Bavandi

The name of the Bavandi dynasty, apparently, comes from the name of Bav , the son of Kavus , the eldest son of the Sassanian Shah Kavad I. According to legend, Kavus, although he was the crown prince, was accused of sympathy with Mazdak and was denied the right to inherit. However, he was reinstated as Governor of Padishkhwargar, the northern satrapy of the Sassanian possessions, consisting of Azerbaijan , Gilan , Tabaristan and Kumis , according to Mar'ashi . Subsequently, however, Kavus was killed by Khosrov.

Regardless of its origin, in the chaos that followed the fall of the Sassanids before Muslim Arabs, the descendants of the Bava ruled the division of semi-independent property among themselves in the area south of the Caspian Sea . Probably due to their descent from the Sassanids, they were successful in gaining the highest power in the region and established their dominion over other local clans and dynasties, including the Padushanis and the Karin-Pahlavides , one of the seven great houses of Parthia .

The early Bavandis were characterized by Zoroastrianism , and later they became adherents of Islam , as evidenced by the case of Karen , the son of Shahriyar , the ninth ruler of the dynasty. They probably supported Zeidism , a branch of Shiism, and became the main supporters of Zeidism and other Shiite movements. We know that Bavandi, along with other representatives of the dynasties of Tabaristan and Dailama , recognized the rule of the Alavids , such as Al-Utrush , and helped them in their fight against the Caliphate . Another explanation may be that Bavandi used the influence of the Alawids among ordinary people in order to achieve their own plans in relation to the central Caliph power.

The history of the Bavandi dynasty is described in detail in the works of Ibn Isfandiyar and Mar'ashi , which belong to the genre of local stories that have gained popularity in Iran after 1000 AD. We know that they were associated with the Ziyarid dynasty, through the marriage of Madanshah , the father of Ziyar , to the daughter of one of the kings of Bavandi. The prominent position of the kings of Bavandi, apparently, was maintained throughout the Seljuk and Mongol periods. One of the greatest kings, Shah Ghazi Rostam , reportedly defeated the Ismailis, who occupied an increasingly prominent place in Tabaristan and Dailam, and made significant progress in consolidating power in the Caspian province.

After the Mongol conquest, Bavandi continued to remain strong local political leaders in Tabaristan and from time to time in Dailam. Their power was finally defeated around 1350 , when Afrasiab from the Jalawi Dynasty (an independent branch of Bavandi) managed to kill Fahroldoleh Hassan, the last of the main line of the kings of Bawandi.

Bavandi reign lasting approx. 665–1349, it is customary to divide into three periods. The first is Ispabid, a period that lasted until 1028. In this period, the dynasty appeared to be relatively autonomous and highly influential in Tabaristan and Dailam, although they often recognized the rule of the Samanids or, from time to time, the Ziyarids. However, with the death of the last Ispabid, the dynasty temporarily ceased to exist.

In 1062, Prince Bawandi revived the dynasty, this period is known as the "Kings of the Mountains." The name indicates the degree of supremacy of Bavandi in the mountains of Tabaristan. The greatest ruler of this phase was the aforementioned Shah Gazi Rostam. The line of the Kings of Mountains was cut short in 1210, probably as a result of competition with the Ismailis and other local dynasties.

In the chaos caused by the Mongol conquest of Iran, another branch of the dynasty was founded approx. 1240, and continued until 1349, when the last king he was killed by Afrasiab from the Javali Dynasty. This period is called “Kindhwary” by local historians.

At the same time, the above division into stages may be the result of mixing the history of Bavandi with the history of Padushanis, the neighboring clan that ruled in the territory of Royan (or Alamde) and Kojur, and came from the Sassanids. It is entirely possible that before the start of the third period, the Padushani seized the lands of Bavandi. This is no less likely, as this can explain the efforts of Afrasiab from the Jalawi dynasty to defeat Kingghwaria, and the very branch of Jalawi from Bavandi.

• Ibn Isfandiyar Mohammad B. Hassan. Tarih-e Tabaristan, Ed. M. Mehrabadi, Tehran: Al-e Kali, 1381 [2002].
• Kasravi, Ahmad. Shahriaran-e Gomnam, Tehran: Amir-Kabir, 1957.
• Lane-Poole, Stanley. Mohammadan dynasty, London: Routledge, 2000 (reprint).
• Marashi, Sayed Zahiruddin. Tarih e Tabaristan O Royan Mazandaran, Ed. Bernhard Damn, St. Petersburg, 1850 (Tehran Circulation: Gostareh, 1363 [1984]).

Links

• The Bavandi Dynasty in the Encyclopedia Britannica (Eng.) (Retrieved September 29, 2009)
• Independent Kingdoms in Iranian History (Retrieved September 29, 2009)