| Shapur IV 𐭱𐭧𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭩 | |
|---|---|
| King of Kings of Iranians and non-Iranians | |
 Drachm of Shapur IV minted during the reign of his fatherYazdegerd I | |
| King of Armenia | |
| Reign | 415–420 |
| Predecessor | Vramshapuh |
| Successor | Artaxias IV |
| Shahanshah of theSasanian Empire | |
| Reign | 420 |
| Predecessor | Yazdegerd I |
| Successor | Khosrau the Usurper |
| Born | Persia |
| Died | 420 Ctesiphon |
| House | House of Sasan |
| Father | Yazdegerd I |
| Mother | Shushandukht |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Shapur IV (Middle Persian:𐭱𐭧𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭩Šāhpuhr), was king ofSasanian Armenia from 415 to 420, who briefly ruled theSasanian Empire in 420. The only witnesses to this brief reign are the 5th century Armenian historiansŁazar Pʿarpecʿi andMovses Khorenatsʿi, and the MandaeanBook of Kings, in which he appears as "King Shābur, son of Yazdiger."[1]
Shapur IV was the son ofYazdegerd I andShushandukht, and had two brothers namedBahram V and Narse. At the death of the Arsacid Armenian kingKhosrov IV, Yazdegerd I decided to give the royal crown of Armenia to his eldest son Shapur IV, instead of giving it to Khosrov's nephew,Artaxias IV. During Shapur's reign in Armenia, he concentrated on reconciliation and established friendly relations with the nobles. He made every effort to convert the Christian Armenians toZoroastrianism, but was largely unsuccessful.[2]
In 420, Yazdegerd I was murdered by the Sasanian nobles atHyrcania,[3] which made Shapur quickly leave Armenia and arrive atCtesiphon to claim the Sasanian throne. However, he only managed to reign during a short time, until he was murdered by the nobles and the clergy, who sought to expel all the sons of Yazdegerd I.[4] After the murder of Shapur, the nobles elected another Sasanian prince,Khosrau, the son ofBahram IV, as king of theSasanian Empire.
The coin minted by Shapur IV is different from the common Sasanian coins. The image of the Sassanid emperor is usually included on the front of the coin, but on the reverse side of the coin, instead of the fire altar and its two attendantss, the image of Shapur IV with an unusual hat decorated with two ram's horns can be seen. On the margin of the coin, next to the image of Shapur, there are inscriptions inPahlavi script, which translate as follows: "šhpwhry zy lba 'lmn'n mlk" which can be translated: Shahpur the great king of the Armenians.[5]
The mintage date of the coin is also unknown, but it is clear from the evidence that it was minted between 414 and 420 AD. In this coin, there is no sign of Zoroastrian ritual elements (the fire and its attendants).
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)Shapur IV Died: 420 | ||
| Preceded by | King of Kings of Iran and non-Iran 420 | Succeeded by |