Kawus ibn Kharakhuruh was the ruler ( Sogdian: ''

afshin Afshin () is a common Persian language, Persian given name derived from Avestan. Afshin was used by the Sogdians. Historically, it was the title of the rulers of Principality of Ushrusana in Transoxiana before the Muslim conquest of Persia.. Etym ...

'') of the

Principality of Ushrusana The Principality of Ushrusana (also spelled ''Usrushana'', ''Osrushana'' or ''Ustrushana'') was a local dynasty ruling the Ushrusana region, in the northern area of modern Tajikistan, from an unknown date to 892 CE. Ushrusana, just like Ferghana, d ...

during the 9th-century. He was the son and successor of Kharakhuruh.

Biography

Kawus is first mentioned in ca. 802, when the

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...

prince

al-Ma'mun Abū al-ʿAbbās Abd Allāh ibn Hārūn al-Maʾmūn (; 14 September 786 – 9 August 833), better known by his regnal name al-Ma'mun (), was the seventh Abbasid caliph, who reigned from 813 until his death in 833. His leadership was marked by t ...

made several campaigns against Osrushana in order to ensure that Kawus stayed loyal to him. However, when al-Ma'mun ascended the Abbasid throne in 813, Kawus declared independence from the Abbasid Caliphate. In ca. 818, a civil war ensued in Osrushana between several princes. Kawus managed to emerge victorious, while his son Khaydar fled to the Abbasid court in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. In 822, an Abbasid army under

Ahmad ibn Abi Khalid al-Ahwal Ahmad ibn Abi Khalid al-Ahwal was a military leader and administrator during the Abbasid Caliphate. He is known for leading an Abbasid army that conquered the Principality of Ushrusana in 822. This military campaign resulted in the capture of Ka ...

conquered Osrushana and captured Kawus ibn Kharakhuruh; he was sent to Baghdad, where he submitted to the

Caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

and converted to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. From this point on, Osrushana was generally considered to be part of the Abbasid state, although the ''afshīn''s were allowed to retain their control over the country as subjects of the caliph.Kramers, p. 925. The dynasty remained in power until 893, when Osrushana became a directly-administered province of the

Samanids People Samanid Samanid Samanid The Samanid Empire () was a Persianate society, Persianate Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, ruled by a dynasty of Iranian peoples, Iranian ''dehqan'' origin. The empire was centred in Greater Khorasan, Khorasan an ...

. Kawus died sometime later, and was succeeded by his son Khaydar.

References

Sources

*Bosworth, C. Edmund. "Afsin." ''Encyclopaedia Iranica, Volume I.'' Ed. Ehsan Yarshater. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1985. * * *Al-Baladhuri, Ahmad ibn Jabir. ''The Origins of the Islamic State, Part II.'' Trans. Francis Clark Murgotten. New York: Columbia University, 1924. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kawus ibn Kharakhuruh 9th-century deaths 9th-century monarchs in Asia Year of birth unknown Converts to Islam from Zoroastrianism 9th-century Iranian people 8th-century births Zoroastrian monarchs Sogdian monarchs