Bozorgmehr-e Bokhtagan (
Middle Persian
Middle Persian or Pahlavi, also known by its endonym Pārsīk or Pārsīg () in its later form, is a Western Middle Iranian language which became the literary language of the Sasanian Empire. For some time after the Sasanian collapse, Middle P ...
: ''Wuzurgmihr ī Bōkhtagān''), also known as Burzmihr, Dadmihr and Dadburzmihr, was an
Iranian
Iranian may refer to:
* Iran, a sovereign state
* Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran
* Iranian lan ...
sage and dignitary from the
Karen family, who served as minister (''
wuzurg framadār'') of the
Sasanian
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...
king (
shah
Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
)
Kavad I
Kavad I ( pal, 𐭪𐭥𐭠𐭲 ; 473 – 13 September 531) was the Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 488 to 531, with a two or three-year interruption. A son of Peroz I (), he was crowned by the nobles to replace his deposed and unpopular un ...
(), and the latter's son and successor
Khosrow I
Khosrow I (also spelled Khosrau, Khusro or Chosroes; pal, 𐭧𐭥𐭮𐭫𐭥𐭣𐭩; New Persian: []), traditionally known by his epithet of Anushirvan ( [] "the Immortal Soul"), was the Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from ...
(). He also served as the military commander (''
spahbed
''Spāhbed'' (also spelled ''spahbod'' and ''spahbad'') is a Middle Persian title meaning "army chief" used chiefly in the Sasanian Empire. Originally there was a single ''spāhbed'', called the , who functioned as the generalissimo of the Sasa ...
'') of
Khwarasan Khwarāsān () was one of the four '' kusts'' (frontier regions) of the Sasanian Empire, formed during the reign of king Khosrow I (r. 531–579). Khwarasan was commanded by a ''spahbed'' from one of the seven Parthian clans. The appointed ''spahbed ...
under Khosrow I and his successor
Hormizd IV (). According to
Persian and
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
sources, Bozorgmehr was a man of "exceptional wisdom and sage counsels" and later became a characterisation of the expression. His name appears in several important works in Persian literature, most notably in the
Shahnameh
The ''Shahnameh'' or ''Shahnama'' ( fa, شاهنامه, Šāhnāme, lit=The Book of Kings, ) is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 5 ...
("The Book of Kings"). The historian
Arthur Christensen
Arthur Emanuel Christensen (9 January 1875 – 31 March 1945) was a Danish orientalist and scholar of Iranian philology and folklore. He is best known for his works on the Iranian history, mythology, religions
Religion is usually define ...
has suggested that Bozorgmehr was the same person as
Borzuya
Borzuya (or Burzōē or Burzōy or Borzouyeh, ) was a Persian physician in the late Sassanid era, at the time of Khosrow I. He translated the Indian ''Panchatantra'' from Sanskrit into Pahlavi (Middle Persian). Both his translation and the origi ...
, but historiographical studies of post-Sasanian Persian literature, as well as linguistic analysis show otherwise. However, the word "Borzuya" can sometimes be considered a shortened form of Bozorgmehr.
Name
The name of the ''Bozorgmehr'' (meaning "large sun" or "one of great kindness") is the
New Persian
New Persian ( fa, فارسی نو), also known as Modern Persian () and Dari (), is the current stage of the Persian language spoken since the 8th to 9th centuries until now in Greater Iran and surroundings. It is conventionally divided into thr ...
variant of Middle Persian ''Wuzurgmihr ī Bōkhtagān'', which was later transformed in
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
as ''Abūzarjmehr'', ''Bozorjmehr'', or ''Būzorjmehr''. The last variant was used by
Ferdowsi
, image = Statue of Ferdowsi in Tus, Iran 3 (cropped).jpg
, image_size =
, caption = Statue of Ferdowsi in Tus by Abolhassan Sadighi
, birth_date = 940
, birth_place = Tus, Samanid Empire
, death_date = 1019 or 1025 (87 years old)
, d ...
in the
Shahnameh
The ''Shahnameh'' or ''Shahnama'' ( fa, شاهنامه, Šāhnāme, lit=The Book of Kings, ) is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 5 ...
("The Book of Kings"). Etymologically the latter is a corruption of ''Burzmihr'' or ''Dād-Burzmihr'', also reported as ''Zarmihr''. Its proper version was ''Dādburzmihr'', with ''Būrzūmihr'' being the original variant in ancient engravings. The name is attested as ''Dadburzmihr'' ("given by the high
Mihr") in a seal, a
theophoric name
A theophoric name (from Greek: , ''theophoros'', literally "bearing or carrying a god") embeds the word equivalent of 'god' or God's name in a person's name, reflecting something about the character of the person so named in relation to that dei ...
that emphasizes the Mihr worship of Bozorgmehrs clan, the
Karenids. The ''-i Bōkhtagān'' suffix is a
patronymic
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor.
Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...
name meaning "son of Bokhtagan", a title held by Bozorgmehrs father.
