Ardeshir 1 (died 242 AD) was the founder of the Sassanid Empire, was ruler of Estakhr (since 206?), subsequently Fars Province (since 208?), and finally "King of Kings of Sassanid Empire" (after 226) with the overthrow of the Parthian Empire. The dynasty founded by Ardeshir would rule for four centuries, until it was overthrown by the Caliphates in 651.Ardeshir 1s also known as Ardeshir Papagan "Ardeshir, son of Papag (Babak)", and other variants of his name include Latinized Artaxares and Artaxerxes.Ardeshir was born in the late 2nd century in Estakhr, what is present-day Fars in Iran, He was the son of Babak (Papak or Pabag) and Princess Rodak Ardeshir 1s said to have ruled the town of Darabgerd and received the title of "argbadh". Upon Babak's death, Ardeshir's elder brother Shapour ascended to the throne. However, Ardeshir rebelled against his brother and took the kingship for himself in 208.Most scholars have assumed that Ardeshir's father was Papak, a vassal king, and his grandfather was Sassan. However, there is another theory of his lineage, which is found in the Middle Persian text Book of Deeds of Ardeshir Son of Papak. This story is later confirmed by Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. This theory suggests that Sassan married the daughter of Papak after the latter discovers that Sassan is of royal Achaemenid descent. Hence Ardeshir was born. From here onwards Sassan disappears from the story and Papak is considered the father. Ardeshir helped Papak conquer some parts of Fars. It is possible that after Papak's death, his son Shapour had a short reign which was probably ended by an accidental death. Around 211/12 Ardeshir became ruler of Papak's kingdom, which was confined to central Fars. Soon he extended his realm into Kerman to the east and Elam to the west, and demanding tribute from the local princes of Fars and gaining control over the neighboring provinces of Kerman, Isfahan, Susiana, and Mesene.This expansion came to the attention of the Arsacid Great King, Artabanus 4, who ordered his vassal, the ruler of Khuzestan, to confront Ardeshir. It was Ardeshir, however, who emerged victorious in that battle. In 226, Artabanus 4 himself invaded Fars to defeat the rebelling Ardeshir. The latter won the first battle, but with heavy losses on both sides. In the second battle, the Parthians suffered a greater loss, and Ardeshir was again deemed the victor. Their armies clashed once again in a final battle at Hormozgan, near the modern city of Bandar Abbas. At this encounter, the Parthian army was completely defeated, and Artabanus 4 was killed. According to one account, Ardeshir and Artabanus fought in close combat on horseback. Ardeshir pretended to flee, turned around in the saddle and shot Artabanus through the heart.According to the hagiographic Book of the Deeds of Ardeshir son of Babak, Ardeshir 1 then went on to capture the western vassal states of the now-defunct Arsacid Empire.Crowned in 226 as the Shahanshah-e-Iran "king of kings of Iran" (hiArdeshir 1 (died 242 AD) was the founder of the Sassanid Empire, was ruler of Estakhr (since 206?), subsequently Fars Province (since 208?), and finally "King of Kings of Sassanid Empire" (after 226) with the overthrow of the Parthian Empire. The dynasty founded by Ardeshir would rule for four centuries, until it was overthrown by the Caliphates in 651.Ardeshir 1s also known as Ardeshir Papagan "Ardeshir, son of Papag (Babak)", and other variants of his name include Latinized Artaxares and Artaxerxes.Ardeshir was born in the late 2nd century in Estakhr, what is present-day Fars in Iran, He was the son of Babak (Papak or Pabag) and Princess Rodak Ardeshir 1s said to have ruled the town of Darabgerd and received the title of "argbadh". Upon Babak's death, Ardeshir's elder brother Shapour ascended to the throne. However, Ardeshir rebelled against his brother and took the kingship for himself in 208.Most scholars have assumed that Ardeshir's father was Papak, a vassal king, and his grandfather was Sassan. However, there is another theory of his lineage, which is found in the Middle Persian text Book of Deeds of Ardeshir Son of Papak. This story is later confirmed by Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. This theory suggests that Sassan married the daughter of Papak after the latter discovers that Sassan is of royal Achaemenid descent. Hence Ardeshir was born. From here onwards Sassan disappears from the story and Papak is considered the father. Ardeshir helped Papak conquer some parts of Fars. It is possible that after Papak's death, his son Shapour had a short reign which was probably ended by an accidental death. Around 211/12 Ardeshir became ruler of Papak's kingdom, which was confined to central Fars. Soon he extended his realm into Kerman to the east and Elam to the west, and demanding tribute from the local princes of Fars and gaining control over the neighboring provinces of Kerman, Isfahan, Susiana, and Mesene.This expansion came to the attention of the Arsacid Great King, Artabanus 4, who ordered his vassal, the ruler of Khuzestan, to confront Ardeshir. It was Ardeshir, however, who emerged victorious in that battle. In 226, Artabanus 4 himself invaded Fars to defeat the rebelling Ardeshir. The latter won the first battle, but with heavy losses on both sides. In the second battle, the Parthians suffered a greater loss, and Ardeshir was again deemed the victor. Their armies clashed once again in a final battle at Hormozgan, near the modern city of Bandar Abbas. At this encounter, the Parthian army was completely defeated, and Artabanus 4 was killed. According to one account, Ardeshir and Artabanus fought in close combat on horseback. Ardeshir pretended to flee, turned around in the saddle and shot Artabanus through the heart.According to the hagiographic Book of the Deeds of Ardeshir son of Babak, Ardeshir 1 then went on to capture the western vassal states of the now-defunct Arsacid Empire.Crowned in 226 as the Shahanshah-e-Iran "king of kings of Iran" (his consor

Tags:Achaemenid, Ardeshir, Ardeshir 1, Arsacid, Artabanus, Artaxerxes, Babakan, Bandar Abbas, Darabgerd, Elam, Estakhr, Fars, Fars Province, Ferdowsi, Hormozgan, Iran, Isfahan, Kerman, Khuzestan, Mesene, Parthian, Parthian Empire, Persian, Sassan, Sassanid, Shahanshah, Shahnameh, Shapour, Susiana

See Also:Ardashir I