Early Sasanians

Long years of Parthian corruption had brought the once mighty empire of Mehrdad II into a state of ruins. Feudal rule of the local powers, the emperors’ lack of power, and long and costly wars with Rome caused general dissatisfaction with the Ashkanis. Particularly since the change of the capital from Hecatompolis to Tispon (Ctesiphone) on the western edge of the empire, the emperors were even less aware of the internal problems of the country.

In the 210’s AD, the local governor of Pars (Persia) called Ardeshir-i Pabakaan started disobeying the central rule. Ardeshir came from an old priestly family who claimed descent from Achaemenid emperors. With local support and promise of better future, Ardeshir gained enough force to challenge the Ashkani emperor, Ardavan IV (Artabanus). In 220, Ardeshir defeated the emperor in a battle in Lurestan province. After this battle Ardeshir became de facto ruler of the eastern half of the Parthian empire. In 224 Ardeshir defeated the Parthian emperor and established his rule over the whole empire. He crowned himself Ardeshir I in Ctesiphon and officially found the Sasanian dynasty.

Ardeshir’s enmity towards the Parthians was so great that he ordered the distraction of all available Parthian governmental documents. Due to this savage act, our knowledge of 450 years of Parhtian rule over their vast empire is surprisingly scarce.

Ardeshir inherited a bankrupt empire from his predecessor. Most of his seventeen years as the emperor was spent in re-organising the empire. He brought the old Achaemenid system of Satrapis back and divided his empire into twelve provinces. He abolished the feudal rule and once again required the appointment of the governors and local officials with the direct approval of the central government. Ardeshir also established Zoroastrianism as the official religion of the country and gave the high clergy a tremendous amount of influence in the country by appointing them as local representatives of the court. The Zoroastrian Mobedhan-i Mobedh (High Priest) became the third most important figure in the country.

Upon Ardeshir’s death in 241, he left a well maintained empire to his son Shapur I. The level of prosperity had risen so much that Shapur was able to wage a war against Rome. Shapur defeated and captured the Roman emperor Valerianus in 260 along with his son Gallienus and kept him in his court until his death. Shapur’s reign was the beginning of the re-birth of Iran as a mighty empire.