Islamic+Conquest+of+Persia

During the years 633 to 656 CE, Muslims took over the former Sassanid Kingdom > >>
 * It started in 628 CE, when ruler Khosrau II was assassinated
 * During the next couple of years, a series of 10 kings and queens ascended to the throne
 * The last was Yazdegerd III, supposedly only a child
 * Still weak from the changes in leaders, in 633, they began to lose control of the fringes of desert and the Lahkmid Arabs to the Muslims
 * After a series of battles over 9 months, under the main military commander Khalid ibn al-Walid, the Muslims conquered most of Mesopotamia
 * The Battle of Walaja- Won by the Muslim army because of a pincer strategy that allowed the Muslim Army to surround the Sassanids
 * The Battle of Firaz- The Muslims defeated the combined forces of the Persian Empire, Byzantine Empire, and the Christian Arabs
 * The Battle of the Bridge- The Persian Empire retaliated, winning a major victory under Bahman Jadu
 * The Battle of al-Qādisiyyah- The most decisive battle, won by the Muslims-The Muslim army continued south to siege and take control of the capital city, Ctesiphon. ===Rulers===
 * Khosrau II (also known as Khosrow)
 * Defeated a revolution inside his own country, led by Bahram Chobin
 * He then pushed his boundaries outward, into the Byzantine empire, succeeding for a short time, from 612 to 622 until his boundaries were the same as the former Achaemenid dynasty.
 * The tides then turned, under the Roman emperor Heraclius, and he fled, but was murdered by his son in his palace
 * Kavadh II
 * Son of Khosrau II, who kept him imprisoned until Heraclius invaded
 * Released and proclaimed king by the grandees four days before he murdered his father
 * Killed his 18 brothers and began negotiations with Heraclius, but died only a few months into his rule
 * Ardashir III
 * Son of Kavadh II
 * Began rule at age 7
 * Killed by his general Shahrbaraz 18 months later
 * Shahrbaraz
 * Was the Spahbod (the highest ranking military official in the Persian Army) to Ardashir III before gaining control of throne
 * Made peace with Heraclius
 * Slain during the Armenian invasion
 * Purandokht
 * One of the only two female monarchs in the Sassanid dynasty
 * Daughter of Khosrau II and aunt of Ardashir III
 * She attempted to bring stability to the empire by
 * Creating a peace treaty with the Byzantines
 * Lowering taxes
 * Minting coins
 * Rebuilding the infrastructure
 * Implementing the justice system
 * Was unsuccessful in her attempts to restore power to central authority because of civil wars
 * Azarmidokht
 * Ruled Persia after her sister
 * Farrokh Hormazd, an old but powerful commander had plans to overthrow the palace, force Azarmidokht to marry him and establish his own dynasty, but was killed by Azarmidokht before anything could happen
 * Killed by Rustom Farrokhzad
 * Rustom Farrokhzad
 * Captured and killed Azarmidokht
 * Later became a famous general under Yazdagard
 * Killed in the battle of Qadesia
 * Yazdagard
 * Grandson of Khusrow
 * Found at Istakhr by a search party at age 8 hiding for his life
 * Crowned at 8 with no training whatsoever
 * The people during the beginning of his reign wanted an end to the constant strifes and rebellions
 * During his reign, he couldn't stay in one spot for safety reasons so he was constantly moving around
 * After 20 years of ruling, he was killed by an assassin