Hormizd I Kushanshah

Hormizd I Kushanshah
Coin of Hormizd I Kushanshah. Pahlavi inscription: "The Mazda worshipper, the divine Hormizd the great Kushan king of kings"/ Pahlavi inscription: "Exalted god, Hormizd the great Kushan king of kings", Hormizd standing right, holding investiture wreath over altar and raising left hand in benedictional gesture to Anahita holding investiture wreath and sceptre. Merv mint.
Kushanshah of the Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom
Reign	275–late 280s
Predecessor	Peroz I Kushanshah
Successor	Hormizd II Kushanshah
Died	late 280s
Religion	Zoroastrianism

Hormizd I Kushanshah was Kushanshah of the Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom from 275 till the late 280s.

Background

Like the previous Kushanshahs, Hormizd I Kushanshah was, in effect, a governor of the eastern portion of the Sasanian Empire, which included Sogdia, Bactria and Gandhara which had been captured in 225 following the decline of the Kushan Empire. 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 another son, Bahram II. It was during the reign of his brother that Hormizd I Kushanshah choose to rebel.

The synchronicity of the Kushanshahs with the rulers of the Kushan Empire is rather well established, as a large quantity of the early copper coins of Hormizd I Kushanshah from the south of the Hindu-Kush were overstruck by the Kushan Emperor Vasudeva II.

Reign

The victory of Bahram II (left) over Hormizd I Kushanshah (right) is depicted in the bottom panel at Naqsh-e Rustam (the top panel is the "victory" of Bahram II over Roman Emperor Carus).

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 occurred 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) occurred in the province of Khuzestan, which was seized by the latter for a period.

Meanwhile, the Roman emperor Carus, hearing of the civil war occurring 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 I Kushanshah was succeeded by Hormizd II Kushanshah.

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)
• Cribb, Joe (2018). Problems of Chronology in Gandhāran Art: Proceedings of the First International Workshop of the Gandhāra Connections Project, University of Oxford, 23rd-24th March, 2017. University of Oxford The Classical Art Research Centre Archaeopress. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)