Background
Bozorgmehr is first mentioned in 498, as one of the nine sons of the powerful nobleman
Sukhra. He belonged to the House of Karen, one of the
Seven Great Houses of Iran
The Seven Great Houses of Iran, also known as the seven Parthian clans, were seven feudal aristocracies of Parthian origin, who were allied with the Sasanian court. The Parthian clans all claimed ancestry from Achaemenid Persians.
The seven Great ...
, which was descended from the
Arsacid prince
Karen
Karen may refer to:
* Karen (name), a given name and surname
* Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors
People
* Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand
** Karen languages or Karenic la ...
. The Karen family claimed descent from the legendary
Pishdadian shah
Manuchehr
Manūchehr Help:IPA/English">mænuː'tʃer.html" ;"title="Help:IPA/English.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Help:IPA/English">mænuː'tʃer">Help:IPA/English.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Help:IPA/English">mænuː'tʃer (, older Persian Manōčihr, Avestan � ...
, and were based in
Nihavand in
Media
Media may refer to:
Communication
* Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data
** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising
** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...
. After the defeat and death of the Sasanian shah
Peroz I
Peroz I ( pal, 𐭯𐭩𐭫𐭥𐭰, Pērōz) was the Sasanian King of Kings () of Iran from 459 to 484. A son of Yazdegerd II (), he disputed the rule of his elder brother and incumbent king Hormizd III (), eventually seizing the throne after ...
() at the
battle of Herat, Sukhra became the ''
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...
'' ruler of Iran. He was eventually defeated and executed by
Kavad I
Kavad I ( pal, 𐭪𐭥𐭠𐭲 ; 473 – 13 September 531) was the Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 488 to 531, with a two or three-year interruption. A son of Peroz I (), he was crowned by the nobles to replace his deposed and unpopular un ...
, which resulted in the Karen family being heavily weakened, with many of its members being exiled to the regions of
Tabaristan
Tabaristan or Tabarestan ( fa, طبرستان, Ṭabarestān, or mzn, تبرستون, Tabarestun, ultimately from Middle Persian: , ''Tapur(i)stān''), was the name applied to a mountainous region located on the Caspian coast of northern Iran. ...
and
Zabulistan
Zabulistan ( fa, زابلستان ''Zābulistān''/''Zābolistān''/''Zāwulistān'' or simply ''Zābul'', ps, زابل ''Zābəl''), was a historical region in southern Afghanistan roughly corresponding to the modern provinces of Zabul and ...
, which was away from the Sasanian court in
Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon ( ; Middle Persian: 𐭲𐭩𐭮𐭯𐭥𐭭 ''tyspwn'' or ''tysfwn''; fa, تیسفون; grc-gre, Κτησιφῶν, ; syr, ܩܛܝܣܦܘܢThomas A. Carlson et al., “Ctesiphon — ܩܛܝܣܦܘܢ ” in The Syriac Gazetteer last modi ...
. In 496, Kavad I was deposed and imprisoned due to his support of the
Mazdakite
Mazdakism was an Iranian religion, which was an offshoot of Zoroastrianism. The religion has been called one of the most noteworthy examples of pre-modern communism.
The religion was founded in the early Sasanian Empire by Zardusht, a Zoroas ...
movement, and also for having Sukhra executed.
Career
After Kavad I had reclaimed the Sasanian throne from his younger brother
Jamasp
Jamasp (also spelled Zamasp or Djamasp; pal, 𐭩𐭠𐭬𐭠𐭮𐭯; fa, جاماسپ ''Jāmāsp'') was Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 496 to 498/9. He was a son of Peroz I and younger brother of Kavad I. Jamasp was installed on the Sasa ...
in 498, he appointed Bozorgmehr as his minister (''
wuzurg framadār''). During his tenure, Bozorgmehr persuaded Kavad to stop taxation on fruits and grain from the peasantry. An early reference to Bozorgmehr is found in the ''Aydāgār ī Wuzurgmihr'', in which he is called an ''
argbed''—a high-ranking title in the Sasanian and Parthian periods. Among other sources, later mention of him is made in the Shahnameh and in
al-Tha'alibi’s ''Ghurar'' and
al-Masudi
Al-Mas'udi ( ar, أَبُو ٱلْحَسَن عَلِيّ ٱبْن ٱلْحُسَيْن ٱبْن عَلِيّ ٱلْمَسْعُودِيّ, '; –956) was an Arab historian, geographer and traveler. He is sometimes referred to as the " Herodotu ...
’s ''
Murūj al-Dhahab''. During the reign of Kavad I's son and successor,
Khosrow I
Khosrow I (also spelled Khosrau, Khusro or Chosroes; pal, 𐭧𐭥𐭮𐭫𐭥𐭣𐭩; New Persian: []), traditionally known by his epithet of Anushirvan ( [] "the Immortal Soul"), was the Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from ...
(), Bozorgmehr continued his tenure as minister of the shah. He further rose to prominence after being appointed as military commander (''
spahbed
''Spāhbed'' (also spelled ''spahbod'' and ''spahbad'') is a Middle Persian title meaning "army chief" used chiefly in the Sasanian Empire. Originally there was a single ''spāhbed'', called the , who functioned as the generalissimo of the Sasa ...
