Hormizd II
| Hormizd II | |
|---|---|
| "King of kings of Iran and Aniran"[1] | |
 | |
| Reign | 302–309 |
| Predecessor | Narseh |
| Successor | Adhur Narseh |
| Born | Unknown |
| Died | 309 |
| Issue |
Adurfrazgird Zamasp Shapur II Hormizd Ardashir II Hormizddukht[2] Adhur Narseh Asay |
| House | House of Sasan |
| Father | Narseh |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Hormizd II (Persian: هرمز دوم) was the eighth king of the Sasanian Empire, and reigned for seven years and five months, from 302 to 309. He was the son of Narseh (293–302).
Reign
In 302, Hormizd II ascended the throne, assuming a crown resembling the crown used by the early Sasanian rulers. Hormizd II, unlike his father, persecuted the Manicheans who had lived peacefully during the reign of his father.[3] Hormizd tried to improve Sasanian relations with Armenia, which had recently under Tiridates III of Armenia declared Christianity as its state religion; he gave his daughter Hormizddukht in marriage to a Mamikonian prince named Vahan.[4] In 309, while Hormizd was hunting, he was wounded by a Ghassanid army, and was shortly killed by the Sasanian nobles.
Succession
After his death, his oldest son Adhur Narseh, who had a cruel disposition, was killed by the grandees after a very short reign;[5] another son, Hormizd, was imprisoned, while the throne was reserved for the child of his concubine, Shapur II. Another version has it that Shapur II was the son of Hormizd II's first wife, and that while still pregnant she was made to wear a crown over her pudenda so that the baby would be born as a king.[6] Hormizd II also had many other sons named Adurfrazgird, Zamasp, Ardashir, and two daughters named Hormizddukht and Asay.
Family
Hormizd II was one of the Sasanian kings with most children, which he had from his Jewish wife Ifra-Hormizd, and several other wives and concubines:
- Prince Adhur Narseh (3rd century – 309), the ninth king of the Sasanian Empire.
- Prince Shapur II (309–379), the tenth king of the Sasanian Empire.
- Prince Adurfrazgird (??? – 4th century), governor of southern Arbayistan.
- Prince Zamasp (??? – 4th century), governor of northern Arbayistan.
- Prince Shapur Sakanshah (??? – 4th century), governor of Sakastan.
- Prince Hormizd (??? – 4th century), imprisoned by the Sasanian nobles and later defected to the Roman Empire.
- Prince Ardashir II (??? – 383), the eleventh king of the Sasanian Empire.
- Princess Asay (??? – 4th century), married the Arsacid king Urnayr.
- Princess Hormizddukht (??? – 4th century), married the Mamikonian prince Vahan.
References
- ↑ MacKenzie, David Niel (1998), "Ērān, Ērānšahr", Encyclopedia Iranica, 8, Costa Mesa: Mazda
- ↑ HORMOZD II, A. Shapur Shahbazi, Encyclopaedia Iranica, (March 23, 2012).
- ↑ HORMOZD II, A. Shapur Shahbazi, Encyclopaedia Iranica
- ↑ Touraj Daryaee, Sasanian Persia, (I.B.Tauris Ltd, 2010), 16.
- ↑ Touraj Daryaee, Sasanian Persia, (I.B.Tauris Ltd, 2010), 16.
- ↑ Touraj Daryaee, Sasanian Persia, (I.B.Tauris Ltd, 2010), 16.
Sources
- Shapur Shahbazi, A. (2005). "SASANIAN DYNASTY". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- Daryaee, Touraj (2008). Sasanian Persia: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. I.B.Tauris. pp. 1–240. ISBN 9780857716668.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "article name needed". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
| Hormizd II | ||
| Preceded by Narseh |
Great King (Shah) of Persia 302–309 |
Succeeded by Adhur Narseh |