and give him the epithet, Peroz the Victorious.
«b»Events
«/b»The «u»civil war «/u» in «u»Persia «/u» had affected the nation so much as to cost a province. Vatche, the king of Aghouank (Albania), rebelled against Persian rule and declared himself independent while the brothers were busy fighting amongst each other. So once Peroz I ascended the throne in the year 457, he led an army into Albania and completely subjugated the nation. He then dismissed his allies the Hephthalites with costly presents and proceeded to rule the nation in moderation and justice.
«b»The Seven Year Famine 464-471
«/b»Historians of the period record the occurrence of a seven-year famine which devastated the crops and ruined the country. Sources say that the wells became dry and that there was not a «u»trickle «/u» of water either in the «u»Tigris «/u» or the «u»Euphrates «/u». Eventually the crops failed and thousands perished.
Historians record that Peroz I showed an extreme rigidness of character in the face of such an adversity and great wisdom in dealing with the catastrophe. As a result of his wisdom and benevolence, Persia gradually recovered from the famine.
«b»The First Campaign Against the Huns
«/b»No sooner had Persia recovered from the famine, than war broke out with the Huns of the north. Provoked by an insult heaped upon him by Khush-Newaz, Peroz led an invasion of the Hephthalite country forcing them to retreat. But when Peroz pursued the Hephthalites to the hills, he suffered a crushing defeat and was forced to yield to the Huns and pay them tribute. More importantly, he had to surrender his son «u»Kavadh I «/u» to Khush-Newaz as «u»hostage «/u».
«b»Trouble in «u»Armenia
«/u»
«/b»In 481, Peroz was defeated by the «u»Kushans «/u». Soon afterwards, Iberia broke into revolt and declared its independence. Peroz sent the Persian Governor of Armenia to Iberia to quell the rebellion. But no sooner had he left the province, that «u»Armenia «/u» rose in rebellion and chose an Armenian Christian called Bargatide as its Emperor.
The Persian Governor, «u»Adar-Vishnasp «/u» after restoring Persian rule in «u»Iberia «/u» rushed to Armenia to quell the rebellion but was squarely defeated. Peroz responded by sending two large armies to the region, one under Adar-Narseh into Armenia and the other against Iberia.
«u»Sahag «/u», the Armenian king, was killed and «u»Mihran «/u» was wreaking havoc in Persia, but just when success was within grasp, Peroz blundered by recalling Mihran and entrusting the command to one «u»Hazaravough «/u». Hazaravough too did not remain long in Armenia and was recalled in a few months. This policy of rotating military commanders frequently ensured that Armenia was lost to the Persians for the time being.
«b»The Second Campaign against the Huns and Peroz I's Death
«/b»Towards the end of his reign, Peroz gathered an army of 50,000-100,000 men and, placing his brother «u»Balash «/u» at the head of the government in «u»Ctesiphon «/u», he invaded the Hephthalites in order to avenge the insult heaped upon him during the first campaign. He set up his position at «u»Balkh «/u» and rejected the terms of peace offered by Khush-Newaz. However, when a showdown with the Persians seemed imminent, Khush-Newaz sent a small body of troops in advance in order to trick Peroz into an ambuscade. The plan was successful, and the Persians were defeated with great slaughter, Peroz being one of the victims. Khush-Newaz, however, treated the body of his erstwhile friend with dignity and dispatched it to Persia to be buried with full honors. Balash was crowned the next Emperor of Persia.
Soon afterwards, the Hephthalites invaded and plundered Persia. Persia, however, was saved when a noble Persian from the «u»Parthian «/u» «u»family of Karen «/u», «u»Zarmihr «/u» (or Sokhra/Sufra), raised «u»Balash «/u» (484\endash 488), one of Peroz I's brothers, to the throne.
«b»References
«tab»«/b»«i»This article incorporates text from the«/i» «u»Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition «/u»«i», a publication now in the «u»public domain «/u».«/i»
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| Person ID |
I60526 |
Glenn Cook Family |
| Last Modified |
19 Jun 2013 |
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