30 Facts About Yazdegerd III

Yazdegerd III was the last Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 632 to 651.

Yazdegerd III's father was Shahriyar and his grandfather was Khosrow II.

Yazdegerd III met his end at the hands of a miller near Marw in 651, bringing an end to the last pre-Islamic Iranian empire after more than 400 years of rule.

The name of Yazdegerd III is known in other languages as; Pahlavi Yazdekert; New Persian Yazdgerd; Syriac Yazdegerd III, Izdegerd, and Yazdeger; Armenian Yazkert; Talmudic Izdeger and Azger; Arabic Yazdeijerd; Greek Isdigerdes.

Yazdegerd III was the son of prince Shahriyar and the grandson of the last prominent shah of Iran, Khosrow II, who was in 628 overthrown and executed by his own son Kavad II, who proceeded to have all his brothers and half-brothers executed, including Shahriyar.

Yazdegerd III was succeeded by his eight-year-old son Ardashir III, who was killed two years later by the distinguished Sasanian general Shahrbaraz, who was in turn murdered forty days later in a coup by the Pahlav leader Farrukh Hormizd, who installed the daughter of Khosrow II, Boran, on the throne.

Yazdegerd III was deposed a year later, and a succession of rulers followed one another, until Boran was sovereign once more in 631, only to be killed the following year, seemingly by the Parsig leader Piruz Khosrow.

Yazdegerd III was crowned in the Anahid fire-temple in Istakhr, where he had been hiding during the civil war.

Yazdegerd III was almost the last living member of the House of Sasan.

Yazdegerd III did not have the authority required to bring stability to his extensive empire, which was swiftly falling apart due to ceaseless internal conflicts between the army commanders, courtiers, and powerful members of the aristocracy, who were fighting amongst themselves and wiping each other out.

Yazdegerd III, although being acknowledged as the rightful monarch by both the Parsig and Pahlav factions, does not seem to have held sway over all of his empire.

Yazdegerd III asked Rostam for an assessment of the Arab forces since they had camped at Qadisiyyah.

However, the Sasanian army suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah, with Rostam, Bahman, Jalinus and two Armenian princes named Grigor II Novirak and Mushegh Yazdegerd III Mamikonian being killed during the battle.

Yazdegerd III took his treasury, and along with 1,000 of his servants fled to Hulwan in Media, leaving Rostam Farrokhzad's brother Farrukhzad in charge of Ctesiphon.

Yazdegerd III subsequently raised a new army and send it to Nahavand to retake Ctesiphon and prevent any further Muslim advances.

However, Siyah and the rest of the army mutinied against Yazdegerd III, and agreed to help the Arabs in return for places to live.

Meanwhile, Yazdegerd III had arrived in Estakhr, where he tried organizing a base for resistance in the province of Pars.

Yazdegerd III managed to flee from the Arab force in a snowstorm at Bimand.

When Yazdegerd III arrived at Sakastan he lost the support of the governor of Sakastan by demanding tax from him.

Yazdegerd III then headed for Merv to join the leader of the Turks.

Yazdegerd III was supported by the Principality of Chaghaniyan, which sent him troops to aid him against the Arabs.

When Yazdegerd III arrived in Marw he demanded tax from the marzban of Marw, losing his support and making him ally with Nezak Tarkan, the Hephthalite ruler of Badghis, who helped him defeat Yazdegerd III and his followers.

Regardless, the death of Yazdegerd III marked the end of the Sasanian Empire, and made it less difficult for the Arabs to conquer the rest of Iran.

The death of Yazdegerd III thus marked the end of the last pre-Islamic Iranian empire after more than 400 years of rule.

Yazdegerd III was according to tradition buried by Christian monks in a tall tomb that was situated in a garden decorated with silk and musk.

Yazdegerd III's funeral and the construction of a mausoleum for his body near Merv was organized by the Nestorian bishop Elijah - in memory of the fact that the Shahanshah's grandmother Shirin was a Christian.

Yazdegerd's wife was according to folklore a Christian, whilst his son and heir, Peroz III was seemingly an adherent of Christianity, and even had a church built in Tang China, where he had taken refuge.

Yazdegerd III became remembered in history as a martyred prince; many rulers and officers would later claim being a descendant of him in Islamic Iran.

Yazdegerd III's chiefs hear this and cry out against him, and a mowbed of the name of Radui tells him that to kill a king or prophet will bring evil upon him and his son, and is supported in what he says by a holy man of the name of Hormuzd Kharad Shehran, and Mehronush.

Yazdegerd III was well educated and cultured, but his arrogance, pride and inability to compare his demands with the real situation led to him constantly falling out with his governors and his influence diminishing as he, pursued by Arabs, moved from one city to another.