Rostam Farrokhzad
Encyclopedia
- For the character in the 10th century PersianCulture of IranTo best understand Iran, Afghanistan, their related societies and their people, one must first attempt to acquire an understanding of their culture. It is in the study of this area where the Persian identity optimally expresses itself...
epic ShahnamehShahnamehThe Shahnameh or Shah-nama is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c.977 and 1010 AD and is the national epic of Iran and related societies...
or Epic of Kings, see RostamRostamRostam is the national hero of Greater Iran from Zabulistan in Persian mythology and son of Zal and Rudaba. In some ways, the position of Rostam in the historical tradition is parallel to that of Surena, the hero of the Carrhae. His figure was endowed with many features of the historical...
.
Rostam Farrokhzād (رستم فرّخزاد in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
) (6?? - 636/7 CE) was the Ērān Spāhbod
Spahbod
Spahbod or Spahbed , is derived from the words Spah and bod ; or "Aspah'Paeity" , and means commander of cavaliers/ knights; alternatively Spah Salar was a rank used in the Parthian empire and more widely in the Sassanid Empire of Persia...
(Spāhbod of Iran, Commander of the Army of Iran) of the Sāsānian Empire
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
under the reign of Yazdgird, r. 632
632
Year 632 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 632 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* January 27 – Annular eclipse of the...
- 651
651
Year 651 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 651 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Clovis II, king of Neustria and Burgundy,...
. Rostam is remembered as an historical figure, a character in the Persian epic poem Shāh-nāmeh, and as a touchstone of most Iranian nationalists
Iranian nationalism
Iranian nationalism refers to nationalism among the people of Iran and individuals whose national identity is Iranian. Iranian nationalism consists of political and social movements and sentiments prompted by a love for Iranian culture, language and history, and a sense of pride in Iran and...
.
Rise
Rostam Farrokhzād was a powerful Sāsānian general and aristocrat from Azarbaijan, one of the provinces of the Persian empire, and was PersianPersian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
by ethnicity. Rostam, his father, Farrukh-Hormuzd, and his brother served the Sāsānian rulers in high office. As his father before him, Rostam was "ishkan" or "prince” of Azarbaijan (Atrpatakan) and governor of Khorassan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
. By this date Sāsānian governors (Spahbods) held their lands in a type of hereditary fiefdom
Fiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
. In a period of Sāsānian decline, such aristocrats became increasingly powerful and in many cases were the power behind a series of weak rulers.
During the regency of Ardashir III
Ardashir III
Ardashir III was the twenty-fourth Sassanid King of Persia from 628 to 630.He was a son of Kavadh II/Shiroes and "Anzoy the Roman". His mother was probably from the Byzantine Empire. He was raised to the throne as a boy of seven years, but was killed 18 months later by his general, Shahrbaraz .-...
, Farrukh-Hormuzd attempted to seize power by a proposed marriage to queen Azarmidokht
Azarmidokht
Azarmidokht was the twenty-seventh Sassanid Monarch of Persia, and daughter of Khosrau II. She ruled Persia after her sister Purandokht.After the death of her father Khosrau II anarchy spread in the Sassanid empire. The subsequent rulers could stay for only a relatively brief time on the throne,...
, but Rostom's father was rebuffed and murdered. In revenge, Rostam led his army to the Persian capital of Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon, the imperial capital of the Parthian Arsacids and of the Persian Sassanids, was one of the great cities of ancient Mesopotamia.The ruins of the city are located on the east bank of the Tigris, across the river from the Hellenistic city of Seleucia...
and had the queen blinded and deposed.
In 631 CE, Rostam conquered Armenia
Marzpanate Period
Marzpanate period refers to the period in Armenian history after the fall of the Arshakuni Dynasty of Armenia in 428, when Marzpans , nominated by the Sassanid Persian King, governed the eastern part of Armenia...
from its Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
governor Prince Varaz-Tirots Bagratuni
Varaz-Tirots II Bagratuni
Varaz-Tirots II Bagratuni was an Armenian nakharar from the Bagratuni family, aspet until 616, marzpan of Armenia from 628 to 634 and presiding prince of Armenia in 645....
, and added it to his fief.
By 632, Rostam reappears in Persian sources as a supporter of another young ruler Yazdegerd III who had just taken Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon, the imperial capital of the Parthian Arsacids and of the Persian Sassanids, was one of the great cities of ancient Mesopotamia.The ruins of the city are located on the east bank of the Tigris, across the river from the Hellenistic city of Seleucia...
