Relief of Sasanian King Khosrow II (r. 590-628), Taq-e Bostan, Kermanshah, Iran.
Khosrow II (spelled Chosroes II in classical sources; Middle Persian: Husrō or Khosrau), better known as Khosrow Parviz (“Khosrow the Victorious”), was the last great Sasanian King of Kings of Iran. He ruled from 590 to 628, with a one-year interruption.
The son of Hormizd IV and grandson of Khosrow I, he was the final ruler of Iran to reign for an extended period before the Muslim conquest, which began five years after his death. Though he briefly lost his throne, he regained it with the aid of the Byzantine emperor Maurice. A decade later, he expanded Sasanian power to heights reminiscent of the Achaemenids, capturing wealthy Roman provinces in the Middle East. Much of his reign was marked by wars with Byzantium and conflicts with powerful challengers such as Bahram Chobin and Vistahm.
In 602, Khosrow launched a new war against the Byzantine Empire, claiming to avenge the murder of Maurice. His armies seized vast stretches of Byzantine territory, earning him the title “the Victorious.” However, the failed siege of Constantinople in 626 shifted momentum, as Emperor Heraclius, allied with the Turks, carried out a daring counteroffensive deep into Persian lands. Growing discontent with the costly war led powerful noble families to support a coup in which Khosrow was overthrown and executed by his son Sheroe, who ascended the throne as Kavad II. This ushered in civil strife, a period of instability, and the collapse of Sasanian gains against Byzantium.
Beyond history, Khosrow II became an enduring figure in Persian literature. In Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh and Nizami Ganjavi’s Khosrow and Shirin, he is celebrated as both a mighty ruler and a passionate lover. The romance of Khosrow and Shirin, which tells of his devotion to the Aramean princess who would become his queen after many trials, transformed him into one of the great cultural heroes of Persian tradition.
