Piruz Khosrow (Middle Persian:Pērōz Khusraw), also known asPiruzan orFiruzan, was a powerfulPersian aristocrat who was the leader of theParsig (Persian) faction that controlled much of the affairs of theSasanian Empire during theSasanian civil war of 628-632. He was killed at theBattle of Nahāvand in 642.

Piruz is first mentioned in 628, as one of the conspirators againstKhosrow II. During this period Piruz assumed the leadership of theParsig faction, while theIspahbudhanFarrukh Hormizd, assumed the leadership of thePahlav (Parthian) faction. After the overthrow of Khosrow, the latter's sonKavadh II became the new king of theSasanian Empire. Piruz was then elected as hiswuzurg framadār (vizier orprime minister); reportedly, under Kavadh's orders, he executed all of Kavadh's brothers and half-brothers. Kavadh then made peace with theByzantine Empire, which restored all their lost territories.

However, shortly after these events, theParsig andPahlav faction came into conflict, which divided the resources of the country. Soon, a devastating plague spread over western Iran, which killed half of the population along with Kavadh II, who was succeeded byArdashir III.^[1] Piruz was then succeeded byMah-Adhur Gushnasp as thewuzurg framadār of the empire, while Piruz remained as the commander of the royal guard (hazarbed).^[2][3]

One year later,Shahrbaraz, with a force of 6,000 men,^[4] marched towardsCtesiphon and besieged the city. Shahrbaraz, however, was unable to capture the city, and then made an alliance with Piruz. He also made an alliance with Namdar Jushnas, thespahbed ofNimruz.^[5] Shahrbaraz, with the aid of these two powerful figures,captured Ctesiphon, and executed Ardashir III, along with his minister Mah-Adhur Gushnasp, including other Sasanian nobles like Ardabīl. Forty days later, Shahrbaraz was murdered by Farrukh Hormizd, who then madeBorandukht, the daughter of Khosrow II, ascend the throne.^[6]

Borandukht, was, however, deposed byShapur-i Shahrvaraz, the son of Khosrow II's sister Mirhran and Shahrbaraz. He was shortly deposed by Piruz and his faction, who did not acknowledge his rule. He crownedAzarmidokht, the sister of Borandukht, as monarch of Persia.^[7] In order to make a union with theParsig faction, and to seize power, Farrukh Hormizd asked Azarmidokht to marry him. Not daring to refuse, Azarmidokht had him killed with the aid of theMihranidSiyavakhsh, who was the grandson ofBahram Chobin, the famousspahbed and brieflyshahanshah.

She was, however, shortly killed by the latter's sonRostam Farrokhzad, who then restored Borandukht to the throne, who later made a meeting with thePahlav andParsig faction, where both factions agreed to work together. Piruz, however, later strangled Borandukht himself,^[8] which ended theParsig-Pahlav alliance and resumed their hostilities. Rostam and Piruz, were, however, threatened by their own men, who, according toal-Tabari, told the two faction leaders that: "the two of you have not reached such a rank that Iran will concur with you in this opinion and that you expose it to perdition. AfterBaghdad,Valashabad, andTikrit, there is only Ctesiphon. By God, either the two of you unite, or else we will indeed begin with you." Piruz and Rostam then agreed to work together once again, and crownedYazdegerd III, the grandson of Khosrow II, as the new king of the empire.

One year later,the Muslim Arabs began conquering Persia.Bahman Jadhuyih, a member of theParsig faction, along withAndarzaghar, clashed with the Arabs at thebattle of Walaja; they were, however, defeated. In 634, after several Sasanian defeats, Bahman managed to defeat the Arabs at thebattle of the bridge. Two years later, the Arabs made a counter-attackby taking over al-Qadisiyyah, where Piruz would command the rear guard of the Sasanian army. The Sasanians were defeated, and many notable Iranian figures including Rostam Farrokhzad and Bahman Jadhuyih, were killed. The Arabs then besieged Ctesiphon. Piruz managed to survive and along withNakhiragan,Mihran Razi andHormuzan, including the rest of the survivors, regrouped at Bavel (Babylon), where they tried to repel the Arab army, but were once again defeated.^[9]

Ctesiphon was shortly captured, and Piruz fled to Jalula, where he began raising another army. He later clashed with the Arabs at thebattle of Jalula in 637, where he was once again defeated, while Mihran Razi was killed.^[10] Piruz then fled toMedia, where he regrouped with the Sasanian nobles, and fought at the Arabs at thebattle of Nahavand in 642, where he was at last killed.^[11]

• 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.
• Shapur Shahbazi, A. (1986)."ARDAŠĪR III".Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition. Retrieved4 April 2014.
• Shapur Shahbazi, A. (2005)."SASANIAN DYNASTY".Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition. Retrieved4 April 2014.
• Morony, Michael G. (2005) [1984].Iraq After The Muslim Conquest. Gorgias Press LLC.ISBN 978-1-59333-315-7.
• Zarrinkub, Abd al-Husain (1975). "The Arab conquest of Iran and its aftermath".The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 4: From the Arab Invasion to the Saljuqs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–57.ISBN 978-0-521-20093-6.

• 642 deaths
• Generals of Yazdegerd III
• Military personnel killed in action
• Viziers of the Sasanian Empire
• 7th-century Iranian people
• Generals of Boran

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Year of birth unknown