'') of the ''
kust'' (frontier region) of
Khorasan
Khorasan may refer to:
* Greater Khorasan, a historical region which lies mostly in modern-day northern/northwestern Afghanistan, northeastern Iran, southern Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan
* Khorasan Province, a pre-2004 province of Ira ...
(
Khwarasan Khwarāsān () was one of the four '' kusts'' (frontier regions) of the Sasanian Empire, formed during the reign of king Khosrow I (r. 531–579). Khwarasan was commanded by a ''spahbed'' from one of the seven Parthian clans. The appointed ''spahbed ...
) by Khosrow I, who reportedly regretted Kavad I's approach to the family.
During the reign of Khosrow I's son
Hormizd IV (), Bozorgmehr continued to serve as ''spahbed'' of the Khorasan. Two seals of Bozorgmehr have been found; Through both of them Bozorgmehr emphasizes his Parthian ancestry by claiming to be a Parthian ''
aspbed
Aspbed (also spelled Aspbad and asppat; literally “commander of the cavalry”, from Old Iranian *''aspa-pati-''), was a title of Iranian origin used by the Parthian and Sasanian empires.
History
The word is first attested in an ''ostracon'' ...
'' (''aspbed-i pahlaw''). According to
Ferdinand Justi, Bozorgmehr was later executed by the order of Hormizd IV. His execution probably lead to the legendary story of the royal resentment reported in various versions by al-Masudi, Ferdowsi, and al-Tha'alibi. The versions of Ferdowsi and al-Tha'alibi, which link Bozorgmehr with the reign of Khosrow I, he was reportedly pardoned by the shah, who was well-known for his fairness. In the version of al-Masudi, Bozorgmehr was linked with the reign of
Khosrow II
Khosrow II (spelled Chosroes II in classical sources; pal, 𐭧𐭥𐭮𐭫𐭥𐭣𐭩, Husrō), also known as Khosrow Parviz (New Persian: , "Khosrow the Victorious"), is considered to be the last great Sasanian king (shah) of Iran, ruling fr ...
, where no mention of his execution is made.
Bozorgmehrs descendants continued to remain active in Iran, with one of them,
Adhar Valash
Adhar Valash was an Iranian prince from the House of Karen, who ruled Tabaristan and Gurgan under the authority of the last Sasanian emperor Yazdegerd III ().
The name of ''Adhar Valash'' is a combination of ''ādur/ādar'' ("fire") and the perso ...
, ruling Tabaristan and
Gurgan
Gorgan ( fa, گرگان ; also romanized as ''Gorgān'', ''Gurgān'', and ''Gurgan''), formerly Esterabad ( ; also romanized as ''Astarābād'', ''Asterabad'', and ''Esterābād''), is the capital city of Golestan Province, Iran. It lies appro ...
under the last Sasanian shah,
Yazdegerd III
Yazdegerd III (also spelled Yazdgerd III and Yazdgird III; pal, 𐭩𐭦𐭣𐭪𐭥𐭲𐭩) was the last Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 632 to 651. His father was Shahriyar and his grandfather was Khosrow II.
Ascending the throne at the ...
(). His grandson,
Valash Valash (Middle Persian: ''Wardākhsh/Walākhsh'', fa, بلاش), was an Iranian prince from the House of Karen, who later became the ruler of Tabaristan in 665.
He was the grandson of the nobleman Adhar Valash, and thus a descendant of Sukhra, a ...
, ruled Tabaristan from 665 to 673.
Works
Several
Middle Persian treatises were written by Bozorgmehr. Most famous is the ''Wizārišn ī čatrang'' (''"Treatise on Chess"''), also known as the ''Chatrang Nama'' (''"Book of Chess"''). As well as; ''Ayādgār ī Wuzurgmihr ī Bōxtagān'', ''Ketāb al-Zabarj'' (the original version a commentary on
Vettius Valens
Vettius Valens (120 – c. 175) was a 2nd-century Hellenistic astrologer, a somewhat younger contemporary of Claudius Ptolemy.
Valens' major work is the ''Anthology'' ( la, Anthologia), ten volumes in Greek written roughly within the period 150 t ...
’s ''Astrologica''), ''Ketāb Mehrāzād Jošnas'' (''"Book of Mehrāḏar Jošnas"'') and the ''Ẓafar-nāma'' ("Book of Victory", a book written in Middle Persian, that was translated into New Persian by
Avicenna
Ibn Sina ( fa, ابن سینا; 980 – June 1037 CE), commonly known in the West as Avicenna (), was a Persian polymath who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, philosophers, and writers of the Islamic ...
.
References
Sources
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{{Authority control
Shahnameh characters
5th-century Iranian people
6th-century Iranian people
House of Karen
Spahbeds
6th-century deaths
Year of birth missing
People executed by the Sasanian Empire
Khosrow I
Viziers of the Sasanian Empire