| Jamasp | |
|---|---|
| King of Kings of Iranians and non-Iranians | |
 | |
| Shahanshah of theSasanian Empire | |
| Reign | 496–498/9 |
| Predecessor | Kavad I |
| Successor | Kavad I (restored) |
| Died | 530/540 |
| Issue | Narsi |
| House | House of Sasan |
| Father | Peroz I |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Jamasp (also spelledZamasp orDjamasp;Middle Persian:𐭩𐭠𐭬𐭠𐭮𐭯;Persian:جاماسپJāmāsp) wasSasanianKing of Kings ofIran from 496 to 498/9. He was a son ofPeroz I and younger brother ofKavad I. Jamasp was installed on the Sasanian throne upon the deposition of the latter by the nobility and clergy.Jamasp's mother's name is unknown.
Due to increased Sasanian interest inKayanian history, Jamasp was named afterJamasp, the mythological minister of the Kayanian monarchVishtaspa.[1][2] The name is transliterated inGreek asZamásphēs;ArabicJāmāsb,Zāmāsb, andZāmāsf;New PersianJāmāsp andZāmāsp.[2]
In 484,Peroz I (r. 459–484) wasdefeated and killed by aHephthalite[a] army nearBalkh.[5][6] His army was completely destroyed, and his body was never found.[7] Four of his sons and brothers had also died.[8] The main Sasanian cities of the eastern region ofKhorasan−Nishapur,Herat andMarw were now under Hephthalite rule.[6]Sukhra, a member of the ParthianHouse of Karen, one of theSeven Great Houses of Iran, quickly raised a new force and stopped the Hephthalites from achieving further success.[9] Peroz' brother,Balash, was elected as shah by the Iranian magnates, most notably Sukhra and theMihranid generalShapur Mihran.[10] However, Balash proved unpopular among the nobility and clergy who had him deposed after just four years in 488.[11] Sukhra, who had played a key role in Balash's deposition,[11] appointedKavad I as the new shah of Iran.[12]
In 496, due to the socioeconomic and religious changes implemented by Kavad I, the nobility andZoroastrian clergy had him deposed.[2] They installed his more impressionable brother Jamasp on the throne.[13][14] One of the other reasons behind Kavad's deposal was his execution of Sukhra.[6] Meanwhile, chaos was occurring in the country, notably inMesopotamia.[14] A council soon took place among the nobility to discuss what to do with Kavad.Gushnaspdad, a member of a prominent family of landowners (theKanarangiyan) proposed that Kavad be executed. His suggestion was overruled, however, and Kavad was imprisoned instead in thePrison of Oblivion inKhuzestan.[15][13] However, Kavad managed to escape and flee to the domains of the Hephthalites.[6]
In 498 (or 499), Kavad returned to Iran with a Hephthalite army.[16][6] When he crossed the domains of the Kanarangiyan family in Khorasan, he was met byAdergoudounbades, a member of the family, who agreed to help him.[15] Another noble who supported Kavad wasZarmihr Karen, a son of Sukhra.[6] Jamasp and the nobility and clergy did not resist as they wanted to prevent another civil war.[17] They came to an agreement with Kavad that he would be shah again with the understanding that he would not hurt Jamasp or the elite.[17] Jamasp was spared, albeit probably blinded, while Gushnaspdad and other nobles who had plotted against Kavad were executed.[6] Kavad's reclamation of his throne displays the troubled circumstances of the empire, where in a time of anarchy a small force was able to overwhelm the nobility-clergy alliance.[13]
Jamasp then went toArmenia, where he defeated theKhazars, conquered some of their territory, and married a woman from Armenia, who bore him a son named Narsi.[18]
After Jamasp's death in 530/540, his son Narsi, who had a son named Piruz, expanded the domains of his family, which includedGilan.[19] He then married one of the princesses of Gilan, who bore him a son Gilanshah.[20] The latter had a son namedGil Gavbara, who later started theDabuyid dynasty, and had two sons named Dabuya and Paduspan.[21] His son Dabuya succeeded him asispahbadh of the Dabuyid dynasty, while his other son, Paduspan, founded thePaduspanid dynasty.
Jamasp | ||
| Preceded by | King of kings of Iran and non-Iran 496–498/9 | Succeeded by Kavad I (restored) |