Shapur IV

Shapur IV 𐭱𐭧𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭩
"King of kings of Iran and Aniran"
King of Armenia
Reign	415-420
Predecessor	Vramshapuh
Successor	Artaxias IV
Rulers of the Sasanian Empire
Reign	420
Predecessor	Yazdegerd I
Successor	Khosrau the Usurper
Born	Persia
Died	420 Ctesiphon
House	House of Sasan
Father	Yazdegerd I
Mother	Shushandukht
Religion	Zoroastrianism

Shapur IV (Middle Persian: 𐭱𐭧𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭩 Šāhpuhr), was king of Persian Armenia from 415 to 420, and was also a Sasanian pretender in 420.

Biography

Shapur IV was the son of Yazdegerd I and Shushandukht, and had two brothers named Bahram V and Narse. At the death of the Arsacid Armenian king Khosrov IV, Yazdegerd I decided to give the royal crown of Armenia to his eldest son Shapur IV, instead of giving it to Khosrov's nephew, Artaxias IV. During Shapur's reign in Armenia, he concentrated on reconciliation and established friendly relations with the nobles. He made every effort to convert the Christian Armenians to Zoroastrianism, but was largely unsuccessful.^[1]

In 420, Yazdegerd I was murdered by the Sasanian nobles at Hyrcania,^[2] which made Shapur quickly leave Armenia and arrive at Ctesiphon to claim the Sasanian throne. However, he only managed to reign during a short time, until he was murdered by the nobles and the clergy, who sought to expel all the sons of Yazdegerd I.^[3] After the murder of Shapur, the nobles elected another Sasanian prince, Khosrau, the son of Bahram IV, as king of the Sasanian Empire.

References

1. Rawlinson 1882, p.278.
2. Nöldeke, p. 77 and 78
3. Bahrām V Gōr, O. Klíma, Encyclopaedia Iranica

Sources

• Pourshariati, Parvaneh (2008). Decline and Fall of the Sasanian Empire: The Sasanian-Parthian Confederacy and the Arab Conquest of Iran. London and New York: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84511-645-3.