#khosrowii

Boran & Azarmiduxt: Queens of the Sassanian Empire

Boran (r. 630, 631-632) and Azarmiduxt (r. 630-631) were the only queens of the Sassanian Empire who ruled with the power of absolute monarchs. Daughters of Shahanshah (king of kings) Khosrow II (r. 590-628), Boran and Azarmiduxt, tried to hold the empire together as it grappled with a civil war between two groups of the nobility, the Pahlavs and the Parsigs, and the Islamic invasion.

Boran

Amitchell125 (CC BY-SA)

Aftermath of the Byzantine-Sassanian War

After the Persians experienced a tremendous defeat in the Byzantine-Sassanian War of 602-628, the nobility declared Khosrow II's son Sheroe king of kings. He took the regnal name of Kavad II (r. 628 CE). Khosrow II was then executed by the nobility for starting the war and causing such strife in the Sassanian Empire. To secure his claim to the throne, Kavad II executed all of his brothers and half-brothers and spared only his sisters, Boran and Azarmiduxt. Because of the executions of their father and male siblings, Boran and Azarmiduxt went before Kavad II. They berated him for committing dishonor in taking the crown by killing their father and brothers and not earning it by right. The sisters also cursed Kavad II to have a miserable time in power. It is said that after hearing Boran and Azarmiduxt, Kavad II wept bitterly and tore the crown off his head in shame. After a few short months, Kavad II died of the plague, and his son Ardeshir III (r. 628-630) became the king of kings.

Ardeshir III was only seven years old, and Shahbaraz (r. 630), one of Khosrow II's generals in the Byzantine-Sassanian War, was enraged that a boy became king of kings instead of him. With the backing of Byzantine emperor Heraclius (r. 610-641), Shahbaraz rebelled, had Ardeshir III killed, and took power for himself. Shahbaraz was not a member of the Sassanian dynasty, and the empire's elites hated him because he had no claim to the kingship. The Pahlavs, an influential group of the nobility in the Sassanian Empire, killed Shahbaraz and dragged his body through the streets to dishonor him. The Pahlavs were the same group of people who ruled Persia during the Parthian Empire (247 BCE to 224 CE). They then installed Boran on the throne because she was the only direct heir of Khosrow II left alive who could legitimately take power.

Khosrow II

Khosrow II (aka Kosrau II, r. 590-628) was the last powerful shahanshah (king of kings) of the Sassanian Empire. Grandson of Kosrau I (r. 531-579) and near-conqueror of the Byzantine Empire in the Byzantine-Sassanian War of 602-628, Khosrow II was a devout Zoroastrian, whose favorite wife, Shireen, was a Christian. His reign marks the end of classical Zoroastrian culture before the Islamic conquest of modern-day Iran in 651.

Khosrow II

Khosrow II (aka Kosrau II, r. 590-628) was the last powerful shahanshah (king of kings) of the Sassanian Empire. Grandson of Kosrau I (r. 531-579) and near-conqueror of the Byzantine Empire in the Byzantine-Sassanian War of 602-628, Khosrow II was a devout Zoroastrian, whose favorite wife, Shireen, was a Christian. His reign marks the end of classical Zoroastrian culture before the Islamic conquest of modern-day Iran in 651.

Rise to Power

Khosrow II's father and predecessor, Hormizd IV (r. 570-590), sent his general Bahram Chobin to subdue the hordes of Turkish horsemen who were threatening the Persian Empire. While Chobin successfully ended the threat, Hormizd IV insulted him for losing a minor battle. Chobin was enraged and rebelled against the Sassanian dynasty, the family that had ruled ancient Persia since 224 CE. Then, Khosrow II's uncles, Vistam and Vindoe, also rose in rebellion. The brothers put out Hormizd IV's eye with a red-hot poker.

Bûrândûkht et Azarmedûkht: Reines de l'Empire Sassanide

Bûrândûkht (alias Boran, r. en 630 et de 631 à 632) et Azarmedûkht (r. de 630 à 631) sont les seules reines de l'empire sassanide à avoir régné avec le pouvoir de monarques absolus. Les filles du Shahanshah (roi des rois) Khosro II (r. de 590 à 628), Bûrândûkht et Azarmedûkht, tentèrent de maintenir la cohésion de l'empire aux prises avec une guerre civile entre deux groupes de la noblesse, les Pahlav et les Parsig et avec l'invasion islamique.

Khosro II

Khosro II (alias Kosrow II ou Chosroès, r. de 590 à 628) fut le dernier puissant shahanshah (roi des rois) de l'Empire sassanide. Petit-fils de Kosro Ier (r. de 531 à 579) et quasi-conquérant de l'Empire byzantin lors de la guerre byzantino-sassanide de 602-628, Khosro II était un fervent zoroastrien, dont l'épouse préférée, Chirine, était chrétienne. Son règne marqua la fin de la culture zoroastrienne classique avant la conquête islamique de l'Iran moderne en 651.