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Hormizd I Kushanshah was Kushanshah of the Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom from 277 till before 293.

Background

Like the previous Kushanshahs, Hormizd I Kushanshah was, in effect, a governor of the eastern portion of the Sasanian Empire, which included Sogdiana, Bactria and Gandhara which had been captured following the fall of the Kushan Empire in 225. His coins were minted at Kabul, Balkh, Herat, and Merv. He was probably a son of the Sasanian king Bahram I, who died in 274 and was succeeded by his son other son, Bahram II. It was during the reign of his brother that Hormizd I Kushanshah choose to rebel.

Reign

Hormizd I Kushanshah was the first Kushano-Sasanian ruler to mint coins with the inscription of Hormizd, the "Great Kushan King of Kings" instead of the traditional "Great Kushan King" title. The Kushano-Sasanian king, now laying claims to the title of King of Kings, which had originally also been used by the Kushan Empire, displays a noteworthy transition in Kushano-Sasanian ideology and self-perception and possibly a direct dispute with the ruling branch of the Sasanian family. Some of his coins imitate Kushan coinage, with king standing in Kushan military dress on the obverse, and deity Oēšo (Shiva) on the reverse. Other coins however follow more closely the Sasanian pattern, with a king being portrayed in the Sasanian style, and with fire altar or deity on the reverse. Hormizd I Kushanshah was supported in his efforts by the Sakastanis, Gilaks, and Kushans. Another revolt also occured in Sakastan, led by Hormizd I Kushanshah's cousin Hormizd of Sakastan, who has been suggested to be the same person as him. However, according to Rezakhani, this proposal must now be disregarded. At the same time, a revolt led by a high-priest (mowbed) occured in the province of Khuzestan, which was seized by the latter for a period.

Meanwhile, the Roman emperor Carus, hearing of the civil war occuring in the Sasanian Empire, chose to take advantage of the situation by making a campaign into the empire in 283. He invaded Mesopotamia while Bahram II was in the east, and even besieged the Sasanian capital of Ctesiphon without facing much fighting. The Sasanians, due to facing severe internal problems, were unable to mount an effective coordinated defense at the time; Carus and his army may have captured Ctesiphon. However, Carus shortly died afterwards, reportedly being struck by lightning. The Roman army as a result withdrew, and Mesopotamia was re-conquered by the Sasanians. The following year, Bahram II made peace with the Romans, now ruled by Diocletian, who was faced with internal issues of his own.

Bahram II now focused to put an end to the internal troubles in his empire; by the time of his death in 293, the rebellions of Hormizd I Kushanshah and Hormizd of Sakastan had been suppressed, with Bahram II's son and heir Bahram III being appointed the governor of Sakastan, receiving the title of sagān-šāh ("King of the Sakas"). Hormizd II Kushanshah was succeeded by Hormizd II Kushanshah.

References

1. The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 3, E. Yarshater p.209 sq
2. ^ Shahbazi 2004.
3. ^ Rezakhani 2017, p. 81.
4. Daryaee 2014, p. 11.
5. Daryaee 2014, pp. 11–12.
6. ^ Daryaee 2014, p. 12.
7. ^ Shahbazi 1988, pp. 514–522.
8. ^ Potter 2013, p. 26.

Sources

• Daryaee, Touraj (2014). Sasanian Persia: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. I.B.Tauris. pp. 1–240. ISBN 0857716662. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Potter, David (2013). Constantine the Emperor. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199755868. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Frye, Richard Nelson (1984). The History of Ancient Iran. C.H.Beck. pp. 1–411. ISBN 9783406093975. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Shahbazi, A. Shapur (1988). "Bahrām II". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. III, Fasc. 5. pp. 514–522. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Frye, R. N. (1983), "Chapter 4", The political history of Iran under the Sasanians, The Cambridge History of Iran, vol. 3, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-20092-9 {{citation}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Shahbazi, A. Shapur (2004). Hormozd Kusansah. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |encyclopedia= ignored (help)
• Rezakhani, Khodadad (2017). ReOrienting the Sasanians: East Iran in Late Antiquity. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 1–256. ISBN 9781474400305. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

• Kushanshahs
• 3rd-century monarchs in Asia
• 3rd-century Iranian people
• Rebellions against the Sasanian Empire
• Sasanian dynasty