, perhaps with the aid of Rostam's faction. Rostam's brother Khurrazad
Khurrazad
Khurrazad was an eminent Sassanian commander during the Arab invasion of Iran. Khurrazad was brother of the powerful Spahbod Rostam Farrokhzād, who fought and died at the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah. Khurrazad is most famous for being present at the Battle of Jalula...
was the 'darik-pat' (or chamberlain). With another aristocrat named Zadhoe, there appears to have been a triumvirate behind the new ruler.
Throughout this period the great expansion of Arab-Muslim armies had slowly been penetrating the south-western frontiers under Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattāb. The Persians had repeatedly blocked this advance and in 634 the Caliph's army suffered a seemingly decisive defeat at the Battle of the Bridge
Battle of the Bridge
The Battle of the Bridge was fought between Arab Muslims led by Abu Ubaid, and the Persian Sasanian Empire forces led by Bahman. It is traditionally dated to the year 634, and was the only major Persian victory over the invading Muslim armies....
. The Sāsānian
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
general Bahman, though, was ordered back to Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon, the imperial capital of the Parthian Arsacids and of the Persian Sassanids, was one of the great cities of ancient Mesopotamia.The ruins of the city are located on the east bank of the Tigris, across the river from the Hellenistic city of Seleucia...
by Rostam (who seems to have led the Persian ruling faction by this point) in order to put down a revolt in his own capital city. Caliph `Umar's forces retreated, only to launch a successful assault three years later.
Battle of al-Qadisiyyah
In 636 CE Rostam set out from Ctesiphon in command of a large Persian force to confront the Arab-Muslim army of Caliph `Umar ibn al-Khattāb on the western bank of the Euphrates River at the plains of al-QādisiyyahBattle of al-Qadisiyyah
The Battle of al-Qādisiyyah was fought in 636; it was the decisive engagement between the Arab muslim army and the Sassanid Persian army during the first period of Muslim expansion. It resulted in the Islamic conquest of Persia, and was key to the conquest of Iraq...
.
The two armies met in Al-Qādisiyyah, a now abandoned city in southern Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
, southwest of al-Hillah and al-Kūfah
Kufa
Kufa is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000....
in Iraq.
According to Arab sources, negotiations were carried out between the two sides with Arab delegations coming to the Persian camp and demanding that the latter accept Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
or agree to pay the tribute (jizyah). Rostam, having pessimistic premonitions, tried to delay the battle. When neither side came to an agreement fighting broke out.
The Persians fielded a much larger force (sources disagree on the exact size: 60,000 to 100,000 are cited below) and looked certain of victory. Again according to Arab accounts, at dawn of the fourth day a sandstorm broke out – blowing sand in the Persians' faces turning the tide and forcing the Sassanid centre to give way, particularly with the help of Arab archers. Rostam, who had been commanding his force from that location, sought to flee by swimming across the canal (al-`Atīq), but was caught by an Arab soldier and beheaded. The latter (sometimes recorded as Hilāl ibn `Ullafah) announced the deed, displaying Rostam's head before the soldiers, exclaiming: By the Lord of the Ka`bah! I have slain Rustam! I am Hilal ibn 'Ullafah! Seeing their respected leader's head dangling before them, the Persian soldiers lost nerve and begin to flee, leading to a devastating rout. Most of the Sassanid soldiers lost their lives in this melée.
Consequences
- See Sāsānian Empire: Decline and fall (622–651)
The defeat of Rostam's army marked the beginning of the end of the Sāsānian Empire
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
and the conversion of Persia (and soon all Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
) to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
See also
- Islamic conquest of Iran
- Muslim conquestsMuslim conquestsMuslim conquests also referred to as the Islamic conquests or Arab conquests, began with the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He established a new unified polity in the Arabian Peninsula which under the subsequent Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates saw a century of rapid expansion of Muslim power.They...
- Sassanid EmpireSassanid EmpireThe Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
- ShahnamehShahnamehThe Shahnameh or Shah-nama is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c.977 and 1010 AD and is the national epic of Iran and related societies...
- Shahnameh Characters
- KhurrazadKhurrazadKhurrazad was an eminent Sassanian commander during the Arab invasion of Iran. Khurrazad was brother of the powerful Spahbod Rostam Farrokhzād, who fought and died at the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah. Khurrazad is most famous for being present at the Battle of Jalula...
- brother of Rostam