| Artabanus IV | |
|---|---|
| King of Kings | |
%2c_Hamadan_mint.jpg) The portrait of Artabanus IV on the obverse of aParthian drachm,Hamadan mint | |
| King of theParthian Empire | |
| Reign | 213–224 |
| Predecessor | Vologases VI |
| Successor | Ardashir I(Sasanian Empire) |
| Died | 28 April 224 Hormozdgan (possiblyRam-Hormoz) |
| Issue | Princess Sura of Parthia Artavazdes Murrod Archak |
| Dynasty | Arsacid dynasty |
| Father | Vologases V |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Artabanus IV, also known asArdavan IV (Parthian:𐭓𐭕𐭐𐭍), incorrectly known in older scholarship asArtabanus V,[1] was the last ruler of theParthian Empire fromc. 213 to 224. He was the younger son ofVologases V, who died in 208.
Artabanus IV rebelled against his brother,Vologases VI, a few years after the latter succeeded their father as king. He was able to take control of most of the Parthian territories, although his brother continued to rule over a reduced principality. He fought off an invasion by the Roman emperorCaracalla in 217, preserving Parthian control over most of Mesopotamia. He then faced a rebellion inPars byArdashir, a local dynast. Artabanus's and Ardashir's armies met in April 224 at theBattle of Hormozdgan, where Artabanus was killed and his army was defeated. Ardashir then went on to conquer the rest of the Parthian Empire, inaugurating the rule of theSasanian dynasty over Iran.
Artabanus is theLatin form of theGreekArtábanos (Ἁρτάβανος), itself from theOld Persian *Arta-bānu ("the glory ofArta.").[2] TheParthian andMiddle Persian variant wasArdawān (𐭓𐭕𐭐𐭍).[3][2]
Inc. 208,Vologases VI succeeded his fatherVologases V as king of the Parthian Empire. His rule was unquestioned for a few years, till his brother Artabanus IV rebelled. The dynastic struggle between the two brothers most likely started about 213. Artabanus successfully conquered much of the empire, includingMedia andSusa. Vologases VI seems to have only managed to keepSeleucia, where he minted coins.[4] TheRoman emperorCaracalla sought to take advantage of the conflict between the two brothers. He tried to find a pretext to invade the Parthian Empire by requesting Vologases to send two refugees—a philosopher named Antiochus and a certain Tiridates, who was possibly either an Armenian prince or an uncle of Vologases. To the surprise of the Romans, Vologases had the two men sent to Caracalla in 215, thus denying him his pretext.[4] Caracalla's choice of contacting Vologases instead of Artabanus shows that the Romans still saw him as the dominant king.[3]
Caracalla then chose to invadeArmenia. He appointed afreedman named Theocritus as the leader of the invasion, which eventually ended in disaster. Caracalla then once again sought to start a war with the Parthians. In another attempt to gain a pretext, he requested Artabanus to marry his daughter, which he declined. It is disputed whether Caracalla's proposal was sincere or not.[4] Caracalla's choice to contact Artabanus shows that the latter was now considered the dominant king over Vologases, who would rule a small principality centered around Seleucia until 221/2.[3] Artabanus soon clashed with Caracalla, whose forces he managed to contain atNisibis in 217. Peace was made between the two empires the following year, with the Arsacids keeping most ofMesopotamia. However, Artabanus still had to deal with his brother Vologases, who continued to mint coins and challenge him.[5]
TheSasanian family had meanwhile quickly risen to prominence in their nativePars, and had now under princeArdashir I begun to conquer the neighboring regions and more distant territories, such asKirman.[3][6] At first, Ardashir I's activities did not alarm Artabanus, until later, when the Arsacid king finally chose to confront him.[3] According toal-Tabari, whose work was probably based on Sasanian sources,[7] Ardashir I and Artabanus agreed to meet in Hormozdgan at the end of the month of Mihr (April).[8] Nonetheless, Ardashir I went to the place before due time to occupy an advantageous spot on the plain.[8] There he dug out aditch to defend himself and his forces. He also took over aspring at the place.[8] Ardashir I's forces numbered 10,000 cavalry, with some of them wearing flexible chain armor akin to that of the Romans.[9] Artabanus led a greater number of soldiers, who, however, were at a disadvantage because of their inconvenientlamellar armor.[9] Ardashir I's son and heir,Shapur I, as portrayed in the Sasanianrock reliefs, also took part in the battle.[10] Thebattle was fought on 28 April 224, with Artabanus being defeated and killed, marking the end of the Arsacid era and the start of 427 years of Sasanian rule.[9]
The chief secretary of Artabanus,Dad-windad, was afterwards executed by Ardashir I.[11] Thenceforth, Ardashir I assumed the title ofshahanshah ("King of Kings") and started the conquest of an area which would be calledIranshahr (Ērānshahr).[12] He celebrated his victory by having two rock reliefs sculptured at the Sasanian royal city of Ardashir-Khwarrah (present-dayFiruzabad) in his homeland, Pars.[13][14] The first relief portrays three scenes of personal fighting; starting from the left, a Persian aristocrat seizing a Parthian soldier; Shapur impaling the Parthian minister Dad-windad with his lance; and Ardashir I ousting Artabanus IV.[14][9] The second relief, conceivably intended to portray the aftermath of the battle, displays the triumphant Ardashir I being given the badge of kingship over a fire shrine from theZoroastrian supreme godAhura Mazda, while Shapur and two other princes are watching from behind.[14][13] The Middle Persian textKar-Namag i Ardashir i Pabagan reports that Ardashir married a daughter of Artabanus, who gave birth to his heir Shapur.[15][a] This account, if not entirely fictional, may preserve the memory of a marriage between Ardashir and a princess of the Arsacid house or possibly just a noblewoman linked with the Parthian nobility.[19]
Vologases VI was driven out of Mesopotamia by Ardashir I's forces soon after 228.[4][3] The leading Parthian noble-families (known as theSeven Great Houses of Iran) continued to hold power in Iran, now with the Sasanians as their new overlords.[13][7] The earlySasanian army (spah) was identical to the Parthian one.[20] Indeed, the majority of the Sasanian cavalry were composed of the very Parthian nobles that had once served the Arsacids.[20] Memories of the Arsacid Empire never completely vanished, with efforts trying to restore the empire in the late 6th century made by the Parthian dynastsBahram Chobin andVistahm, which ultimately proved unsuccessful.[21][22]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)Artabanus IV of Parthia Died: 28 April 224 | ||
| Preceded by | King of the Parthian Empire 208–224 | Succeeded by |