39 Facts About Shapur II

Shapur II, known as Shapur the Great, was the tenth King of Kings of Sasanian Iran.

Shapur II took the title at birth and held it until his death at age 70, making him the longest-reigning monarch in Iranian history.

Shapur II's reign saw the military resurgence of the country and the expansion of its territory, which marked the start of the first Sasanian golden era.

Shapur II was a popular name in Sasanian Iran, being used by three Sasanian monarchs and other notables of the Sasanian era.

Shapur II is rendered variously in other languages: Greek Sapur, Sabour and Sapuris; Latin Sapores and Sapor; Arabic Sabur and Sabur; New Persian Sapur, Sahpur, Sahfur.

The throne was reserved for another one of Hormizd II's children, Shapur II; some sources say that Shapur was born forty days after his father's death while others say that he was infant at the time.

The crowning of the infant Shapur II after the elimination of his older brothers was a means for the nobility and priesthood to gain greater control of the empire.

At the age of 16, Shapur II led an expedition against the Arabs; primarily campaigning against the Iyad tribe in Asoristan and thereafter he crossed the Persian Gulf, reaching al-Khatt, modern Qatif, or present eastern Saudi Arabia.

Shapur II then attacked the Banu Tamim in the Hajar Mountains.

Shapur II reportedly killed a large number of the Arab population and destroyed their water supplies by stopping their wells with sand.

Not only did Shapur II pacify the Arabs of the Persian Gulf, but he pushed many Arab tribes further deep into the Arabian Peninsula.

Shapur II seemingly swore fealty to the Romans, possibly after the incident.

Shapur II had made fruitless attempts to satisfy his brother, even having his wife sent to him, who had originally helped him escape imprisonment.

Shapur II had declared himself the defender of all the Christians in the world, including those living in the Sasanian realm.

In 337, after the accession of Constantius II to the Roman throne, Shapur II, provoked by the Roman rulers' backing of Armenia and the Armenian kingdom's earlier conversion to Christianity, broke the peace concluded in 298 between Narseh and Diocletian, which had been observed for forty years.

Nevertheless, Shapur II was able to take some forts, such as Vitra.

Shapur II besieged the Roman fortress city of Nisibis in Mesopotamia thrice and was repulsed each time.

In 356, Shapur II rejected a peace overture by Constantius, replying that Rome should return Armenia and other territories lost by Persia in the Treaty of Nisibis.

In 359, Shapur II invaded southern Armenia and besieged the fortress of Amida.

Shapur II was joined by King Grumbates's forces and other allies.

The delay forced Shapur II to halt operations for the winter.

In 363 Julian, at the head of a strong army, advanced to Shapur's capital city of Ctesiphon and defeated a presumably larger Sasanian force at the Battle of Ctesiphon; however, he was unable to take the fortified city, or engage with the main Persian army under Shapur II that was approaching.

Shapur II destroyed many towns in Armenia and deported their inhabitants to Persia.

Shapur II persecuted the local Christians, erected fire temples and forced conversion to Zoroastrianism.

Shapur II personally invaded Armenia in response to Pap's return, although Pap was restored to the Armenian throne again with the help of a Roman army in approximately spring 370.

Persian forces were defeated by a joint Roman-Armenian army in 371, and an army led by Shapur II himself was defeated in another battle on the eastern border of Armenia.

In Georgia, then known as Iberia, where the Sasanians were given control, Shapur II installed Aspacures II of Iberia in the east; however, in western Georgia, Valens succeeded in setting up his own king, Sauromaces II of Iberia.

Shapur II had conducted great hosts of captives from the Roman territory into his dominions, most of whom were settled in Elam.

Ammianus Marcellinus reports that in 356 CE, Shapur II was taking his winter quarters on his eastern borders, "repelling the hostilities of the bordering tribes" of the Chionites and the Euseni, finally making a treaty of alliance with the Chionites and the Gelani in 358 CE.

Shapur II is regarded as one of the most important Sasanian kings along with Shapur I and Khosrow I, and could after a long period of instability regain the old strength of the Empire.

However, the conversion of Constantine the Great to Christianity caused Shapur II to start distrusting his Christian subjects.

Shapur II started seeing them as agents of a foreign enemy.

Shapur II started pressuring Shemon and his clergy to convert to Zoroastrianism, which they refused to do.

Shapur II was the last Sasanian king to claim lineage from the gods.

Under Shapur II, coins were minted in copper, silver and gold a great amount of the copper coins were made on Roman planchet, which is most likely from the riches that the Sasanians took from the Romans.

Besides the construction of the war-i tazigan near al-Hira, Shapur II is known to have created several other cities.

Shapur II created a royal city called Eranshahr-Shapur, where he settled Roman prisoners of war.

Shapur II rebuilt and repopulated Nisibis in 363 with people from Istakhr and Spahan.

Shapur II rebuilt Susa after having destroyed it when suppressing a revolt, renaming it Eran-Khwarrah-Shapur.