25 Facts About Farrukhzad

Farrukhzad was an Iranian aristocrat from the House of Ispahbudhan and the founder of the Bavand dynasty, ruling from 651 to 665.

Farrukhzad thereafter succeeded the latter as the spahbed and the leader of the Pahlav faction, which had been formed by their father Farrukh Hormizd, who was murdered in 631.

Farrukhzad later became the ruler of Tabaristan in 651, and would rule the region until his murder in 665 by Valash, a Karenid aristocrat, who thereafter conquered his domains.

Farrukhzad had one brother named Rostam Farrokhzad, who at that time resided in the Adurbadagan province.

Farrukhzad is first mentioned during the reign of Khosrow II, where he occupied high offices and according to the Iranian poet Ferdowsi was "so close to Khusrow II that none dared to approach him without his permission".

In 627, Khosrow then sent Farrukhzad to negotiate with Shahbaraz, who was camping near the Sasanian capital of Ctesiphon.

Farrukhzad then encouraged to remain undivided and not fear the fury of Khosrow.

In 628, Farrukhzad freed Khosrow's eldest son Sheroe from prison and along with several feudal families of the Sasanian Empire, captured Ctesiphon and imprisoned Khosrow.

Furthermore, he took all the properties of Farrukhzad and put him under arrest in Istakhr.

Farrukhzad declined the invitation and refused to serve under a woman.

Farrukhzad was however, shortly killed by Rostam Farrokhzad, who then restored Boran to the throne.

Later in 632, Farrukhzad was invited to serve the Sasanians, this time by the newly crowned king Yazdegerd III, who was a puppet king of Farrukhzad's brother, Rostam Farrokhzad.

Farrukhzad accepted and all his properties were restored to him.

However, Farrukhzad was unable to take part, because he was serving as the marzban of Balasagan, a province far away from Ctesiphon.

Farrukhzad then raised an army at Adurbadagan, and went to Ctesiphon, where he was appointed as its commander by Yazdegerd III, who fled to Hulwan with his property, family and 1,000 servants.

Farrukhzad fled to Hulwan after a small and disheartening clash with the Arabs.

Around 650, Yazdegerd III, along with Farrukhzad, arrived to Khorasan.

Farrukhzad then advised Yazdegerd III to take refugee in Tabaristan.

Farrukhzad later made a mutiny against Yazdegerd III and left for Ray, to avenge his father against Siyavakhsh, who was the ruler of the city.

Farrukhzad then continued his journey to Ray, but before reaching the city met the Arab general Nu'aym near Qazvin in 651, whom he made peace with.

Farrukhzad led some of Nu'aym's cavalry by a little-known way into the city, from where they attacked the Mihranid army's rear, causing great bloodshed.

However, the town was later rebuilt by Farrukhzad, who became the ruler of Ray.

Farrukhzad then went to Tabaristan, but at his arrival, he heard about the death of Yazdegerd under the orders of Mahoe Suri, which made him shave his hair and live as a monk in a fire temple at Kusan.

Farrukhzad then gathered an army, defeated the Arabs, and made a peace treaty with them.

Farrukhzad thereafter crowned himself as ispahbadh of the Bavand dynasty at his capital in Perim.