Djamasp
Encyclopedia
Djamasp was a Sassanid king who ruled from 496 to 498. He was a younger brother of king Kavadh I
and was installed on the Sassanid throne upon the deposition of the latter by members of the nobility.
Not much is known about Jamasp himself, and his name occurs only in conjunction with his short interregnum. Byzantine accounts of the episode (Joshua the Stylite
and Procopius
) mention that Kavadh was deposed because of his determination to spread a new "religion" that preached redistribution of property. Following Kavadh's deposition and subsequent imprisonment, Jamasp was elected to succeed his brother.
Later Islamic sources such as Tabari
and Dinawari
inform us that Jamasp was a good and kind king who reduced taxes in order to relieve the peasant
s and the poor. He was also a proper adherent of the Mazdean religion (Zoroastrianism
), diversions from which had cost Kavadh his throne and freedom.
The sources also tell us that upon the return of Kavadh at the head of a large army given to him by the white Hun king, Jamasp loyally stepped down from his position and restored the throne to his brother. No further mention of Jamasp is made after the restoration of Kavadh.
Kavadh I
Kavad or Kavadh I was the son of Peroz I and the nineteenth Sassanid king of Persia, reigning from 488 to 531...
and was installed on the Sassanid throne upon the deposition of the latter by members of the nobility.
Not much is known about Jamasp himself, and his name occurs only in conjunction with his short interregnum. Byzantine accounts of the episode (Joshua the Stylite
Joshua the Stylite
Joshua the Stylite is the attributed author of a chronicle which narrates the history of the war between the Later Roman Empire and Persians in 502 - 506, and which is one of the earliest and best historical documents preserved in Syriac.The work owes its preservation to having been incorporated...
and Procopius
Procopius
Procopius of Caesarea was a prominent Byzantine scholar from Palestine. Accompanying the general Belisarius in the wars of the Emperor Justinian I, he became the principal historian of the 6th century, writing the Wars of Justinian, the Buildings of Justinian and the celebrated Secret History...
) mention that Kavadh was deposed because of his determination to spread a new "religion" that preached redistribution of property. Following Kavadh's deposition and subsequent imprisonment, Jamasp was elected to succeed his brother.
Later Islamic sources such as Tabari
Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari
Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari was a prominent and influential Sunni scholar and exegete of the Qur'an from Persia...
and Dinawari
Al-Dinawari
Ābu Ḥanīfah Āḥmad ibn Dawūd Dīnawarī was a Persian polymath excelling as much in astronomy, agriculture, botany and metallurgy and as he did in geography, mathematics and history. He was born in Dinawar, . He studied astronomy, mathematics and mechanics in Isfahan and philology and poetry in...
inform us that Jamasp was a good and kind king who reduced taxes in order to relieve the peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
s and the poor. He was also a proper adherent of the Mazdean religion (Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...
), diversions from which had cost Kavadh his throne and freedom.
The sources also tell us that upon the return of Kavadh at the head of a large army given to him by the white Hun king, Jamasp loyally stepped down from his position and restored the throne to his brother. No further mention of Jamasp is made after the restoration of Kavadh.