Adergoudounbades
Adhurgunbadh, rendered in Greek as Adergoudounbades (Ἀδεργουδουνβάδης), was a prominent Sassanid Persian nobleman, general, and kanarang in the reigns of Kavadh I (r. 488–531), and Khosrau II (r. 531–579). His life is known only through the work of the Byzantine historian Procopius.
Biography
Adhurgunbadh first appears in 488. A young man at the time, according to Procopius he already had a reputation as a soldier. In that year, he helped Kavadh rise to the Persian throne against his uncle Balash. As a reward, Kavadh raised Adhurgunbadh to the important post of kanarang, governor of the northeastern province of Abarshahr which adjoined Hephthalite territory, replacing his relative, Gushnaspdad (Gousanastades), who was executed.[1]
Little is known of Adhurgunbadh during the subsequent decades, save that he had considerable success as a general: Procopius reports that he subdued twelve barbarian tribes to Persian rule.[2] He participated in the Anastasian War, being involved in the siege and capture of Amida in 502.[3]
When Khosrau ascended the throne in 531, a conspiracy was formed which wanted to overthrow him and elevate his nephew Kavadh, the son of his elder brother Djamasp (Zames), to the throne. The conspiracy was discovered and suppressed, but Kavadh was away from the court, being raised by Adhurgunbadh. Khosrau sent orders to kill Kavadh, but Adhurgunbadh disobeyed and brought him up in secret, until he was betrayed to the shah in 541 by his own son, Bahram (Varranes). Khosrau had him executed, but Kavadh, or someone claiming to be him, managed to flee to the Byzantine Empire.[4]
References
- ^ Martindale, Jones & Morris 1992, pp. 15–16; Pourshariati 2008, pp. 267–268.
- ^ Martindale, Jones & Morris 1992, p. 16.
- ^ Pourshariati 2008, pp. 111, 268.
- ^ Martindale, Jones & Morris 1992, pp. 16, 276; Pourshariati 2008, pp. 268–269; Greatrex & Lieu 2002, p. 112.
Sources
- Greatrex, Geoffrey; Lieu, Samuel N. C. (2002). The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars (Part II, 363–630 AD). New York, New York and London, United Kingdom: Routledge (Taylor & Francis). ISBN 0-4151-4687-9.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Martindale, John Robert; Jones, Arnold Hugh Martin; Morris, J., eds. (1992). The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire. Vol. III: A.D. 527–641. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-52-120160-5.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Pourshariati, Parvaneh (2008). Decline and Fall of the Sasanian Empire: The Sasanian-Parthian Confederacy and the Arab Conquest of Iran. London, United Kingdom: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84511-645-3.
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