Mazdak

Mazdak (Persian: مزدک; Middle Persian: 𐭬𐭦𐭣𐭪𐭩; also known as Mazdak Bamdadan; d.c. 524 or 528) was an Iranianmobad (priest) and social reformer who rose to prominence during the reign of the Sasanian emperor Kavadh I. He instituted a religious and social movement known as Mazdakism, which preached a dualistic cosmology and social welfare programs, including the communal ownership of property and, controversially, women (interpreted by some scholars as a reaction against the harem system).

Although initially supported by King Kavadh I to weaken the power of the nobility and clergy, Mazdak and his followers were eventually purged by Kavadh's son, Khosrow I (Anushiravan). His ideology survived in various forms, influencing later movements such as the Khurramites.